BY AJ TRAGER
PHILADELPHIA – There are stark differences between the 2016 Democratic and Republican platforms. The GOP platform has been described by Log Cabin Republican President Gregory Angelo to have the most anti-LGBT language in history. Meanwhile, former candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders described the Democratic platform as "the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party."
When comparing and contrasting the two, the evidence is stark – the Democrats are more concerned with LGBT lives than the GOP.
The GOP platform, ratified July 18, has no mention of "LGBT" and mentions the terms "gender identity," "sexual orientation" or "equality" three times. The Democratic platform, ratified July 25, has 24 mentions of those same terms and dedicates an entire section to addressing the concerns of the LGBT community.
This year there are well over 600 Democrat LGBT delegates compared to just 6 out Republican delegates.
The Dem Platform
"We believe in protecting civil liberties and guaranteeing civil rights and voting rights, women's rights and workers' rights, LGBT rights, and rights for people with disabilities. We believe America is still, as Robert Kennedy said, "a great country, an unselfish country, and a compassionate country," the party writes on page two.
First draft of the 2016 Democratic platform mentioned "LGBT" 11 times but went through extensive edits by a committee of hundreds of advocates and policy experts. The final document applauds the marriage equality ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that "recognized that LGBT people–like other Americans–have the right to marry the person they love," but acknowledged that "there is still much work to be done."
"Guaranteeing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights," the entire section dedicated to LGBT lives is found on page 19, where the party outlines all that it wants to accomplish to ensure that LGBT lives are equal under the law. It talks about hot LGBT topics like LGBT youth being bullied in school, restaurants refusing service to trans men and women and that same-sex couples are at risk of being evicted from their homes.
"That is unacceptable and must change. Democrats will fight for the continued development of sex discrimination law[s] to cover LGBT people," the platform reads.
"We support a progressive vision of religious freedom that respects pluralism and rejects the misuse of religion to discriminate, the platform continues. "We will combat LGBT youth homelessness and improve school climates. We will support LGBT elders, ensure access to necessary health care, and protect LGBT people from violence– including ending the crisis of violence against transgender Americans."
The platform addresses the upcoming 2020 Census and promises to equip the Census Bureau with resources to accurately represent LGBT lives as well as those that are persistently undercounted such as communities of color, immigrants, young children and those with disabilities.
The party says it will "end the school-to-prison pipeline by opposing discipline policies which disproportionately affect African Americans and Latinos, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, students with disabilities and youth who identify as LGBT."
It states that the party is proud of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and commits to "insuring fair treatment for LGBT veterans, including by proactively reviewing and upgrading discharge records for veterans who were discharged because of their sexual orientation."
Furthermore the party believes that LGBT rights are human rights and should be reflected in American foreign policy. "We will continue to stand with LGBT people around the world, including fighting efforts by any nation to infringe on LGBT rights or ignore abuse," reads page 46.
The GOP Platform
The GOP platform, however, despite efforts from pro-LGBT GOP members to remove opposition to same-sex marriage, seeks to reverse the 2015 marriage equality SCOTUS ruling through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning the issue to the states.
In addition, the GOP platform also objects the use of federal law to ensure trans people can use the bathroom consistent with their identity, indicates support for widely discredited "ex-gay" conversion therapy and endorses the First Amendment Defense Act, a "religious freedom" bill that critics say enables anti-LGBT discrimination.
That platform also discusses LGBT youth and access to safe schools claiming that "[Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972] is now being used by bureaucrats – and by the current President of the United States – to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories."
Families are also a target in the GOP platform, as it stands firm on "traditional values" and states that "Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values."
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, D-New York, co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Caucus, told the South Florida Gay News that he thinks LGBT issues are something the Democratic party is proud of and acknowledges the party's shift in focus.
"It's not like the Democratic Party was always great on LGBT stuff, but the party and its leaders have traveled a long way toward equality and we now have a platform that contains all the major goals of the LGBT movement. Democrats should be proud of that. It's a big, big difference between us and the other guys. I don't think there's ever been a presidential election where there's a bigger difference between the Democratic and Republican nominees on LGBT issues. For the first time ever, one party fully supports LGBT rights and equality, and the other side is still living in the Dark Ages," he said.
Maloney is at the convention with his husband Randy Florke. They met in 1992 when Maloney was working in New York City, helping to plan the Democratic National Convention. Maloney became the second member of Congress to legally marry his same-sex partner while in office when Florke and he married on June 21, 2014. Together they have three adopted children.
The DNC runs from July 25 to July 28. Hilary Clinton will address the delegation and accept her nomination on the final day of the convention.
