Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president on the final night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in a speech that alluded to LGBTQ+ rights and drew stark contrasts between her and the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.
Harris closed the DNC on Aug. 22, telling a spirited crowd at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., she promised to be a president “for the people” and bring in a “new chapter” of American history. She also made history as the first Black and Asian American woman to accept a U.S. presidential nomination.
Harris did not directly mention the LGBTQ+ community in her speech, but promised to protect the “freedom to love who you love openly and with Pride,” continuing a trend of high-profile DNC speakers only addressing queer rights in euphemisms.
Meanwhile, a number of pro-Palestinian protests happened around the United Center, including a sit-in staged by uncommitted delegates calling for the DNC to feature a Palestinian American as a speaker. The DNC did not comply with the group’s demands, but Harris did address the ongoing war in Gaza, calling for an immediate hostage and ceasefire deal.
Harris’ speech also included a promise to restore and protect reproductive rights, establish an “opportunity economy” in which the middle class can thrive and bring the country together.
“I see a nation ready to move forward,” Harris said. “Ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America.”
LGBTQ+ rights at the DNC
Delegates and other party leaders emphasized Harris’ track records of supporting LGBTQ+ rights at the two LGBTQ+ Caucus meetings and other rallies happening throughout the convention at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
At an LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting on the DNC’s first day, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee celebrated Harris for officiating the first same-sex marriage in California in 2013, working with outgoing President Joe Biden to reverse Trump’s trans military ban, supporting Biden in signing an executive order to strengthen non-discrimination policies in the federal workplace and being part of the first presidential administration to formally honor Transgender Day of Visibility.
More Windy City Times coverage of the DNC at https://windycitytimes.com/category/news/politics/
But the topic of LGBTQ+ rights was not directly addressed by Harris during her acceptance speech, continuing a trend of some of the convention’s other high-profile speakers only discussing queer rights in euphemisms, including Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who did not directly mention the LGBTQ+ community but envisioned a country where “the government stays out of your bedroom.”
Walz, a former high school teacher who sponsored a gay-straight alliance in the late ’90s, did make an appearance at the DNC’s first LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting on Aug. 19, when he said queer rights are “overwhelmingly supported by the American public.”
Former First Lady Michelle Obama also only alluded to LGBTQ+ issues during her speech on the DNC’s second night by criticizing Republicans for “demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love.”
Other speakers did directly mention the LGBTQ+ community, including civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, who said, “We fought hard for LGBTQ loved ones to get out the closet [and] we won’t go back.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the second openly lesbian elected attorney general of a state in the U.S., also directly referenced queer issues when she told Republicans on the DNC’s third night to pry her wedding band from her “cold, dead, gay hand.”
The convention featured a number of other openly lesbian, gay and bisexual speakers, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, and Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson.
The 2024 DNC did not feature any openly transgender speakers.
‘Now is the time’ for Gaza ceasefire
The DNC has been met with several pro-Palestinian protests, including an Aug. 18 demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, along with reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections in the U.S.
As Harris accepted the nomination Aug. 22, several thousand protesters were outside near the United Center under the March on the DNC coalition, which is demanding the U.S. stop providing aid to Israel in its war on Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians.
A few dozen uncommitted delegates also staged a sit-in outside the United Center Aug. 21-22 to protest the lack of any Palestinian American speakers in the DNC’s lineup.
Harris did not address the protests, but said “now is the time” for a hostage and ceasefire deal during her acceptance speech.
Harris condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, saying she will “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” and make sure “Israel has the ability to defend itself.”
She then recognized the destruction in Gaza under Israel’s invasion.
“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” Harris said.
Biden addressed the protesters while headlining the DNC’s opening night, saying they “have a point.”
“A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides,” Biden said.
‘A chance to chart a new way forward’
After weeks of campaigning with the slogan of “We’re not going back,” Harris outlined an optimistic vision for the country’s future that includes stability and unity.
Harris’ speech had a strong emphasis on restoring and protecting reproductive freedom across the country. She slammed Trump for using the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade and promised to work with Congress to pass a bill that would restore reproductive rights in America
She also spoke about how she’d strengthen the country’s middle class by creating an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.”
Harris slammed Trump for enacting tax cuts for billionaires, and promised to pass a middle class tax cut that would benefit more than 100 million Americans.
“We know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success,” Harris said. “And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency.”
Harris also warned of the dangers of a second Trump presidency, asking Americans to consider the “chaos and calamity” he caused in office. She reminded viewers of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and his promise to pardon those who were convicted in it.
“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,” Harris said, later warning that returning him to office would bring chaos with “no guardrails.”
Her alternative, she added, would be an administration focused on bringing people together.
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past — a chance to chart a new way forward,” Harris said. “Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.”
Photos by Lisa Howe-Ebright
