TOGETHER, VICTORIOUS
Between Lady Gaga belting out the US national anthem and the new President Joe Biden undoing the ill legacy of the Trump administration, 2021 came in with a lot of new promises and hopes for better days. Already, we’re seeing diversity and progress.
Last week, Biden issued the Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.
“Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love. Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” reads a part of the executive order’s policy, which goes on to say everyone deserves equal treatment regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The order also covers discrimination in employment and healthcare access.
Biden is also set to reverse the ban on transgender people serving in the military, which was enacted in 2017 by Trump. Biden also appointed Rachel Levine, the health secretary of Pennsylvania and a transgender woman, to be his assistant secretary of health. The new president is on fire, and the winds of change go with him.
His decision was greeted with a range from praise and joy to uncertainty, fear and outrage.
There will be many hills to climb and we wish him luck as he continues with his determination to build the US of his vision.