Movement Analysis: The impact of the 2012 presidential election on the LGBT policy agenda

As the Task Force celebrates a string of important election wins, including the election of the first openly gay Senator and at least 3 important state-level wins for marriage equality, we also recognize the significance of reelecting President Obama to the White House. During the last four years, the LGBT community has seen more policy wins than during any other period in U.S. History.

President Obama’s reelection provides significant and meaningful opportunity for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and our advocates. An additional four years of a known and proven ally for the LGBT community means that the changes achieved in federal policy since January 2009 can continue to be implemented and ingrained in the federal agency ethos through 2016, and advocates can continue to pursue an aggressive policy agenda on behalf of LGBT people and families.

In our second installment of the new “Movement Analysis” series from the Task Force Policy Institute, Task Force Policy Counsel Patrick Paschall writes an analysis of how the President’s reelection will impact the LGBT policy agenda for the next four years. This paper looks at the powers of the president and role of federal administrative agencies in setting policies that affect LGBT people and their families; the stakes of the 2012 presidential election for the LGBT federal policy agenda; the LGBT policy changes achieved in the last four years; and what the election results may mean for the future of the LGBT community’s policy agenda.