Harris’s Long Political History
After President Joe Biden stepped down from the presidential race in July, he was quick to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Harris has a distinguished history of supporting LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights, and other progressive causes throughout her time as a prosecutor and in the White House.
Making History
If elected in November, Harris would make history as the first woman to become president and the first Black woman and woman of South Asian heritage to hold the position.
The Early Years
Harris is the daughter of two immigrants: her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a research scientist from India, and her father, Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica. Both parents were deeply involved in the civil rights movement, often bringing young Kamala to marches in her stroller.
Educational Journey
Harris went on to graduate from one of the most prestigious historically Black universities, Howard University, before obtaining a law degree from the University of Hastings College of Law.
Kicking Off Her Career
Harris married prominent entertainment lawyer Douglas Emhoff in 2014 and became stepmother to children Ella and Cole. Harris started her career in Alameda County, California, in the district attorney’s office in 1990. While there, Harris specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases.
Her Time as a District Attorney
In 2003, Harris was elected as the district attorney for San Francisco City and County. Once Mayor Gavin Newsom declared same-sex marriage legal in the county, Harris was quick to conduct marriages for same-sex couples. Harris once shared, “One of the most joyful [moments of my career] was performing the marriages in 2004. Truly joyful”.
Her Proudest Moments
She continued, “I’ll never forget pulling up to see all the families of every configuration and just pure joy, pure happiness,” adding, “It was such a special moment, and it was all about love.”
“National Model of Innovation”
While serving as district attorney, Harris established hate crime and environmental justice units. She also created a program to help first-time drug offenders earn high school degrees and find employment, which the U.S. Department of Justice hailed as a “national model of innovation for law enforcement.”
Restoring Marriage Equality
Harris was elected as the California attorney general in 2010, which is the largest state-level justice department in the entire country. She played a pivotal role in restoring marriage equality in California and vehemently opposed Proposition 8, which revoked marriage equality in the state. When the Supreme Court invalidated Prop 8, Harris officiated the first legal same-sex marriage in California between Kris Perry and Sandy Stier.
Her Work as Attorney General
During her time as attorney general, Harris spearheaded efforts to abolish gay and transgender “panic” defenses in criminal trials after the “excuse” was used by the two men who murdered 17-year-old Gwen Araujo when they discovered she was trans. The men were only convicted of second-degree murder.
Making Change
In response to their light sentencing, Harris held a two-day national conference centered on ways to counter the “gay panic” defense and included law enforcement, academics, advocates, and lawyers to share their thoughts.
Behind the Scenes
Harris has notably received some recent backlash regarding her decision to deny gender-affirming surgery for a trans prisoner while in office. Harris responded, saying that she worked behind the scenes to change the policy to help future prisoners obtain gender-affirming care while incarcerated.
Legal Wins
She is known for defending the Obama-era Affordable Care Act and her dedication to protecting and upholding environmental laws. During her time as DA, Harris fought tirelessly to secure a $20 billion settlement for California residents affected by foreclosure and a $1.1 billion settlement against a for-profit education company.
Perfect Scores
When elected into the U.S. Senate in 2016, Harris consistently received perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign Congressional Scorecard for supporting LGBTQ+ equality. She also earned perfect ratings from organizations like Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Reproductive Freedom for All for her advocacy for reproductive rights.
Equal Access to PRE-P
While she was senator, Harris introduced a bill to ensure insurance coverage of the HIV prevention treatment pre-exposure prophylaxis (PRE-P) to help protect queer men. She also famously stumped Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh with her questions about marriage equality.
Overlapping Hatred
Harris has openly noted that the politicians attacking LGBTQ+ people are the same people who seem bent on taking away reproductive rights.
Attacks on an Identity
In a 2023 interview with The Advocate, Harris said, “The intersection on the issue of reproductive care and trans care, and the ability of families to be able to have care for their children and their families, is really, again, an intersection around attacks that are on an identity.”
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For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.
