Beto O’Rourke said he would press lawmakers to pass legislation ensuring that LGBTQ people get access to health care and health insurance if elected president. | Stephen Lam/Getty Images 2020 elections O'Rourke pledges protections for LGBTQ people

Beto O’Rourke on Wednesday pledged to reverse President Donald Trump’s restrictions on transgender people serving in the military and push for passage of the Equality Act if elected president.

The Texas Democrat, releasing a broad plan for addressing LGBTQ rights, said he would also end the practice of discharging service members who test positive for HIV and reverse the Trump administration’s “deploy or get out” policy affecting service members deemed non-deployable.


The plan falls in line with the priorities of many Democrats and LGBTQ activists, especially surrounding the Equality Act, a measure that would extend federal anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people in housing, employment and other areas of public life.

O’Rourke gained local credibility on the issue as a city councilman in El Paso, Texas, in the late 2000s, when he championed a then-highly controversial proposal to provide health benefits to the partners of gay city employees.

As part of his presidential platform, O’Rourke said he would take executive actions to protect LGBTQ children and families in public schools and the adoption and foster care system, direct the Justice Department to investigate crimes against transgender people, and clarify that people fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity have access to seek asylum.

O’Rourke said he would press lawmakers to pass legislation ensuring that LGBTQ people can get access to and health insurance and health care, including hormone and HIV treatments. He also pledged to pursue a global treaty protecting people from persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics and to create a special envoy within the State Department for the rights of LGBTQ people.

The plan’s release comes as O’Rourke was scheduled to participate in a Pride Run in New York City on Wednesday. He stands at 4 percent in the latest Morning Consult poll on contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“LGBTQ+ Americans have made incredible progress over the past decade, thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of activists and advocates — but too many LGBTQ+ people still lack protection under many states’ laws and the current Administration is encouraging rather than stamping out discrimination,” O’Rourke said in a statement. “We must ensure all Americans are treated equally no matter who they are or who they love.”