Biden ‘Strongly Opposes’ Anti-trans Legislation, But Signs It Anyway
Measure now bans coverage of healthcare for transgender youth
President Biden made the Democrats’ capitulation on transgender rights complete by signing into law the first federal ANTI-LGBTQ legislation in 30 years.
It is an ignominious end to the career of a man who was once a leading champion for LGBTQ+ Americans, and transgender Americans in particular.
Biden on Monday signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2025, which contains a provision added by House Republicans that prevents the US military healthcare program — TRICARE — from covering gender-affirming care for the transgender children of US service members.
Republicans have tried to add such provisions before, but Democrats would defeat them before final passage.
This year Democrats did not and capitulated to Republican anti-trans bigotry. Some Democrats have begun to go soft on transgender rights after Donald Trump and his allies hammered Vice President Kamala Harris with a massive barrage of anti-trans political advertising which some blame for her loss for the White House.
That Biden, himself, would surrender on the issue just weeks before the end of his career is especially noteworthy.
He had been a consistent champion for LGBTQ+ and transgender rights for years.
Biden appointed Dr Rachel Levine to a leadership position in his administration, and she became the highest-ranking openly transgender American ever confirmed by the US Senate.
He also supported the candidacy of Danica Roem, a trans woman who successfully won a seat in the Virginia legislature.
And, of course, as vice president under President Barack Obama, Biden had been outspoken in support for marriage equality.
Although Biden signed the defense bill with the anti-trans provision, he released a statement to let people know just how unhappy he was doing it.
The statement read, in part:
My Administration strongly opposes Division A, title VII, subtitle A, section 708 of the Act, which inhibits the Department of Defense’s ability to treat all persons equally under the law, no matter their gender identity. By prohibiting the use of appropriated funds, the Department of Defense will be compelled to contravene clinical practice guidelines and clinical recommendations. The provision targets a group based on that group’s gender identity and interferes with parents’ roles to determine the best care for their children. This section undermines our all-volunteer military’s ability to recruit and retain the finest fighting force the world has ever known by denying health care coverage to thousands of our service members’ children. No service member should have to decide between their family’s health care access and their call to serve our Nation.
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