Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Event/Special

Equality in America Town Hall with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Presidential Candidate. Aired 9:30-10p ET

Aired October 10, 2019 - 21:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[21:00:00]

CUOMO: All right, welcome back to this historic night. If you're just joining us, this is CNN's Democratic presidential town hall dedicated to Equality in America.

I'm Chris Cuomo. We're live from the Novo in Los Angeles. Tonight, CNN and the Human Rights Campaign are hosting the presidential candidates with members of the LGBTQ community and their allies. So stand by. You're going to hear from former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, Senator Amy Klobuchar, former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, and businessman Tom Steyer.

But first, let's welcome Senator Kamala Harris, welcome the senator.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: Good to see you senator. Thank you for joining us.

HARRIS: Hi, how are you? How are you?

CUOMO: Appreciate it.

HARRIS: Thank you, guys. And my pronouns are she, her, and hers.

CUOMO: She, her, and hers?

(APPLAUSE)

Mine, too.

HARRIS: All right.

CUOMO: All right. First question for the night is Tanya Tassi from Artesia, California. Tanya works as the national community center policy manager for CenterLink, that's the community of LGBT centers. She's also a commissioner for the L.A. County Commission on Aging. Tanya, thank you for being with us. What's your question?

QUESTION: Thank you. Senator Harris, the Supreme Court heard three employment discrimination cases on October 8th. They included Aimee Stevens, who was fired from a Michigan funeral home because she began living openly as a female. In 30 states, LGBT people are at risk of being fired simply for being who they are. What protections can you put into place to ensure all Americans have a discrimination-free workplace?

HARRIS: Yeah, thank you, Tanya, for your work. I actually filed and joined a friend of the court brief in that case to join -- and stand in solidarity with all of the folks who are fighting for equality in those three cases. And I, like many people here, sat in that United States Supreme Court during the arguments where I refused to defend Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages in California.

So I know all too well what happens in the United States Supreme Court and what must happen in terms of fighting for equality. We did it before. As president, I will do it again.

I am concerned about the current configuration of the court on this issue. But what we know is our fight for civil rights is an ongoing one, and what is most important is that we stand together in that regard.

In terms of employment and what's before the court, I mean, listen, we are still at a point in this country where people are treated differently under the law based on sexual orientation. And the thing that I say to anybody is this. Do you -- can you defend in our country where we say we are a country of laws, that United States Supreme Court literally etched in marble, it says "equal under the law," right? Justice under the law. Equal.

How can we ever defend that our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are treated differently under the law when they walk into their place of work? It is a fundamental issue as far as I'm concerned. And I will stand and fight for equality every day of the week. But there's still so much to do.

We saw great success in terms of marriage. But if we are going to be honest about it, there is still not full equality for members of the LGBTQ community, and that relates to housing, it relates to employment, it relates to education, and so many other issues. And so our fight is ongoing. And I will stand proudly and strongly until we reach full equality for everyone.

QUESTION: Thank you.

CUOMO: All right, so that takes us to our next question, which is about how to make the case, Senator. The question is from Taylor Hammond, a student at California State University Long Beach and a 2019 Point Foundation scholar. Congratulations, Taylor. What's your question?

HARRIS: Hi, Taylor.

QUESTION: Hi, Senator Harris. During your time as attorney general of California, you had the opportunity to lay out the legal groundwork for same-sex marriage legislation. You also officiated the first same-sex wedding in San Francisco.

HARRIS: Yep.

QUESTION: Thanks for that. Given these... HARRIS: It was my joy.

QUESTION: Given these facts, your perspective of the LGBTQ+ community is likely more liberal than other parts of the country. How will you leverage your liberal Californian perspective when reaching out to voters in small conservative areas?

HARRIS: Yeah. What I will do is I will tell them the story of not only that day, after we defeated Proposition 8, but I'll tell them the story of Valentine's weekend in 2004. So back when -- and let's just set this clear -- back when a lot of Democrats were talking about civil unions, in February of 2004, I was performing marriages.

(APPLAUSE)

But the story I will share with our friends around the country, also knowing that not unlike myself, we all have family members who are members of the LGBTQ community, we all have friends, co-workers, colleagues, neighbors, and so on, right?

But I'm going to share with them this story, which is that I arrived at San Francisco City Hall that day, it was a Saturday, Valentine's weekend, and wrapped around the entire city block were families of every race, of every size, of every age, balloons and teddy bears and gifts, and there was something about arriving there that day that, I don't know, there must be something in physics or chemistry that when you have a group of people that is so large who are so full of pure joy in one place, you can feel it.

