 Bernie Sanders doesn't get nearly enough credit when it comes to his advocacy for LGBTQIA plus rights And it's not just like he came around in 2013 when public opinion conveniently started to shift He's been an ally for decades In fact, his advocacy for LGBTQ plus issues nearly destroyed his career When he was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont Because he allowed a pride parade to take place in Burlington and a vehemently homophobic city council Tried to literally oust him because of it. They wanted him gone. They wanted to destroy his career But guess what? Bernie Sanders knew the consequences and he still decided to allow that gay pride parade To take place and he didn't just stop there He spoke out. He advocated for LGBTQQ plus rights and the reason why he did this is because he doesn't make Calculations based on political expediency. He made calculations on this issue out of morality and Human compassion and this is why I absolutely as a member of the LGBTQ plus community I really value Bernie Sanders and it's not like other Democrats are bad on this issue I mean they leave a lot to be desired with trans issues But Bernie Sanders has been an ally when no one else was an ally when homosexuality was socially Stigmatized and it still is to a very large degree But Bernie Sanders was with us when it wasn't cool and his advocacy for my community it hasn't changed one bit and going into 2020 he arguably has the most comprehensive platform When it comes to LGBTQQ plus rights issues and in response to a questionnaire that was sent to him by HIV plus magazine He lays out some of his policy proposals and describes what he'd do to cap the cost of crucial prescription drugs required by HIV positive Americans and also what he'd do to fight discrimination against them when it comes to housing and employment and one of the reasons why he is the strongest in my opinion when it comes to LGBTQQ plus issues is because He is the one candidate out of a field of what like 20 who has been firmly committed to single payer Medicare for all and the reason why that matters is because there's a lot of health disparities Within the LGBTQQ plus community. There's a lot Trans people don't have equal access to healthcare as cisgender Americans and by supporting Medicare for all Bernie Sanders is going to close The gaps that exist these health disparities will be erased with his plan and in response to a question about healthcare for HIV positive people and Trans-Americans Bernie Sanders laid out what he'd do to help this community Bernie Sanders Medicare for all would not only confront the massive health disparities faced by the LGBTQ plus community it would also cover gender-affirming surgeries increase access to PREP remove barriers to mental health care and bolster suicide prevention efforts Bernie's plan clearly states that LGBTQQ plus people cannot be discriminated against by providers or denied health benefits It's a truly intersectional plan that would establish health care as a right to every single person in America No matter who they are or what they love. So let me repeat that Bernie Sanders Medicare for all would cover gender affirming surgeries If you don't know someone who's transgender or have anyone in your life who's transgender This is life changing because people who are transgender if you're poor Then you just can't have the gender affirming surgeries that are deemed medically necessary By doctors you can't have them because they're too expensive. So what a lot of trans people do is what a lot of other people who have Medical bills do they will just do a go fund me to get the procedures that they need Bernie Sanders would solve that no more go fund me if you're a trans American Why because you didn't choose to be transgender you were born that way So why should you be more disadvantaged than cisgender people? The answer is you shouldn't be so Bernie Sanders would cover gender affirming surgeries I don't think people realize how transformative this would be for members of the trans community It is Remarkable on top of that by increasing access to prep which is essentially a preventative drug for HIV which Is given to people who are at risk of exposure to HIV or you know at greater risk of contracting HIV Bernie would increase access to that make it more widely available and under his plan Cap the cost because you're not going to be paying more than two hundred dollars per year for any prescription drug Under a Bernie Sanders administration and the cost of that drug is around 13,000 I want to say so Bernie would change people's lives and he would allow LGBTQIA plus Americans To be at parody when it comes to healthcare with their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts Bernie is truly the real deal He's the real deal No other candidate is committed to single-payer Medicare for all so you can't say definitively unless they've Created an actual plan to do so that they're going to cover gender affirming surgeries Now there's other things that need to be done. I mean just finding doctors that Offer, you know service to transgender Americans is really important If you live in a red state for example, then it's more difficult to get access to HRT, you know hormone replacement therapy So that's another thing that needs to be addressed But also by making sure that doctors can't discriminate on the basis of religiosity and say, you know what if you're transgender I think that's immoral. I'm not going to serve you He is you know kind of addressing that in a roundabout way But I do want him to go a step further there But the fact that he'd cover gender affirming surgeries really is remarkable This is something that's not politically expedient Socially speaking transgender people are just not accepted and it's weird because they're a part of the lgbtq community Gay people have become more accepted trans people and especially non-binary people are not accepted Bernie Sanders is a trailblazer. He is a leader not a follower He's not waiting for public opinion