First proposed in 2022, the latest rule incorporates protections on the basis of sexual orientation and improves pre-existing protections for gender identity, mandating nondiscrimination in health care and insurance coverage for LGBTQ+ Americans.

Following years of advocacy by HRC and Partners, to protect LGBTQ+ students, combat sexual assault and harassment. the U.S. Department of Education announced it has finalized a Title IX rule that clarifies the scope of nondiscrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity throughout educational activities and programs.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced its final rule to revise a Trump-era policy that dismantled meaningful protections for beneficiaries of federally funded health care programs and stripped away basic notice requirements designed to ensure that beneficiaries know their rights to be free from discrimination and their right to an alternative, non-religious provider. In a major win for equality, the new rule restores those protections and requirements.

This year’s National Dinner featured keynote remarks from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden as well as other special guests including award-winning television writer and producer Shonda Rhimes, Emmy-winning actor, writer and producer Lena Waithe and Golden Globe-winning television and film actor Matt Bomer. In addition, the four transgender youth who organized Trans Youth Prom, Grayson McFerrin, Libby Gonzales, Hobbes Chukumba, and Daniel Trujillo, received special recognition for their efforts expanding trans visibility and justice across the country.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) praised an announcement today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of a proposed rule that will direct state and tribal agencies across the country to fully implement existing protections for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced the creation of a White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The new office will focus on implementing executive and legislative action, including historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act signed by President Biden, to end the scourge of gun violence in America.

President Biden announced that the administration will roll out a series of actions to protect the rights, safety and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community. These initiatives include efforts to protect queer and trans foster youth, improve access to mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth and address the rise in hate-fueled violence.

The Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Tennessee, challenging the constitutionality of recently enacted legislation banning age-appropriate, medically necessary gender-affirming care for transgender youth. This came in the midst of a wave of gender-affirming care bans nationwide.

During the State Of The Union address, President Biden made a point to defend transgender and non-binary youth from the wave of attacks they’re facing. He also encouraged Congress to pass the Equality Act “to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity.”

With President Biden’s signature, the Respect for Marriage Act becomes the biggest legislative win in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in over a decade, guaranteeing federal rights, benefits and obligations of marriages in the federal code for same-sex couples. The legislation also repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and affirmed public acts, records and proceedings should be recognized by all states.

The White House announced it will host the “United We Stand Summit'' to combat the spread of misinformation and extremist violence. This comes after a surge in hate-driven violence against people of color and the LGBTQ+ community in recent years.

The Biden administration declared the monkeypox virus outbreak a national public health emergency. The administration noted that more needs to be done to ensure equal access in the distribution of vaccines and treatment.

The administration announced a notice of proposed rulemaking relating to the Affordable Care Act aimed at strengthening non-discrimination provisions. The proposed changes would improve access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ people by providing protections on the basis of sexual orientation and sex characteristics, and improving protections for gender identity.

The administration released a report examining the efforts of each federal agency with an international portfolio to advance LGBTQ+ equality around the world.

On Transgender Day of Visibility, the administration announced it would undertake a number of policies in support of transgender, non-binary and gender-nonconfirming people. This includes issuing passports with an “X” gender marker, streamlining identity verification during the travel experience and providing resources to transgender kids and their families.

In his first State of the Union address, President Biden renewed his call on Congress to pass the Equality Act. He also condemned the “onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans,” particularly those targeting trans youth across the country.

President Biden followed through on his past commitment and nominated Kentaji Brown Jackson to become first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Jackson served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "There are efforts in some states, not just Texas but also Florida and unfortunately others, designed to target and attack the kids who need support the most—LGBTQI+ students who are already vulnerable to bullying and violence just for being themselves. This isn't an isolated action, as is evidenced by multiple states pursuing this. We're seeing Republican leaders take actions to regulate what students can or cannot read, what they can or cannot learn, and most troubling, who they can or cannot be."