And that's what was happening that day, because it was a day where people who love each other had the ability for their love to be recognized by law. It was a day that was a day where the grandparents of the grandchildren got to see their joy as their parents were married. It was a day where people got to understand that we must respect and always encourage these kinds of loving relationships.

And if anyone has known love and honors the importance of love and the commitment one person is willing to make to another person in the name of love, they should always recognize and encourage that nobody would be treated differently under the law when they're prepared to make that commitment. And that's what I would say to them.

And I would describe to them also the arguments I made in Prop 8, in the Prop 8 case, which is any one day in the life of someone who is denied justice is a very long time. You know, after the Supreme Court in the Prop 8 case decided that the proponents of Prop 8 didn't have standing, right, because basically my argument then was that -- people said, oh, what does standing mean and basically, you know, my husband is from New Jersey, and I said, you know, it's just a really simple point. Like, if you were in Jersey, you would say, what's it to ya, right?

So the point that I was making is, what's it to ya if same-sex couples get married? It's not impacting your right to get married, your ability to get married. What's it to ya, right? And the court agreed with us. And the court agreed with us. But then we were in a battle to say, hey, lift the stay and let the marriages begin. Remember, if anyone remember -- it didn't happen immediately. And my argument then was, any day and every day in the life of someone who's being denied justice is a very long time. And I do believe that, as a concept, as just a general point, people should agree with that, if we agree that we are a nation that was founded on certain principles, again, that are based on those words we spoke in 1776, that we are all equal and should be treated that way, period.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: Next question comes from Thomas Davis. He's a dancer and choreographer from Los Angeles. Thomas?

QUESTION: I was diagnosed with HIV when I was 20 years old. I didn't know that black gay men like myself made up and accounted for the most new HIV cases every year. I felt like my education failed me. A majority of millennials and Gen Z did not and do not receive a comprehensive sex education that sets us up for success, and it's even worse for marginalized communities. If elected, what will you do to combat the rate of HIV diagnosis in the communities that are most impacted, like mine?

HARRIS: That's right, Thomas. Thank you for your courage. And, you know, you're right. I mean, black men -- gay black men are twice as likely to contract HIV and AIDS. In fact, one of the issues also that is relevant to this point is the affordability of medications such as PrEP, which is extremely expensive, and so I actually have been a leader in the United States Senate to say that it should be covered by insurance and money should not be the barrier to access to PrEP, which is obviously a life-saving drug.

But, you know, I will also tell you I have -- I have sat by the bedside of what turned out to be the death bed of friends, dear friends who have died from AIDS. In fact, my first campaign manager when I ran for district attorney of San Francisco, his name is Jim Rivaldo -- his name was Jim Rivaldo -- he was Harvey Milk's campaign manager. And an extraordinary person, who always -- you know, he would talk about, you know, Bay Area, he would talk about everybody, about the coalition, right? And also he would always talk about the need to recognize that within the community there are real hierarchies based on race and income and we need to recognize and deal with that.

And since those days to today, we know that in terms of HIV-AIDS rates among black men in particular, it is still much higher because the hierarchy still exists within the community around access to health care, housing, employment, and things of that nature.

So I will, as president, I commit to you, deal with all of those, but also we need to deal with it in the context of having a commitment, which is my commitment, that within a generation we will end HIV-AIDS.

(APPLAUSE)

And by putting a timeline on that, and then putting everyone on notice that that must be our timeline, because we have to accelerate the priority around this. As with other public policy considerations, where we are saying that by this year we will meet certain goals -- well, my perspective is by the next generation, we should end HIV- AIDS, and I know it is within our capacity to do it.

And that means, to your point, making sure that we don't end it for some, because that's not ending it, but for all, which means we have to pay attention to who has access, who has the ability, who has the resources to benefit from all that is available to prevent, right, or to mitigate the effects.

So, thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: Next question is from Khloe Perez-Rios, an activist and community organizer from Rancho Cucamonga, California. How do you say the full name, Khloe? How do you say -- please, what is your question?

QUESTION: Thank you. Good evening, Senator Harris. I'm a transgender woman of color. I'm an advocate, I work for a community- based organization, Bienestar, here in Los Angeles. I'm a...

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you. I'm also a victim of a hate crime. With the rise of violence in hate crimes in recent years, I'm concerned about the safety and the inclusion of transgender citizens. Senator Harris, how will you work to ensure that all transgender citizens across the country are protected and treated equally?

