LGBTQ Rights

LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. Every person deserves to live freely, safely, and openly, without fear that a politician, employer, school board, health care provider, or government official will treat them as less worthy because of who they are or who they love.

This fight is personal to me. I was raised in the Hindu faith tradition, which has long recognized the dignity of people across gender and sexuality, including gay, transgender, and nonbinary people. At a time when extremists try to use religion as a weapon against queer people, my faith calls me in the opposite direction: toward inclusion, compassion, and the belief that every person carries inherent worth.

That is also why I am proud to serve on the Board of Directors of the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice in Princeton, an LGBTQIA+ organization and queer safe space that supports young people, families, and marginalized communities across Central Jersey. Bayard Rustin helped organize the March on Washington, shaped the civil rights movement, and was forced too often to work from the shadows because he was gay. His legacy reminds us that civil rights are never won by silence.

In Congress, I will fight to pass the Equality Act, strengthen federal protections against discrimination in housing, employment, education, health care, credit, and public accommodations, and defend marriage equality from right-wing courts and politicians. I will stand up for transgender and nonbinary Americans, protect access to gender-affirming care, oppose book bans and “Don’t Say Gay” laws, and support schools that are safe for every student.

Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans have made LGBTQ+ people, especially trans kids, a target in their culture war. I will never back down from that fight. Central Jersey deserves a representative who will stand proudly with the queer community, protect the freedom to live openly, and make clear that equality is not negotiable.