Jeff Sessions is a Dangerous Opponent of Equality

by HRC staff

Post submitted by Lucas Acosta (he/him), former Deputy Director of Communications, Politics

Sessions used his former elected offices and the Trump-Pence Department of Justice to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

HRC announced our opposition to the newly announced U.S. Senate bid of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“At every point in his career, Jeff Sessions has used his power to discriminate against LGBTQ people, people of color and anyone who doesn’t look or think like him,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “From his time as Alabama Attorney General to the Senate to his horrific leadership at the Department of Justice, Sessions has systematically worked the levers of government to deny the rights of others. In 2017, Alabama voters chose equality by electing Sen. Doug Jones. We are hopeful that Alabamians will continue along that path, and deny Jeff Sessions, Roy Moore, or any of the anti-equality politicians who are seeking this office as a means to discriminate.”

In the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate in 2017, HRC organized more than 20 GOTV events — including phone banks, canvasses, and community events in the closing weeks of the campaign. For two months, more than 160 HRC volunteers and 11 HRC staff worked to reach the nearly 200,000 “Equality Voters” across Alabama — a voting bloc comprised of not only the 100,000 LGBTQ voters in the state but also the thousands of additional allies HRC has identified statewide. HRC also partnered with allied civil rights organizations, including the NAACP of Alabama and others, to increase voter turnout.

For more on Sessions’ anti-LGBTQ record, go to HRC's Sessions Report.