HARRIS: Yeah. So I have been working with the transgender community since the '90s. Early in my career, one of the populations within the transgender community that I worked closely with were transgender teenagers, many of whom ran away from -- frankly, fled, to your point, harm from other places in the country and came to San Francisco, but went to San Francisco with the belief that that would be a safe place for them, but they were on the streets and it wasn't always a safe place for them.

And so, actually, when I became district attorney of San Francisco, I created a whole division of my office -- and I was elected in 2003 -- that was focused on what we need to do to provide a safe place for those who had been the subject of abuse, right, and harm, so that they could come -- because we know that law enforcement has not always been a welcoming place for the transgender community to go to for help, for support, and dignity and safety. And so I created that within my office.

All of that to say that from then until today, we know that the safety of our transgender community is still very much at play and at risk. And, you know, back to the earlier question, how do we talk with people about it and how do we help people see the commonalities between us?

And I'm going to get a little frank, right? Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia -- wait, no, here's the thing I want to say -- there is not a mother of a black son that the day that baby is born is not concerned about his safety. The same is probably true for the Jewish mother of her children, or the Muslim mother of her children, or the mother of anyone who is LGBTQ, including a wonderful, wonderful leader that I was talking with yesterday who has a young transgender child.

And what we have to understand about that is that literally we have whole populations of people who often from the day they were born know that their body is capable of being harmed physically. There's not a woman who in her 20s is not afraid of being raped. Like, let's speak real here. In terms of hopefully helping people see the commonality between these issues, which is that no one should be made to feel vulnerable in that way to harm and that their physical safety is at jeopardy.

And that's how I think about this issue when it relates to our transgender community, when I look at the fact that there were 19 black transgender women already this year who have been killed.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Twenty! Twenty!

HARRIS: Twenty. Excuse me, twenty. Twenty. When I look at the fact that when you compound race with being transgender, you are doubly exposed. And if you are Latino or Latina, and you are an undocumented immigrant, or you are in the system in any way.

And so, first, I say all of this to say, I have a longstanding -- decades-long connection to this issue. And as president of the United States, I promise you that I will put all resources and priority into ensuring that all people are safe, with a particular understanding of some of the most vulnerable communities. And when I say vulnerable, I don't mean because you are not strong. I say because we know that certain populations are more vulnerable to hate based on other people's prejudice and racism and hateful thoughts. And we as a society must acknowledge the truth of that and then make sure that we create safe communities in which they can exist.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (OFF-MIKE) stop killing us. How do we get those men to stop killing trans women of color? We are hunted.

HARRIS: I know. I know.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Systematically hunted. How can we do that?

HARRIS: No, I -- you're right. And so -- so -- but I'm just saying so he -- I want you to be able to talk. That's what I'm saying. It's a number of things. I mean, one, there has to be serious consequence and accountability when it happens, which means there needs to be a safe place for the members of our transgender community to go when they have been exposed to that kind of harm, and we know there's not always a safe place.

I will tell you, when I was district attorney of San Francisco, it was after the tragedy of Gwen Araujo, Matthew Shepard, and other cases, where people were being killed. And what was happening in courtrooms is that if the killer was caught and arrested and charged, in the courtroom, they would offer a defense. It was called the gay or trans panic defense. You remember that? And they'd say, oh, I freaked out, therefore I don't have the state of mind for which you could convict me of murder.

And I saw this happening. So I convened prosecutors from around the country, first ever time it ever happened, to come to San Francisco, and we created a whole training on how to defeat the gay trans panic defense. And we brought in...

(APPLAUSE)

And this was in the early 2000s. And brought in -- you know, I say with pride that we -- you know, there are a lot of the leaders in -- early leaders in the trans community who came from San Francisco, and so we brought in these leaders to talk about the community, to talk about how the issue is playing out, to talk about the injustices. And it ended up being a model for what needs to happen around, also, what we do around public safety to make sure that it does not go without consequence. I hear you.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: Let's get to another question. We have Amit Paley with us, who is the CEO and executive director of the Trevor Project. It's a suicide prevention group for LGBTQ youth. Thank you for being with us tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

QUESTION: Senator, suicides of LGBTQ young people make headlines every year, including a heartbreaking one just recently. LGBTQ young people are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. And at the Trevor Project, we hear from them every single day.

Our research shows that 39 percent of LGBTQ young people have seriously considered suicide in the past year, with more than half of transgender and non-binary young people having seriously considered it. Senator, how would your administration respond and address to the crisis of LGBTQ youth suicide?

