President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice will work “hand-in-hand” with the LGBTQ community as a response to Republican-led legislation and “threats” tied to “hate groups and domestic violent extremists,” the White House announced on Thursday.
The administration’s new action to “protect LGBTQI+ communities from attacks on their rights and safety” specifically cites Republican-sponsored legislation that bans biological males from women’s sports, protects children from irreversible sex-change procedures, and bans discussions of sexual and ideological topics in the classroom.
The White House framed those bills as “anti-LGBTQ+” and called them “cruel and callous to our kids, our neighbors, and those in our community.” And as a response, the White House said, the Biden administration is partnering with federal law enforcement agencies to launch a new LGBTQI+ Community Safety Partnership.
The move is sure to draw the attention of Republican lawmakers and conservative activists, who have accused the Justice Department of ideologically targeting perceived opponents of the Biden administration, such as pro-life activists and parents concerned about ideology in schools.
