In recent days, there has been a lot of talk about Secretary Hillary Clinton's record on LGBT equality. And rightfully so: for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) voters and our allies, the 2016 election may be the most important election in recent history.
The stakes are high. It's the difference between four (or eight) more years of advancing equality, dignity, and justice for our community - or seeing our hard-fought, hard-won, and long-overdue progress rolled back.
Think about how far we've come. Seven years ago, loving and committed gay and lesbian couples could only marry in two states; today, we can marry anywhere in America. Seven years ago, transgender people couldn't get passports and social security cards that accurately reflected who they are; today, they can. Seven years ago, brave service members could be - and were - fired for serving the country they love because of who they love; today, to paraphrase the President, "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' don't exist" and the transgender military ban is on its way out. Seven years ago, we had a President of the United States who used legislation and referenda to persecute our community and divide our country; today, we have a POTUS who connects our struggle for equality with the great civil rights movements of our time: "from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall".
Barack Obama and Joe Biden have done more for the LGBT community than any Administration in history. As we look to the future, we must ask ourselves: "Who will be our next champion?"
Her name is Hillary Rodham Clinton.
We've had the incredible opportunity to work for President Obama - on his campaign and in his White House - and we believe Hillary Clinton is the best person to protect and build on his record of accomplishments.
As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton demonstrated the kind of courage and compassion our community needs and deserves. She extended new benefits to same-sex partners of foreign service officers. She changed an outdated and offensive policy to finally allow transgender people to get accurate passports. She directed the diplomatic corps to advocate for a comprehensive human rights agenda that explicitly included LGBT equality.
And she did what no other Secretary of State - or President - had ever done before. In 2011, she stood before the international community in Geneva and clearly announced that "LGBT rights are human rights, and human rights are LGBT rights." That speech was a game-changer, harkening back to then-First Lady Clinton's 1995 speech in Beijing where she proclaimed "Women's rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights." It took courage and strength to say these words before an audience that included some of the most anti-LGBT regimes in the world. (And for anyone who doubts Secretary Clinton's influence on the global stage, those remarks in support of global LGBT human rights remains one of her most-viewed speeches of all time.)
As a presidential candidate, Secretary Clinton has prioritized outreach to the LGBT community and frequently speaks of our equality in the same breath as women's equality and other civil rights movements. She has pledged to sign national legislation to explicitly protect LGBT Americans and in support of local referenda like Proposition 1, known as HERO, in Houston. And she has spoken passionately about why we need to fight for full dignity, respect, and equality for the transgender community.
Like so many of our national leaders, Secretary Clinton has evolved in her views on LGBT equality over the years. But the beauty and power of our movement is that we give folks space and permission to grow, and we embrace new allies, especially when their words are backed up with deeds.
Today, Secretary Clinton is the kind of fierce advocate - on global equality, marriage equality, trans equality - that we need in our next President. She understands and respects the power that government has to change lives for the better, and will ensure that our families and our communities feel that change. When she says she's "a progressive who likes to get things done," that means she will work tirelessly to tackle some of the most challenging issues of our time - issues that directly impact LGBT people too - like gun violence, immigration, and criminal justice reform. And it means she will build on this Administration's historic efforts to ensure meaningful change for LGBT people in the workplace, in health care, and around the world.
We can and should push her to do more and better, as a candidate and as President, but just as with this President and Vice President, we'll be pushing a friend who considers the LGBT community a priority, not a political liability. Contrast that with a field of GOP candidates playing from the same old-fashioned, offensive playbook: divide and conquer, stigmatize and fear-monger.
We've come too far, and lost too much, to allow anyone less than a true hero and champion to occupy the highest office in the land. In this coming election, with the stakes so high, that person is Hillary Clinton.
Gautam Raghavan served as President Obama's liaison to the LGBT community in The White House Office of Public Engagement from 2011 to 2014. Jamie Citron served as National LGBT Vote Director for Obama for America.