
"This is going to be one forum where you're going to hear very little disagreement between the candidates," former Vice President Joe Biden observed. He was absolutely correct.
The event was a CNN town hall in Los Angeles Thursday night, where nine Democratic candidates were interviewed about their stances on LGBT issues. Those who tuned in for the four-and-a-half-hour show were treated, with few exceptions, to each candidate answering variations of the same questions in the same ways. What will they do about any continued discrimination against LGBT? They'll fight against it and support the Equality Act. What will they do about improving access to HIV drugs and preventative medication? They'll go after those greedy pharmaceutical companies, and all the drugs will be covered under their health care plans. What will they do about hate crimes? They'll unleash the Department of Justice against them, and hate crimes will definitely be exempted from any push to make federal sentencing less punitive. What will they do about other countries who treat arrest or execute LGBT people? They'll withhold aid and possibly even trade. What will they do about people who invoke their religious beliefs to justify discriminating against LGBT people? They won't let them, and they'll strip churches and nonprofits of their tax-exempt status if they try. What will they do about conversion therapy? Ban it. What will they do about bullying in schools and teen suicide? Get rid of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. (Seriously, her name was invoked more frequently than Donald Trump's.)