ABOVE: Rep. Shevrin Jones, photo via Jones’ Facebook page.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign hosted an LGBTQ engagement call with Florida leaders May 14 to discuss the candidate’s commitment to equality.
The virtual gathering was led by Biden for President LGBTQ+ Vote Director Reggie Greer and Florida State Rep. Shevrin Jones. They welcomed representation from Equality Florida, the LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, the One Orlando Alliance and more.
Jones, who could become Florida’s first openly-LGBTQ state senator if elected later this year, was an early supporter of Biden’s campaign. He began the call by discussing the importance of supporting the former vice president against Donald Trump this November.
“The stakes are too high for any of us to sit on the sidelines at this time – far too many LGBTQ people are facing discrimination and violence simply because of who they are and who they love,” Jones shared. “Our community cannot afford four more years of Donald Trump and Mike Pence.”
He subsequently stressed the importance of the LGBTQ vote, calling Florida not only a battleground state but the epicenter of the election. “It’s up to us, all of us and the millions of equality voters across the state of Florida to make sure Joe Biden is our next president,” Jones shared.
Greer began by thanking Jones and the organizations present for their commitment to equality, taking a moment to reflect on the work of the late Terry Fleming. The prominent and longtime Florida LGBTQ activist, who most recently served as co-president for Gainesville’s Pride Community Center, died April 28 at the age of 58.
“He was a great and dear friend of the LGBTQ community and fought for the rights of our community in Florida for so many years,” Greer shared. “As we go through this pandemic it is hard to feel connected to this community but every day I think about the shoulders of the leaders we stand on … drawing inspiration from people and remembering them.”
That includes the late Aimee Stephens, Greer noted, who died May 12. The activist, who was fired in 2013 after coming out in the workplace, is at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court battle over transgender rights. A decision is expected by late June.
That and every fight for equality facing LGBTQ Americans is at the forefront of Biden’s presidential campaign, Greer shared.
“When we get Vice President Biden elected he will be the most pro-LGBTQ president that we’ve had walking into the White House,” he said. “We can walk hand in hand with a presidential candidate in a way in which we know our community, even the most marginalized, will be protected; their rights defended.”
Greer discussed the pillars of Biden’s LGBTQ plan, which the campaign previously shared with Watermark directly. He noted that as president, Biden will protect LGBTQ youth, strengthen transgender protections, pass the Equality Act, ensure the U.S. is a global leader in LGBTQ equality and much more.
You can read Biden’s full plan for LGBTQ equality by visiting JoeBiden.com/LGBTQ. His campaign’s responses to Watermark’s 2020 candidate Q&A can also be found here.
Jeff Trammell, a D.C.-based, native Floridian who worked on the presidential campaigns of former Vice President Al Gore and Secretary John Kerry, succinctly summarized the campaign’s call to action. “We hold the veto power of a second Trump term,” he said.
“We deserve a voice again in Washington,” Greer added.
For more information about the former vice president’s campaign, visit his website.