The tweet came in response to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation advancing in state legislatures.

The law bans transgender youth from participating in school sports. The White House said in a statement, “These anti-transgender bills are nothing more than bullying disguised as legislation and undermine our nation’s core values. These bills don’t keep kids safe — they put children and their families at risk of bullying and discrimination.”

This tweet from the White House remembered Reggie Williams, an HIV/AIDS activist on the anniversary of his death. A section of the AIDS quilt was displayed in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building located next to the West Wing.

The proposed rule would prohibit healthcare exchanges, issuers, and agents from discriminating against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and would also prohibit denying coverage for gender-affirming care.

President Biden marked World AIDS Day with an event at the White House and announced a new National HIV/AIDS Strategy with the goal of ending the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030.

President Biden issued a statement remembering the transgender victims of fatal violence. At least 46 transgender lives were lost this year alone. The President said, "Transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know. But no person should have to be brave just to live in safety and dignity."

The White House announced that President Biden is nominating Alison Nathan to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals of the Second Circuit. If confirmed, she would be the second openly lesbian woman to serve on a federal appellate court.

The State Department will begin to allow passport applicants to use the ‘X’ gender marker option in early 2022. Intersex, non-binary, or gender non-conforming people can choose a gender-neutral marker for their passports and Consular Report of Birth Abroad. The new policy no longer requires medical certification if an applicant’s self-selected gender does not match the gender on their other citizenship or identity documents.

This policy will create a National Intelligence Officer for Gender Equality to analyze the relationship between gender and violent extremism.

After the Texas legislature passed an anti-trans bill attacking trans youth, the White House published an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News saying, "This hateful bill in Texas is just the latest example of Republican state lawmakers using legislation to target transgender kids — whom the president believes are some of the bravest Americans — in order to score political points."

Dr. Rachel Levine, who serves as the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was sworn in as an admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, becoming the first-ever openly transgender four-star admiral.

President Biden issued a statement in recognition of National Coming Out Day and showed his administration’s support for LGBTQ+ people nationwide. The statement also included criticism of the state legislatures that have introduced or passed legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, specifically trans youth.

President Biden spoke in support of the global LGBTQ+ community in his speech during the UN General assembly. The President said, "We all must defend the rights of LGBTQI individuals so they can live and love openly without fear,” while specifically calling out a number of human rights abuses such as the LGBTQ+ discrimination in Chechnya and Cameroon.

On the 10-year anniversary of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, President Biden commemorated the date and reiterated his support for LGBTQ+ service members across the country.

Leaders at the Departments of Education, Justice and Health and Human Services released a back-to-school message for transgender students. The video highlighted the administration's work to combat discrimination in schools and offered support and guidance to any students in need.

The White House announced the appointments of Gabe Cazares and Chai R. Feldblum, both of whom are openly LGBTQ+, to seats on the U.S. AbilityOne Commission. They will both serve five-year terms on the AbilityOne Commission.

The White House announced the nomination of Justice Beth Robinson and Charlotte Sweeney to the federal bench. Robinson was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit while Sweeney was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

The Biden-Harris administration nominated Chantale Wong to serve as the new U.S. Director of the Asian Development Bank. If confirmed, Wong would become the first openly LGBTQ+ woman and first LGBTQ+ person of color to serve at an ambassador-level role.

President Biden announced the establishment of an interagency working group led out of the White House that will coordinate policies to advance safety, economic opportunity, and inclusion for transgender people. The working group will include participants from the Departments of Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Education, Homeland Security, Labor, Interior, Veterans Affairs, and Defense. The Department of State and USAID will also participate to strengthen their efforts to protect transgender individuals from violence and discrimination around the world. The creation of this working group aligns with recommendations outlined in HRC’s 2020 Blueprint for Positive Change.

