The Human Rights Campaign challenges you to take a look at 10 “illuminating quotes” pulled directly from the 2016 Republican Party Platform and the 2016 Democratic Party Platform, to see if you know where each of the parties stand on important LGBT issues. Tally your score at the end!
“Who said it?
1) “We support a progressive vision of religious freedom that respects pluralism and rejects the misuse of religion to discriminate.”
2) “We endorse the First Amendment Defense Act… legislation in the House and Senate which will bar government discrimination against individuals and businesses for acting on the belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.”
3) “We denounce bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, ethnic prejudice, and religious intolerance. Therefore, we oppose discrimination based on race, sex, religion, creed, disability, or national origin and support statutes to end such discrimination.”
4) “[We] will always fight to end discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.”
5) “We will combat LGBT youth homelessness and improve school climates.”
6) “[Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972] is now being used by bureaucrats — and by the current President of the United States — to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories.”
7) “Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values.”
8) “[We] applaud last year’s decision by the Supreme Court that recognized LGBT people — like every other American — have the right to marry the person they love.”
9) Mentions “LGBT,” “transgender,” “sexual orientation,” “gender identity” or “equality” 24 times.
10) Mentions “LGBT,” “transgender,” “sexual orientation,” “gender identity” or “equality” 3 times.
ANSWER KEY: 1) Democratic Platform 2) Republican Platform 3) Republican Platform (Did you notice what classes are missing?) 4) Democratic Platform 5) Democratic Platform 6) Republican Platform 7) Republican Platform 8) Democratic Platform 9) Democratic Platform 10) Republican Platform
Tallied up your score? Great! Now, let’s see how you did:
1-3 correct: Uh-oh! It looks like you’ve got some research to do before Election Day. But you’re not the only one — anti-equality Donald Trump, Mike Pence and their party’s platform committee also need some schooling: 64 percent of Republican voters support LGBTQ equality.
4-6 correct: You’re getting there! Much like the push for full federal equality in the United States, you’re on the move. Now it’s time to be part of making it a reality — learn more about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
7-9 correct: You got a majority of the questions correct — good job! Did you know that a huge majority of American voters support protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination?” – Source: Human Rights Campaign
10 correct: Great job! We’ve got a well-informed voter on our hands. Now, make sure to get out this November and vote to put pro-equality candidates in our local, state and federal governments!
What Do You Think?