GLAAD RESPONDS TO VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to the debate tonight between vice presidential candidates Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz. 

The 90 minute debate failed to include one mention of LGBTQ people. The candidates were asked about issues important to LGBTQ people, including about abortion, and access to IVF. 

JD Vance said he wants “a Republican Party to be pro-family in the fullest sense of the word. I want us to support fertility treatments.” 

GLAAD posted a reality check here, noting that in June, Vance voted against the Right to IVF Act, which aimed to protect accessibility and affordability of IVF services nationwide.

Vance also said that Donald Trump “salvaged” Obamacare.
GLAAD posted a reality check here, noting Trump has stated that his goal is to “totally kill” the Affordable Care Act, eliminating health care coverage that millions of Americans depend on, including LGBTQ Americans who are significantly more likely to live in poverty and less likely to have insurance than the general population.

Vance’s LGBTQ record is tracked on the GLAAD Accountability Project, here. It includes Vance’s endorsement of a 2017 report by the Heritage Foundation that proposed a sweeping agenda to restrict sexual and reproductive freedoms and remake American families. The series of essays opposed fertility treatments and praised abortion bans. 

Donald Trump’s LGBTQ history is documented on GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Tracker. 

Gov. Tim Walz defended signing a bill in Minnesota codifying access to reproductive health care, stating the decision belongs with the patient, family and medical professionals.

GLAAD has documented Walz’s LGBTQ record here, Kamala Harris’ LGBTQ record here, and the Biden-Harris LGBTQ record here.

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis responded:
“LGBTQ people were unfortunately again not included in the conversation between two candidates who have extensive LGBTQ records to talk about. The issues discussed tonight are LGBTQ issues and everyone’s concerns: the right to make our own private health care decisions, how best to support parents and families, and the right to have our votes counted and certified. As ballots arrive and early voting opens, it is now on every LGBTQ voter to fully familiarize themselves with the facts and records to ensure their vote leads us toward a safer, more prosperous future for all LGBTQ people and our allies.”

Additional research:

• LGBTQ voters made the deciding difference in the 2020 election and are poised to do so again in 2024. More than 1 in 5 Gen Z Americans (ages 18-26) are out as LGBTQ, the most out generation in history. Nearly 30% of Gen Z women are LGBTQ.
• GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance Study shows supermajority support for LGBTQ people, though support has dipped in the last year and Gen Z is increasingly a target for harassment and discrimination:
  • 80% of non-LGBTQ Americans support LGBTQ equal rights, down from a record high of 84% one year ago
  • 95% of non-LGBTQ Americans believe schools should be safe and accepting for all youth
  • 93% say children should be taught to appreciate and accept people as they are
  • 70% of Gen Z LGBTQ adults report discrimination based on their sexual orientation

• GLAAD polling shows LGBTQ registered voters are highly motivated to vote, with 94% indicating they are definitely (83%) or probably (11%) voting this year.
• GLAAD polling shows 53% of both registered and likely 2024 voters say they would oppose “a political candidate [who] speaks frequently about restricting access to health care and participation in sports for transgender youth.”

GLAAD has documented the records of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the top issues for LGBTQ voters: the economy (Harris, Trump), abortion (Harris, Trump), climate change (Harris, Trump), public safety (Harris, Trump), and education (Harris, Trump). Trump’s record on  transgender people is available here.