The Biden–Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of State will begin the process of including a non-binary gender marker and have modernized existing requirements for updating gender markers on United States passports — a policy that will impact millions of individuals in the U.S., including 1.2 million non-binary adults, 2 million transgender people, and as many as 5.5 million people who were born intersex. This new policy aligns with recommendations outlined in HRC’s 2020 Blueprint for Positive Change.

During an event at the White House, President Joe Biden signed into law the Pulse National Memorial, which will honor and remember the victims and survivors of the Pulse Nightclub massacre by designating the space a national memorial.

The Biden Administration’s Department of Justice filed two statements of interest in litigation challenging state laws that violate the legal rights of transgender young people. In one statement, the Department of Justice asserts that West Virginia’s law prohibiting transgender women and girls from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity (WV HB 3293), enacted in April of 2021, violates federal law. The other statement of interest asserts Arkansas’ law (AR HB 1570) that prohibits medical providers from providing transgender youth with certain medically necessary care, enacted by the legislature in April of 2021, violates the Constitution.

The Department of Education issued a notice of interpretation that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a reversal of the Trump administration's stance that LGBTQ students are not protected by the law. The Department cited the Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock that federal civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex protects LGBTQ people.

Vice President Kamala Harris walked in the Capital Pride Walk and Rally in Washington, D.C., making history as the first sitting Vice President to march in a Pride event. During the march, Harris delivered brief remarks to the crowd, advocating for the Senate to pass the Equality Act.

President Joe Biden formally declared June as Pride Month and reiterated his pledge to defend the rights of the LGBTQ community.

The State Department updated its policy to recognize the U.S. citizenship of babies board abroad to same-sex couples, regardless of whether an American parent is biologically related. Under the new policy, children born to same-sex or heterosexual couples abroad through in vitro fertilization, surrogacy or other reproductive technology will be recognized as U.S. citizens at birth as long as at least one of the parents is American.

President Biden officially recognized the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and reiterated his commitment to LGBTQ rights around the world. IDAHOTB is recognized internationally and brings attention to the continued need for equality for all LGBTQ people.

The Biden administration announced it would enforce federal policy to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in health care based on gender identity & sexual orientation through Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Trump had previously sought to strip those protections in 2020, but the roll-back was blocked through a preliminary injunction issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the Human Rights Campaign against the administration.

The Biden-Harris administration announced Gina Ortiz Jones as its nominee for Undersecretary of the Air Force. Jones, an openly lesbian Filipino-American who served in the Air Force and overseas in Iraq, would become the first woman of color undersecretary if confirmed.

The Department of Justice announced in a statement of interest in litigation that under the 8th Amendment, incarcerated trans people must be housed according to their gender identity and provided gender-affirming care.

The Biden-Harris administration announced plans to nominate two LGBTQ officials within the Department of Defense. Shawn Skelly will be nominated for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness, and previously made history as the first trans veteran appointed by a U.S. president under President Obama. Brenda Sue Fulton, a lesbian West Point graduate and former Army officer, will be nominated for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Secretary Fudge announced plans to withdraw Trump-era proposed changes to the Equal Access Rule. The Obama administration’s policy ensures non-discrimination protections in HUD-funded housing and programs based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. It also protects LGBTQ families and ensures people seeking emergency housing are housed safely in accordance with their gender identity.

The Department of Housing & Urban Development issued a notice of intent to restore both the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule and the disparate impact rule. Both rules were previously gutted under the Trump administration and would promote equality for historically marginalized populations, including LGBTQ people.

Following President Biden’s executive order affirming the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock vs. Clayton County, the Department of Justice issued a memo determining that Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. This ensures complaints of discrimination LGBTQ students in federally-funded schools will be investigated by the Department of Education.

The Department of Defense released detailed directives to formally roll back the ban on transgender military service set in place under Trump. These actions followed President Biden’s earlier executive order repealing the discriminatory ban.

President Biden issued a statement celebrating International Transgender Day of Visibility. This marked the first time a sitting president acknowledged the day dedicated to lifting up trans voices, stories and the continued fight for full equality.

