Transgender issues were largely absent from the DNC agenda

[Jessica_Rose]

Transgender issues were largely absent from the DNC agenda

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/transgender-issues-were-largely-absent-from-the-dnc-agenda/ar-AA1pkzBX?ocid=windirect&cvid=a26bf3b3aa974642889dfea4995a8b99&ei=71

Story by Matt Lavietes (23 Aug 2024)

At the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Rep. Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., was met with thunderous applause as he proudly introduced transgender advocate Sarah McBride.

"She is right now the first trans person ever to address a national convention," Maloney boasted. "It's about time." McBride would go on to become a Delaware state senator, and she's now poised to be the first transgender member of Congress.

Four years later, Virginia delegate Danica Roem — the first openly transgender person to be seated in a state Legislature — made a groundbreaking appearance during the virtual DNC in 2020.

But at this year's Democratic convention in Chicago, trans people were notably absent from the stage. While LGBTQ rights broadly and same-sex marriage specifically were referenced several times, transgender people appeared to be mentioned by just two speakers across 20 hours of the convention's "main programming" slate, and neither speaker, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., nor Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson had a prime-time speaking slot.

Charlotte Clymer, a longtime trans advocate who was at this week's convention, called this year's DNC "the best political convention in my lifetime." At the same time, she said, the lack of attention paid to trans issues showed "an extreme lack of consideration for the pain trans people are feeling right now."

[Lori Dee]

I noticed that too.

Even in speeches addressing the LGBTQ+ Caucus, the topics were kept very generic: who you love, equal access to healthcare, end discrimination, etc. But nothing specific to transgender.