Joe Biden recently overturned an order put in place by Donald Trump that banned transgender individuals from serving in the military. The president has been open about his support for those in the LGBTQ+ community, and has spoken out about focusing on equality at the forefront of his presidency. 

The order that he signed on Jan. 25 states, “Allowing all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform is better for the military and better for the country because an inclusive force is a more effective force. Simply put, it’s the right thing to do and is in our national interest.” Having a leader that so openly supports oppressed communities is a breath of fresh air for Americans, especially compared to our last president.

According to AP News, “an estimated 14,700 troops on active duty and in the Reserves identify as transgender,” and many more likely have wanted to enlist, but found it impossible with Trump’s ban that he announced via tweets in late 2017. The military can also aide in transgender health care for active service members, which can be beneficial for those hoping to get procedures done to help with gender dysphoria. Multiple lawsuits have arisen over the years due to this previous ban–the most notable being Doe V. Trump–in hopes of bringing more awareness to the issue and allowing those wanting to serve to do so. Anyone, regardless of gender identity or expression, should be able to choose their career without question or government interference. 

Joe Biden has already put a multitude of changes into place that he promised from the beginning of his presidential campaign, most notably mandating masks and social distancing on federal government property. This mandate is a drastic change from Trump’s careless approach to combating the Coronavirus pandemic, and Biden also promises to join the World Health Organization again, after Trump terminated any association with them at the beginning of the pandemic. Biden’s slogan of “Build Back Better” rings true, as he hopes to tackle COVID at its core. Additionally, he promises to rejoin the Paris climate agreement–a treaty on climate change management that Trump pulled the U.S. out of in 2020.

Left-wing Americans hope that Biden’s enthusiastic spirit will stick around. But alas, both Biden and Harris have a history of being oppressive, leaving many individuals with political whiplash and skepticism. 

Biden proved to be anti-LGBTQ in years past and openly opposed gay marriage, even voting for the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that discharged nearly 15,000 members of the military for being in the gay community. Flip-flopping is a common theme seen in politics, where politicians will say one thing, then do another, or in Biden’s case, have a history of certain ideologies, but promise the opposite. The fear that many queer people are facing because of his dicriminatory history, is completely valid. 

Harris, on the same ticket, has had a history of acting incredibly offensive and discriminatory towards oppressed, minority groups of people. With a history of denying trans-related healthcare in prisons for inmates, to being openly pro-police and very anti-sex work, those with left-wing ideologies are concerned. According to the New York Times, she has referred to herself as “California’s top cop,” exposing her long relationship with the police force. Steve Phillips, host of  Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips, states that, “For better or worse, for her entire career she very much built her brand and defined herself as a law enforcement officer.” Though Harris supports the BLM movement, there are no mentions of defunding the police in the future–which is a big loss for many liberals and leftists who are hoping for less police activity that could potentially lower the amount of law enforcement related murders. 

An unfortunate theme among politicians is what is referred to as ‘performance activism.’ This form of activism is often only done when someone wants to improve their image or gain support from certain groups of people. This activism was highlighted through Donald Trump, as he stated that he supports immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, all while signing orders that take away their necessary rights. Biden and Harris have a history of flip-flopping and, even recently, supporting policies and laws that can put people in danger. 

We can be happy that Trump is out of office, while still criticizing Biden and Harris. Just because we have positive changes occuring, that doesn’t mean a politician is perfect, trustworthy, or always on our side. As young people, we should be holding politicians accountable and refrain from siding with them all the time simply because we might align with their political party.