If you continually looked at the live results of the election a few weeks ago, you aren’t alone. All of America was at the edge of their seats waiting for each state’s results to trickle in. Whether you wanted Biden or Trump to win, the end results clearly pointed to Joe Biden as the clear winner of the 2020 election – preventing Trump from another four years of presidency. So, what exactly does his win mean for us in America?
Covid-19
It comes to no surprise that one of Biden’s priorities is to control the spread of COVID-19. It has been a whirlwind of change for everyone this year. But how exactly does he plan to do that? Biden plans to stop misinformation about the virus from spreading, making sure that the way we deal with the pandemic comes from the ideas of health professionals as opposed to politicians, and providing reports that show accurate results of tests in America.
Climate Change
I’m sure we were all shocked in 2017 when President Trump led the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement (an agreement formed to reduce the risk of overheating of the planet and strengthen the bond of other countries to reach the goal to avoid climate change risks) – however, Biden plans to change that. The president-elect has a history of being part of the fight against climate change (including in 1986 when he introduced climate related bills for the first time in Congress) and doesn’t plan to stop after being elected. Biden’s plans to tackle climate change include changing how those in power are polluting the environment while also tackling how they are taking advantage of minorities and low-income communities, and building up to 100% clean energy by 2050.
Women’s & Reproductive Rights
“For Biden, it’s a simple proposition: his daughter is entitled to the same rights and opportunities as his sons. He believes every issue is a women’s issue — health care, the economy, education, national security — but women are also uniquely and disproportionately impacted by many policies.”
Biden has stated that the ways he plans to help reinforce equal rights for women are to protect women by ending violence, helping reinforce equality within the workforce (including closing the wage gap), giving more affordable and easily accessible health care, as well as fighting for women-owned businesses.
In the past, Biden has stated his stance against the topic of abortion and how it could be harmful – however, his stance has since changed. His plans are to continue providing safe treatments for women by continuing to fund Planned Parenthood federally, as well as to stop states from repealing Roe v. Wade.
LGBTQ+ Rights
“Who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that’s what people are finding out is what all marriages, at their root, are about.”
—Joe Biden, “Meet the Press,” May 6, 2012
Biden’s plans to tackle LGBTQ+ Rights includes protecting those who identify as LGBTQ+ against discrimination and violence, expanding easy access to health care, as well as planning to reinstate the Equality Act.
As president, Biden will stand with the LGBTQ+ community to ensure America finally lives up to the promise on which it was founded: equality for all. He will provide the moral leadership to champion equal rights for all LGBTQ+ people, fight to ensure our laws and institutions protect and enforce their rights, and advance LGBTQ+ equality globally.
Overall
Although there have been many changes that have been implemented since Trump’s rule in America, Biden’s plan promises a land of change that hears the voices of those who are silenced and giving back the rights to those who need it most. His presidency is sure to change the course of time. With all that said, however, it is up to us to continue the chain of events and to keep our new president accountable for his actions. We still need to stand together in order to fight for injustices that may not be spoken about or pushed away. This is only a step into the right direction, not the end product.
To learn more about Joe Biden’s future plans, click here.