At the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Rep. Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., received a standing ovation when he proudly introduced transgender advocate Sarah McBride.
“He’s the first trans person to speak at a national convention right now,” Maloney boasted. “It’s about time.” McBride would go on to become a senator from Delaware, and she is now set to become the first transgender member of Congress.
Four years later, Virginia Rep. Danica Roem — the first openly transgender person to sit in the state Legislature — made a groundbreaking appearance during the 2020 virtual DNC.
But at this year’s Democratic convention in Chicago, trans people were notably absent from the stage. While broad LGBTQ rights and same-sex marriage were mentioned several times, during the 20 hours of the convention’s “main programming” schedule, transgender people were mentioned by only two speakers, and no speaker, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. , nor did Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson have prime-time talk time.
Some trans-Americans are not immune to this error.
Charlotte Clymer, a longtime trans advocate who attended this week’s convention, called this year’s DNC “the best political convention of my life.” At the same time, she said the lack of attention to trans issues shows “an extreme lack of attention to the pain that trans people are feeling right now.”
The DNC and the Harris campaign declined to comment.
At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, at least a dozen speakers made negative references to trans people or issues in their speeches. According to an analysis by NBC News.
Since the 2020 election, more than 1,500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States. The bulk of the bills are aimed at restricting the ability of trans Americans, especially trans youth, to participate in school sports teams. does not match the sex assigned at birth or does not have access to transition-related medications and treatments.
“While I know Vice President Harris and Governor Waltz will be staunch advocates for us in the White House, this was a rare opportunity to stand with the trans community on national television. A lot of the terrible propaganda that we see from the Republican Party on a daily basis,” Clymer said. “This could have been a great opportunity to really be an antidote to a lot of the poison that trans people are experiencing.”
There is also anti-LGBTQ rhetoric waved in recent years. Tropes that LGBTQ people — and mostly gay men and trans women — have been working with for decades “groom” or “groom” the nation’s children were embraced again by the right-wing media and some conservative politicians and received little or no support from the broader Republican Party.
Melissa Michelson, a political science professor who studies LGBTQ politics at California’s Menlo College, said the DNC’s avoidance of mentioning trans rights was part of a broader strategy to court independent voters.
“If you look at who’s in prime-time slots, it’s middle-class people. It’s Oprah Winfrey; this is not the Tennessee Trio,” he said, referring to the trio of Tennessee lawmakers. two of them were expelledwho gained national attention last year with pro-gun control protests .. “In the Sun Belt, in the Rustbelt, in those swing states, it’s people who are going to appeal to some of the swing voters, and transgender rights are not high. this is a priority issue for voters, not how they will decide their votes.”
Public opinion on trans rights is mixed. While 61% of Americans oppose laws banning minors from transitioning health care, 69% believe trans people should play on sports teams assigned to their birth gender. According to a 2024 Gallup poll. More than half of Americans also believe that changing their gender is morally wrong.
Americans view gay men and lesbians more favorably. According to a Gallup poll, about 70% of Americans support same-sex marriage and 64% believe same-sex marriage is morally acceptable.
The Democratic convention featured several gay and lesbian speakers and did not shy away from other issues that affect the LGBTQ community more broadly, such as same-sex marriage and book bans.
Speakers criticized book bans imposed by Republicans over the past few years, many of which have targeted books with LGBTQ themes or characters. Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Waltz was often cited for helping to create He heads the Gay-Straight Alliance club In 1999, while a high school teacher and football coach in rural Minnesota.
In it his speech at the convention On Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris gave a nod to queer people, arguing that “the freedom to love openly and proudly” is at stake in the upcoming election.
Nine openly gay men and lesbians also spoke throughout the DNC’s main programming, including two with prime-time talking points. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif. And the convention had a historic number of trans and non-binary delegates: 45 out of more than 4,700 delegates, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, which works to increase queer and transgender representation in public service.
Democratic policies are largely seen as supportive of transgender rights, and many trans advocates told NBC News they were pleased with the party’s stance on LGBTQ issues.
The The official platform of the Democratic Partyreleased earlier this week, says Democrats will “vehemently oppose state and federal bans on gender-affirming health care,” “prioritize the investigation of trans and non-binary hate crimes,” and push for federal anti-discrimination legislation. protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Harris, who’s there actively supported gay rights He is seen by advocates as having one of the most, if not the most, LGBTQ-friendly policy records of any presidential candidate during his career.
“In the states, in the trenches and in the legislature, Democrats have sided with transgender people,” said trans activist and author Erin Reed. “But rhetorically, there’s always a vacillation between what they’re willing to support with their political capital and what they’re willing to support with their voices and their chests.”
Some trans activists dismissed concerns that trans issues were largely absent from the DNC agenda, pointing to a strikingly different alternative if former President Donald Trump is elected in November.
The GOP platform released last month calls for banning transgender people from participating in gender-identifying sports, banning the use of taxpayer dollars to fund transition surgery and repealing new Title IX protections for LGBTQ students.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen is the executive director of the non-profit Defenders of Trans Equality and was at the convention this week. She said trans people need to “keep their eyes on the prize” this election cycle.
“At the end of the day, it’s a lot better for trans people to have Kamala Harris in the White House than to have Donald Trump in the White House,” Heng-Lehtinen said. “It may seem obvious to say, but it’s the truth, and we have to actively work to make it happen, or we’re going to face this dystopian alternative.”
For more from NBC Out, sign up for our weekly newsletter.