Biden hits back at states targeting trans youth in Pride Month proclamation
01 June 2021
President Biden recognized June as Pride Month in a proclamation on Tuesday, while pushing for LGBTQ equality and calling out some states for targeting trans youth in "discriminatory bills."
Why it matters: The White House has repeatedly deferred to the Justice Department on whether it will take action against a record number of bills targeting trans youth introduced by Republican lawmakers.
- Only a handful of the bills — nearly all focused on youth sports — have been enacted into law so far, although LGBTQ advocates, medical experts and pediatricians have raised concerns about a new rash of mental health crises among trans kids in response to the legislation.
What he's saying: "For all of our progress, there are many States in which LGBTQ+ individuals still lack protections for fundamental rights and dignity in hospitals, schools, public accommodations, and other spaces," Biden said in a statement.
- "Our Nation continues to witness a tragic spike in violence against transgender women of color. LGBTQ+ individuals — especially youth who defy sex or gender norms — face bullying and harassment in educational settings and are at a disproportionate risk of self-harm and death by suicide."
- "Some States have chosen to actively target transgender youth through discriminatory bills that defy our Nation’s values of inclusivity and freedom for all."
The big picture: The Biden administration has pledged to reverse Trump-era policies that restricted LGBTQ access to housing, health care and equal treatment in prisons.
- LGBTQ advocates expect action from the Biden administration after Trump quickly worked to undo the majority of protections secured under President Obama.
- A DOJ spokesperson told Axios late last month the agency “intends to fully enforce our civil rights statutes to protect transgender individuals," as the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division considers trans students protected under Title IX.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.