LGBT forum: Elizabeth Warren names the 18 black trans women murdered this year
Democratic presidential candidate Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at an LGBTQ presidential forum on September 20, 2019 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The event is the first public event of the 2020 election cycle to focus entirely on LGBTQ issues. (Scott Olson/Getty)
Elizabeth Warren said the names of the 18 black trans women who have been murdered so far this year in the US, and got a standing ovation from the audience at yesterday’s Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues (September 20).
For her powerful opening statement, Warren was asked by journalist and forum moderator Lyz Lenz: “Senator, if elected President, what should LGBTQ Americans expect from the first 100 days in office?”
Warren said: “I’m not going to tell you, I’m going to show you.”
Shaking, she read out: “Dana Martin. Jazzaline Ware. Ashanti Carmon. Claire Legato. Muhlaysia Booker. Michelle Tamika Washington. Paris Cameron. Chynal Lindsey. Chanel Scurlock. Zoe Spears. Brooklyn Lindsey. Denali Berries Stuckey. Kiki Fantroy. Pebbles LaDime Doe. Tracy Single. Bailey Reeves. Bee Love Slater. Ja’leyah-Jamar.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is opening up by naming the trans people confirmed killed in 2019 as of last week. Incredibly powerful.#LGBTQforum
— Charlotte Clymer?️? (@cmclymer) September 21, 2019
Part of Elizabeth Warren's opening speech at the #LGBTQforum pic.twitter.com/4q2zSs8nGQ— Viado (@FtMDIO) September 21, 2019
Her statement was met with cheers and a standing ovation, before she sat down to answer questions.
Elizabeth Warren said she supports universal healthcare for all
Lenz asked Warren about the fact that in 2012 she wrote that she did not support gender-affirming surgery for trans inmates, but later changed her mind.
Warren reaffirmed that she supports universal healthcare for everyone, inclusive of gender-affirming surgery.
She said: “Equal means equal, and that is true everywhere. It’s true in the workplace, it’s true in marriage and it’s true in healthcare. And we have to be willing to get out there and fight for it.
“It’s true for people who are straight, it’s true for people who are gay, bi, trans, intersex. It’s true for everyone.”
Has anyone mentioned intersex people yet besides Warren? She just fucking gets it. #LGBTQforum— Sarah Tonin (@BassedInShow) September 21, 2019
Joe Biden received a less positive reaction to his participation in the forum, after he was was called out by Lenz for previously saying that Vice President Mike Pence was a “decent guy.”
He was also criticised on social media for “sexism” when he answered her questions about his voting record by saying: “You’re a lovely person.”
