Democrat presidential runner Elizabeth Warren clarifies trans views
SIOUX CITY, IOWA – JANUARY 05: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks to guests during an organizing event at the Orpheum Theater on January 5, 2019 in Sioux City, Iowa. Warren announced on December 31 that she was forming an exploratory committee for the 2020 presidential race. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Democratic politician Elizabeth Warren has said she supports trans-related surgeries, after previously saying she didn’t think they were a “a good use of taxpayer dollars.”
In a statement released to ThinkProgress on Monday (January 7), Warren said: “Senator Warren supports access to medically necessary services, including transition-related surgeries.
“This includes procedures taking place at the VA, in the military, or at correctional facilities.”
Elizabeth Warren: Trans people should have access to transition surgeries
The 69-year-old politician came under fire for anti-trans comments she made back in 2012, when she was asked about the case of trans woman Michelle Kosilek, who is in prison in Massachusetts for murder.
“Senator Warren supports access to medically necessary services, including transition-related surgeries.”
—Senator Elizabeth Warren
Kosilek has repeatedly sued the Massachusetts Department of Correction in a bid to get gender confirmation surgery.
“I have to say, I don’t think it’s a good use of taxpayer dollars,” Warren said at the time, reports ThinkProgress.
Elizabeth Warren posted in solidarity with the trans community in October. (SenWarren/Twitter)
As well as her statement, the senior United States senator from Massachusetts also recently showed her support for the trans community on social media.
“I want every single transgender child to know this: You are valued. You are equal.”
—Senator Elizabeth Warren
Following a leaked memo from the Trump administration, which stated that trans people could effectively be legally erased in the US, Warren posted in solidarity with the trans community on Twitter.
Elizabeth Warren in running to be president in 2020
“I want every single transgender child to know this: You are valued. You are equal,” she wrote in October.
“You are not alone—we are in this fight with you. Trans people #WontBeErased.”
Warren is widely regarded as an ally to the LGBT+ community except for her past comments on gender reassignment surgeries.
She is one of the Democratic Party’s first candidates to be announced for the 2020 presidential race.
Warren announced on December 31 that she is launching an exploratory committee for a presidential challenge, putting her name in contention for the Democratic nomination.
In a video posted to social media, Warren took aim at the Trump administration’s economic policies and divisive approach to minorities.
The video featured a same-sex wedding and a Pride parade.
“The whole scam is propped up by an echo chamber of fear and hate designed to distract and divide us,” Warren said at the time.
“People who would do or say anything to hold onto power point the finger at anyone who looks, thinks, prays or loves differently than they do. But this dark path doesn’t have to be our future.”
