Kamala Harris has Chosen Tim Walz as her Running Mate – and he's as Pro-LGTBQ+ Equality as Her

Kamala Harris sent ripples of excitement through the country with the announcement that she has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. The pick is good news for LGBTQ+ Americans.

"Under Walz's leadership, Minnesota has solidified itself as a liberal stronghold in the largely conservative Midwest, though the governor has long supported progressive issues like LGBTQ equality," noted political news site The Hill before Gov. Walz was confirmed as Harris' choice for running mate.

Gov. Walz, The Hill noted, "helped turn Minnesota into a refuge for LGBTQ Americans, signing laws that shield access to gender-affirming health care and abortion, ban conversion therapy and make it illegal for libraries to ban books solely because they have LGBTQ themes or characters."

The Democratic governor is no recent convert to the cause of equality; like Harris, his commitment to full equity under the law stretches back decades.

"In 1999, Walz, then a 35-year-old social studies teacher at Mankato West High School, advised the school's first gay-straight alliance (GSA), a student-led club supporting LGBTQ students and families," The Hill recalled.

"Later, in 2006, Walz ousted a longtime Republican member of Congress in a largely rural district, running on a platform that included support for same-sex marriage, which the state banned in 1997."

Out Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota recalled Walz's brave and principled stance in a post at X (formerly Twitter), The Hill relayed.

Rep. Craig wrote that Walz "stood up for families like mine because he believed it was the right thing to do," and that he did so even though the demonstration of his commitment to equality before the law for his LGTBQ+ fellow citizens "didn't score him any political points" with more conservative voters."

"His bravery made a difference in my life and the lives of thousands of Minnesotans," Rep. Craig wrote, "and it's a bravery that would make our country better."

That bravery extended to standing up against "efforts to ban same-sex marriage in the Minnesota constitution," the Human Rights Campaign recalled, before going on to list other highlights from Walz's long record of equality efforts.

"While serving in Congress, he co-sponsored legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), voted to repeal the discriminatory 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law, voted for the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and introduced legislation to protect LGBTQ+ service members from discrimination in benefits," the HRC noted.

And while some legislators – principally among Republicans – continue to target vulnerable youth, trading their health and happiness for political points, Gov. Walz "signed an Executive Order banning the dangerous practice of 'conversion therapy' in Minnesota," HRC added.

The Victory Fund, which supports openly queer political candidates, praised Walz in similar terms in a statement.

"Governor Tim Walz is a strong ally for our community and a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ equality," the Victory Fund statement declared.

"As governor, Walz worked with LGBTQ+ legislators to transform Minnesota into a refuge for LGBTQ+ families, a state where equality is the law of the land," the statement continued.

Though there had been hope and speculation that Vice President Harris might tap openly gay Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a rising star in the Democratic party, as her running mate, Walz seems a good fit for her long history of LGBTQ+ advocacy.

As previously reported, Harris was front and center in the struggle for marriage equality when, in 2004, then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made same-sex matrimony legal in the city. The state voided those marriages, however, and the voter-backed Proposition 8 outlawed marriage equality until the measure was overturned in court. Harris, at the time DA for San Francisco, lost no time in performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. Later, as state attorney general, Harris stood up for the right to marry by declaring she would not defend Prop 8 when the measure was challenged in court.

As Biden's vice president, Harris has worked alongside the president to hold the line against escalating anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislative action stemming from the GOP – something that Advocates for Trans Equality took note of in declaring its support for her candidacy.

Moreover, the HRC noted that "The Biden-Harris Administration has been the most pro-equality in history."

"In 2022, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, a landmark piece of legislation that codified federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages," the HRC went on to add.

"They have issued new administrative rules protecting LGBTQ+ youth from discrimination and harassment in schools, ensuring LGBTQ+ youth are protected in the foster care system, and protecting LGBTQ+ patients from discrimination in health care."

"They have also filled the administration with members of the LGBTQ+ community, appointing a record 200+ LGBTQ+ people across each level of government and nominating a number of LGBTQ+ judges," the HRC continued.

There is every reason, based on her track record, to believe that as president, Harris would continue her trajectory as a defender of equal rights and protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, in stark contrast to conservatives' plans – outlined in "Project 2025," the Heritage Foundation's 900+-page blueprint for a second Trump presidency – to hobble voter access, restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, women, and other minorities, and promote a Christian Nationalist agenda.