CNN
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President Joe Biden will announce a slew of actions Thursday aimed at protecting the LGBTQ+ community ahead of hosting what White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden called “the largest Pride celebration in White House history.”
The celebration on the South Lawn will demonstrate “that LGBTQ people belong in the People’s House,” Tanden said.
As part of Thursday’s announcement, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will appoint a new coordinator specifically tasked with combating book bans enacted at the state and local level.
An April report from free speech organization PEN America found book bans rose during the first half of the 2022-2023 school year. Almost a third of the bans were the result of newly enacted state laws, according to the report, which found bans were most prevalent in five states: Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah and South Carolina.
“Across the country, our nation is facing a spike in book bans, and these efforts disproportionately target the LGBTQI+ community as well as communities of color,” an administration official told reporters on a call previewing Thursday’s announcement. “These aren’t just attacks on the rights of LGBTQI+ Americans, they are part and parcel of a coordinated attack on our democracy.”
The administration is also expected to unveil a new partnership with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to provide “dedicated safety training and resources,” an expanded DOJ LGBTQ working group, new advisories from HHS to help mental health providers care for transgender and gender-diverse youth, and initiatives to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care and combat youth homelessness in the LGBTQ community.
The announcements are the latest in a series of outreach efforts from the Biden administration to members of the LGBTQ community, and come as the Human Rights Campaign – the United States’ largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization – declared a national state of emergency for members of the LGBTQ community.
In his first month in office, Biden signed an executive order repealing a ban on most transgender Americans joining the military, while in December, he signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act codifying federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples.
“We know that there’s more work to do, but these meaningful steps will help protect our communities, they will help protect Americans, and they demonstrate our commitment to standing proudly with the LGBT community in the enduring struggle for freedom, justice and equality,” Tanden said Wednesday.