HARRIS: Yes. I mean, first of all, let me just -- you know, look, let's also just talk about the fact that when I'm elected, Pence will no longer be vice president.

(APPLAUSE)

And by that, I point out this, that, you know, part of -- probably one of the most powerful tools in the hands of the president -- in the president of the United States is that microphone she holds. And her ability to then hold it in a way that recognizes that the real strength of a leader is based not on who you beat down, it's based on who you lift up.

(APPLAUSE) And so across -- thank you -- so across the board that applies. And it also is about, then, really speaking to our youth to say: I see you. You know, again, I -- this is not a new topic for me. There was so many youth that ran away to San Francisco and they were so vulnerable. And, you know, including the things that we don't like to talk about, right? They were vulnerable to abuse.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (OFF-MIKE)

HARRIS: Yes, and they were. And vulnerable to being trafficked and to -- you know, sexually assaulted. And we have to create a safe place. And it starts with the top levels of leadership to recognize and give dignity and give safety.

But then let's go on. It has to be by not having Betsy DeVos be the head of the Department of Education and talking about what we need to do in every sector that is about what we should do to create safe places for our children and our youth. And that's about in education. It is about what we do in terms of housing. It is about what we do in terms of giving them a safe place to go when they run away.

And one of the things that I've always been supportive of, and we need to acknowledge, is so many of our LGBTQ youth who end up being in the system, in the foster care system, and ensuring that they're placed in homes that are safe for them without judgment.

(APPLAUSE)

Because that is also an issue for so many. And so this is all -- this is how I think about it. But in particular, also, one of the biggest public policy failings of our country is the failure to address mental health. And we've got to do that.

(APPLAUSE)

So that we have places that are culturally competent for those youth to go, to be in a safe place where they can actually be in a peer- based place, where they can talk about how they are experiencing the world in a way that nurtures them and strengthens them.

CUOMO: Senator, I want to get to one more question. It's on this topic, OK?

HARRIS: OK.

CUOMO: I want to bring in Julie Goldman, an actor, standup comic, and co-host of the podcast Dumb Gay Politics.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, hi, hi.

CUOMO: What is your question?

QUESTION: Oh, my god. This is so amazing, first. Thank you so much. This means the world to all of us. Thank you for being here and putting this on. I cannot believe this is happening.

HARRIS: Yeah.

QUESTION: Also, when do you think the Republican LGBT town hall will be? OK.

(LAUGHTER)

Senator Harris...

HARRIS: Yes.

QUESTION: Let's get into it. You are one of our senators here in California. And as you know, California has the largest homeless population in America, which, you know, includes a staggering number of LGBTQ youth.

HARRIS: Yes.

QUESTION: But we aren't the only state. There's New York, Texas, Florida, and Washington. They also have huge populations of homeless people who need help. Do you have a plan to make the homeless crisis in America a federal issue? And if so, what will you do?

HARRIS: Yeah, it is -- and it is one of the biggest -- thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

And it is -- it is one of the biggest issues that we are not talking enough about. And it is not just in San Francisco and New York. It's in places like Manchester, in New Hampshire. It is throughout the country. And so it is about what I commit to do in terms of affordable housing.

For example, for example, part of what I plan to do is address through the tax code, so that if anyone is spending more than 30 percent of their income in rent plus utilities, you get a tax credit. It is about what we need to do around black families in America and understanding that historically, based on everything from red-lining and to institutional racism, there has been an exclusion of black families to own homes, and then that creates intergenerational wealth or lack of. And so part of my plan is also to commit to creating grants for people who live in federally subsidized housing or in historically red-lined communities to give them those grants for down payments and closing costs for homeownership. We also.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: I'll give you one more.

HARRIS: I got more though, Chris.

CUOMO: I know, but we've got to go. I'll give you one more.

HARRIS: I'm going to give you two. So...

(APPLAUSE)

We also have to have mental health services available for those who are part of the population who need that.

(APPLAUSE)

And then we need to create incentives for affordable housing that's not about putting money in the back pocket of these developers, but about putting money into municipalities to create the jobs that will build those housing and then let people live in there.

CUOMO: Thank you for the ideas. Thank you for being responsive to the community. Appreciate it.

(APPLAUSE)

Senator Kamala Harris...

HARRIS: Thank you, guys.

CUOMO: ... thank you very much for joining us. We're going to take a quick break. Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, next.

[22:00:00]