Tim Walz defends trans people from Republican attacks
Tim Walz is the governor for Minnesota. (Getty)
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Governor Tim Walz has spoken up about what he and Kamala Harris would do to protect queer kids if elected and defended trans people from ongoing Republican attacks.
During an appearance on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, co-host Abby Wambach asked Walz about his sponsorship of a gay-straight alliance in the 90s while working as a teacher and asked how he and Harris would advocate for LGBTQ+ people.
Walz said that the pair would oppose hate crimes, improve LGBTQ+ education, and ensure the community is protected.
“We need to appoint judges who uphold the right to marriage, uphold the right to be who you are, making sure that’s the case, uphold the right to get the medical care that you need. We should not be naive. Those appointments are really, really important. I think that’s what the vice-president is committed to,” Walz said.
He went on to discuss how anti-trans sentiment has grown across the country: “We see it now. The hate has shifted to the trans community. They see it as an opportunity.”
“If you’re watching any sporting events right now, you see that Donald Trump’s closing arguments are to demonise a group of people for being who they are.”
Walz also said that “access to healthcare, a clean environment, manufacturing jobs, and keeping your local hospital open” are the real concerns of voters, which Democrats are taking seriously, implying that Republicans are ignoring that in favour of “running millions of dollars of ads demonising folks who are just trying to live their lives”.
Such ads have been a major focus point during Donald Trump’s campaign. An analysis by the New York Times revealed that Republicans have spent over $65 million on transphobic political ads since August.
Harris made a similar defence of trans people in her recent interview with Fox News’ Brett Baier by acknowledging that the would enforce current laws protecting trans people and their right to gender-affirming care.
She also said that most people do not care about trans issues, adding that they are similar a distraction from more pressing issues that Americans are facing daily.