Secretary of State Blinken rebuked the Trump administration’s findings within its Commission on Unalienable Rights, which tried to assert some human rights issues took priority over others. The conclusion was an attempt to undermine efforts to strengthen the rights of LGBTQ people and women.

Dr. Rachel Levine was confirmed as the next Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health & Human Services, becoming the first-ever openly transgender official confirmed by the Senate. She represents just one of the many historic appointments under the Biden-Harris administration.

Following President Biden’s executive order, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released an interpretive rule enforcing the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The rule will ensure LGBTQ people do not face discrimination when accessing financial services such as loans or credit.

President Biden issued two executive orders commemorating International Women’s Day. The first called for the creation of a White House Gender Policy Council to advance gender equality in domestic and foreign policy development, combat systemic bias and discrimination, focus on increasing female participation in the labor force and decrease wage and wealth gaps. The second order directs the Department of Education to review all of its regulations, orders and guidance, including Title IX, to ensure they are consistent with the administration's work aimed at stopping sexual violence on campuses nationwide.

At President Biden’s direction, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would begin reviewing its policies to ensure they are inclusive of all gender identities and gender expressions. This includes a plan to end the ban on gender-affirming care for trans veterans.

After reintroduction of the Equality Act in the House, President Biden shared his support for the legislation and called on Congress to swiftly sign it into law. The Equality Act would create sweeping protections for LGBTQ people in housing, education, health care and more. The White House later put out its official statement of administration policy supporting the legislation.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, at the direction of President Biden, announced it would enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people, a step toward addressing the housing challenges many in our community face.

The Biden-Harris administration announced it would halt implementation of a discriminatory Trump-era rule under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The rule would have permitted discrimination against LGBTQ people, religious minorities and women in programs related to foster care, adoption, HIV and STI prevention, youth homelessness, refugee resettlement, elder care programs and more.

During a daily press briefing, Press SecretaryJen Psaki received a question regarding the administration’s stance on transgender students participating in sports. Psaki made the President’s position clear - trans rights are human rights.

President Biden issued a memorandum aimed at protecting the rights of LGBTQI people worldwide. This memorandum comes at a time when same-sex relations are still criminalized in 69 countries, with same-sex conduct punishable by death in nine of them.

Pete Buttigieg was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 86-13 to become the next Transportation Secretary. He is now the first-ever openly LGBTQ Cabinet member confirmed by the full Senate.

President Biden signed an executive memorandum to immediately rescind the so-called Mexico City Policy, also known as the “global gag rule,” a decades-old policy barring international nonprofits from receiving U.S. funding if they provide abortion counseling or referrals.

Within his first week in office, President Biden followed through on his promise to repeal the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving openly in the military. An estimated 15,000 service members were impacted by the policy enacted under Trump.

Implementing President Biden’s executive order regarding Bostock v. Clayton County, the Department of Justice revoked a Trump era memorandum that was designed to substantially limit application of the decision with respect to workplace nondiscrimination law and to refute application to other areas of law.

As one of her first official visits as First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden visited Whitman-Walker, one of the foremost LGBTQ clinics and providers for those living with HIV & AIDS. The visit was a clear indication that this administration will make our health and well-being a priority.

President Biden revoked a former Trump order that had banned federal agencies, contractors and recipients of federal funding from conducting certain diversity training on race and sex that also had implications for trainings on sexual orientation and gender identity.

President Biden issued an executive order advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government, explicitly including LGBTQ people within the measures. The executive order includes a commitment to ensuring equitable access to government programs, engagement with underserved communities and the creation of an Interagency Working Group on Equitable Data.

On day one, President Biden issued the most substantive, wide-ranging LGBTQ executive order in U.S. history, extending protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The executive order affirmed the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock vs. Clayton County, which secured workplace protections, and applied the holding of the Court to laws prohibiting discrimination in housing, education, health care and credit.