to shift in favor of trans people. He's leading and that's why I love him Now on top of that in this interview, he laid out the rest of his lgbtq plus agenda in a more general sense And here's what he wants to do pass the equality act Which would expand the defined prohibited types of discrimination to include a sexual orientation and gender identity Pass the every child deserves a family act and other bills to prohibit discrimination against lgbtq plus people Meaning gay couples would be allowed to adopt Strongly oppose any legislation that falsely purports to protect religious liberty at the expense of others rights Meaning a baker cannot discriminate against a couple and refuse service to an lgbtq couple on the basis of Religiosity ensure lgbtq plus people have comprehensive health care without Discrimination or discrimination from providers protect the rights of lgbtq plus people around the world by ensuring that Ran into the cortex of all global trade agreements are strong and binding human rights standards and Strengthening the special envoy for lgbtq plus rights within the Department of the state Advanced policies to ensure students can attend school without fear of bullying and work to substantially reduce suicides Support police departments that adopt policies to ensure fairer interactions with transgender people Especially transgender women of color who are often targeted by police unfairly and by instituting training programs to promote compliance with fair policies Fight against discrimination against lgbtq plus people by creditors and banks so that people will not be unfairly denied Mortgages credit cards or student loans Bernie would also aggressively defend and promote the legal protections of fair housing And make sure that no one is denied housing based on race color of their skin National origin religion gender sexuality disability or HIV AIDS status Repel the Trump administration's bigoted ban on transgender people from serving in the US military Make it easier for lgbtq plus workers to form a union so they can collectively bargain for fair wages and safe working conditions Now I'm gonna provide you with a link in the description box so you can read the entirety of his answers because this is really long It's comprehensive so I can't address all of it, you know in this one segment But please read that for yourself because if you care about these issues Bernie Sanders just lays it all out Now I'd be lying to you if I said that Bernie Sanders was perfect here I still think that there is some room for improvement. So when it comes to trans issues I do think that he needs to take it a step further and fully endorse the Decriminalization at a minimum hopefully legalization of sex work. That's really really important now Previously he said he was open to that But the reason why it's important related to trans issues and lgbtq plus issues is Because this really affects trans women because when they fall into poverty often times They are pushed into that industry and if we don't legalize and tax and regulate the sex work industry We're not fully protecting vulnerable trans women who are susceptible to violence namely trans women of color Now as I stated earlier, I would like to see a more ambitious effort to increase access to doctors that offer Transcare and increase access to hormone replacement therapy particularly in red states because even though Medicare for all would make the cost of these treatments Free at the point of service. I mean if you live in certain areas where you can't access these treatments I do want to see something with regard to that specifically in increasing access to the amount of doctors That specialize in trans care. Now, I don't know how you do that Maybe, you know subsidize or incentivize Doctors to cover a trans people and accept more trans patients But I would like to see that addressed so here's the thing supporting Medicare for all It absolutely will close all of the health disparities in this country and it's not just closing health disparities In the lgbtq plus community. This will close health disparities Universally so Bernie Sanders here overall. I would argue. He's the best when it comes to lgbtq ia plus issues Nobody else is saying gender affirming surgeries will be free Nobody has the record that he has on this issue Nobody has been an ally to the lgbtq plus community as long as Bernie Sanders He was fighting for our rights me as a gay man He was fighting for me before I was even born and that means a lot to me So Bernie is the real deal and his lgbtq plus agenda would be truly transformative For members of the lgbtq plus community. It's not perfect, but To say that it's a step in the right direction a huge step in the right direction would be an understatement So what I want to leave you with is my favorite clip Of bernie sanders where back in 1995 on the house floor He defended members of the military Who are gay the same people that would vote to cut defense 177 billion the same ones that would put homos in the military the same ones that would not fund brak The same ones that would not clear up. No, I will not sit down socialist The committee will the ludicacy of this even to appeal this and the gentleman will suspend Now my ears may have playing been playing a trick on me But I thought I heard the gentleman a moment ago say something quote-unquote about homos in the military Was I right in hearing that expression? Absolutely putting homosexuals in the military You said something about homos in the military was the gentleman referring to the many thousands and thousands of gay people Who have put their lives on the line in countless wars defending this country I'm talking the group of people that the gentleman was referring to i'm talking about the military people in the military Do not support that's not what we were talking about you use the word homos in the military You have insulted thousands of men and women will put their lives on the line talking about you and liberals like you that keep the foreign defense