Equality Federation responds to the historic results of the November 3, 2020 election in which media outlets announced a win for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

The following statement can be attributed to Rebecca Isaacs, Executive Director of Equality Federation:

“The will of the people is clear: voters have chosen Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to move us forward together towards a better future. This has been a long, difficult election unlike any we have witnessed before. But the story of the election is this: Despite all of the obstacles, we voted in enormous numbers for democracy, for justice, for equality, and for each other.

“There is no question that President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris will be champions for advancing LGBTQ equality. The historic election of Kamala Harris not only represents the first woman ever with the title Vice President-Elect but also the first Black woman and South Asian woman to hold the position. Having the two of them as allies in the White House gives us hope.

“Still, we will need to hold President-Elect Biden accountable for the promises he made to the LGBTQ community. The promise to pass the Equality Act to update federal law to include nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans in key areas of life including employment, housing, education, and public spaces. The promise to reverse the transgender military ban. The promise to combat the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color. We need him to keep all of these promises to the LGBTQ community and others.

“While we celebrate the election of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and the progress he will make at the national level, we know the legislative battles in the states starting in January will be unlike any we have seen before. We, unfortunately, did not see statehouses flip to Democratic control in places we know are hostile to LGBTQ people, places like Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina.

“But we will be prepared to fight back against anti-LGBTQ opponents thanks to the many bright spots in the election this week. We celebrate and congratulate the LGBTQ people who were elected in statehouses from Vermont to Tennessee to Kansas. These local victories are reminders that we can and will continue making progress in the communities we call home.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, and there is more urgency to our efforts than ever before.”