WILMINGTON — President Joe Biden expanded protections for the LGBTQI+ community in an executive order signed yesterday.
The “Advancing Equality for LGBTQI+ Individuals” order will address many issues that target the community making headlines today, including discriminatory legislative attacks, access to health care, improve mental and socioeconomic conditions and more.
Equality NC, a queer advocacy and education group, is celebrating.
“Our communities have been under extreme pressure this year and in years prior; the signing of this order provides welcomed hope for us all,” Equality NC Executive Director Kendra Johnson said in a press release.
In the order, Biden has charged the Department of Health and Human Services to release new “sample policies” for states on how to provide access to comprehensive healthcare for LGBTQI+ patients. The Department of Education will also issue sample policies for practicing inclusion in academic spaces.
With the goal to end “conversion therapy,” Biden instructed HHS to create initiatives to reduce children’s exposure to the practice and increase public awareness of its harms. He is also urging the Federal Trade Commission to examine the practice’s ethical implications and working with his departments to create an action plan to end conversion tactics.
“At a time when we’ve seen escalating attacks on our LGBTQ+ communities, these moves are deeply necessary,” Johnson said in the release.
HHS will also examine ways to expand healthcare access to LGBTQI+ individuals, including mental and reproductive health care, HIV prevention and treatment and gender-affirming care. The department will also look at expanding youth access to suicide prevention and substance abuse resources.
Ensuring LGBTQI+ people have a support system, the order prioritizes improving child wellness, increasing training on supporting these individuals and promoting inclusive environments. Biden is directing HHS to expand access to voluntary family counseling and support programs to help support youth and families. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will create a new working group on LGBTQI+ Homelessness and Housing Equity.
In the release, Johnson said these measures will have a larger impact on LGBTQI+ people with intersecting identities, including Black and brown people, disabled people, parents and more.
“These orders push us closer to lived equality — a time where people can inhabit all of their identities and thrive in our society,” Johnson said in the release.
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