“We are nervous about what’s happening in the world,” says Maria Sjödin, the executive director of LGBTQ+ organisation Outright International as Americans head to the voting booth for the 2024 US presidential election.
“That’s something anyone who cares about human rights for everyone has to be concerned about.”
Originally from Sweden but now based in New York, Sjödin says: “The US has an outsized impact on the world. No matter who wins the election, I am concerned about much of the rhetoric I hear, which is framed around an ‘America first’ ideology.”
But that stance isn’t only found in the US, she has observed similar attitudes globally, with “countries and politicians saying: ‘We need to think about our own country first’,” she claims.
This stance is “counter to everything Outright stands for” and to “solidarity as a whole”.
Trump presidency would be ‘detrimental for trans people’
She goes on to say: “We need to believe that multilateral systems can help ensure everyone achieves the life they deserve and that human rights are respected everywhere. That can only be achieved by co-operating internationally.”
Even after the election, polarisation is likely to persist, she believes. Donald Trump’s attacks on trans people have been “damaging,” regardless of whether he wrestles back control of the White House or Kamala Harris becomes America’s first woman president.
But a Trump victory would be “very detrimental for transgender people around the world and the broader LGBTQ+ community,” Sjödin fears. “The focus on some of these arguments has been really dehumanising, particularly for trans people. I am afraid of the lasting effects this will have.”
She also condemns anti-trans rhetoric, specifically branding as “absurd” a recent claim by Trump’s running mate JD Vance that people fake being trans to reject “white privilege” and get into top universities.
The government has made LGBTQ+ rights “a priority” since Joe Biden assumed office in January 2021, she adds.
‘Concerning’ attacks and rhetoric
“It’s important to recognise that foreign policy is not disconnected from what’s happening within a country. Currently in the US, we see numerous legal and rhetorical attacks on trans people at state level.
“The spread of this kind of rhetoric and these types of attacks is concerning. It’s difficult for any country to lead on an issue when its domestic policies contradict the international stance it promotes.”
Some senate and house of representative seats are also up for grabs on election day, while 13 gubernatorial positions will also be decided.
Sjödin hopes the US will continue to support multilateral systems such as the United Nations, which “play a vital role for LGBTQ+ communities, especially when domestic governments fail to protect their rights.” She describes this partnership as “critical,” alongside “government support through international development aid.”
The latest polls indicate that the presidential race is too close to call in most swing states.
Harris spent Monday (4 November) in Pennsylvania, the swing state that delivers the largest number of electoral votes, while Trump began the day in Raleigh, North Carolina, before also heading to rallies in the Keystone State, before finishing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
While huge numbers of Americans have already cast their vote, as many as 10 per cent of people who have said they are likely to go to the polls, are yet to decide which candidate to back. It’s these people who might end up determining who strides into the Oval Office in January.
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