With Kamala Harris in the presidency, the initiative to expand access to gender transition surgeries, a focus of President Biden’s agenda, is anticipated to persist, despite her previous decision as California’s attorney general to deny a similar request from a prison inmate.
During her tenure as California Attorney General from 2011 to 2017, Harris faced criticism for refusing an incarcerated individual, Michelle Lael-Norsworthy, access to gender transition surgery. Lael-Norsworthy was sentenced to 17 years in 1987 for the fatal shooting of an acquaintance outside a bar.
At that time, Harris’ office asserted that the surgery was unnecessary because the state’s prison system was already delivering sufficient so-called gender-affirming care via hormone therapy and other medical treatments. However, in April 2015, a federal judge overturned Harris’ denial of the surgery, ruling that it was medically essential to alleviate the inmate’s psychological distress.
HARRIS’ TRANSITION FROM A TOUGH PROSECUTOR TO A SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE IS UNDER FIRE FROM CONSERVATIVE GROUPS
Harris subsequently revisited her prior stance when addressed during the 2019 presidential campaign, admitting to taking “full responsibility” for her office’s actions.
“As you note, I served as California’s attorney general for two terms and had numerous clients I was obligated to defend and represent. I couldn’t simply dismiss my clients, and there were unfortunate situations where their positions diverged from my personal beliefs,” she stated at a Howard University news conference. “It was a large office with many professionals working on a daily basis, and while I wish they’d consulted me more before making their writings public, ultimately, I bear complete responsibility for what occurred under my office.”
Additionally, Harris recently appointed a senior adviser with a history of making sexist remarks online, both mocking women and the LGBTQ community, as well as openly criticizing Harris during her unsuccessful presidential bid in 2019.
The Harris campaign recently announced that Kamau M. Marshall, who has deleted thousands of previous posts this week, will serve as the 2024 senior adviser. He formerly worked as Joe Biden’s strategic communications director in 2020 and had various roles within the Biden-Harris campaign.
Nevertheless, Harris’ overall record remains consistently progressive. As Attorney General, she also refrained from endorsing Proposition 8, which was approved by a majority of voters and prohibited gay marriage in California’s constitution before being invalidated by the courts.
Furthermore, last month, under the Biden-Harris administration, health officials pressed an international transgender health nonprofit to eliminate the age restriction in its guidelines for adolescent transgender surgical procedures, and they succeeded, according to unsealed court documents.
ABORTION AND “FREE” EDUCATION AMONG THE TOP ISSUES FOR HARRIS’ SUPPORTERS
LGBTQ flag. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Documents revealed that staff for Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, urged the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to eliminate age restrictions to prevent conservative lawmakers from imposing such limits through legislation.
Following this revelation, the White House stated to Fox: “The Administration does not endorse surgical procedures for minors.”
However, it has also been reported that the White House supports gender transition surgeries for children.
“We actively oppose state and national bans on gender-affirming care, which constitutes a continuum of care, and uphold the role of parents, families, and medical professionals — not politicians — in these significant decisions. Gender-affirming surgeries are primarily meant for adults, and we firmly believe they ought to remain so,” White House Domestic Policy Council director Neera Tanden noted in her comments to The 19th, a gender and politics advocacy nonprofit newsroom.
After President Biden unexpectedly paused his re-election efforts last week and endorsed VP Harris, LGBTQ and transgender advocacy organizations swiftly voiced their support for her as well.
“Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) proudly announced our endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency,” the organization stated. “Since her historic inauguration as our nation’s first woman of color Vice President, Harris has consistently shown commitment to improving the lives of the transgender community.
FLASHBACK: NEW HARRIS CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER MADE NUMEROUS INSENSITIVE REMARKS ABOUT WOMEN AND LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris addresses supporters at her Presidential Campaign headquarters in Wilmington, DE, on July 22, 2024. (Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS)
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“Throughout her tenure as Vice President, Kamala Harris has partnered with President Biden to establish robust support for transgender Americans. The Biden-Harris administration is the most pro-equality government in our nation’s history and has enacted critical measures since taking office.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy organization in the U.S., also publicly endorsed Harris through an extended statement.
“Vice President Kamala Harris is a pioneer and has championed LGBTQ+ equality for decades: from spearheading efforts in San Francisco against hate crimes, to her work in California aimed at abolishing the so-called gay and transgender ‘panic defense,’ to her early advocacy for marriage equality and her leadership as Vice President.”
Contributions to this report were made by Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller.
