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Several Democratic candidates brought the issue of transgender rights to the debate stage on Wednesday night — likely the most prominent national discussion of trans issues and rights in politics to date.
“We do not talk enough about trans Americans, especially African-American trans Americans, and the incredibly high rates of murder right now. We don't talk enough about how many children, about 30% of LGBTQ kids, who do not go to school because of fear."— Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey)
Context: At least ten black transgender women have been reportedly killed this year, Vox reports. Booker appeared to be responding to these statistics.
The big picture: The Trump administration has worked to undo a major chunk of LGBTQ protections secured under President Obama — with most of the effort directed towards transgender rights.
That includes:
- Rolling back an Obama-era order allowing transgender people to openly serve in the U.S. military
- Attempting to roll back protections for transgender people established under the Affordable Care Act
- Telling the Supreme Court that federal law doesn't protect transgender people from workplace discrimination
- Removing Title IX protections for transgender youth
- Changing an Obama-era policy allowing prisoners to be housed based on gender identity.
What else they're saying: At Wednesday's debate, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro referenced transgender women while explaining his stance on reproductive healthcare, saying trans women should have "the right to choose" abortion access.
- Reality check: Transgender men and non-binary people with a uterus can get pregnant and may choose to obtain an abortion. Transgender women cannot get pregnant.
Flashback: Castro, Warren, and Biden made a point to include transgender people in their reproductive health care spiels at a Planned Parenthood forum in June.