Connecticut has long been a leader in advancing equality, but leadership requires constant vigilance. At a time when LGBTQ+ people, especially the transgender community, face unprecedented attacks across the country, our state must not only defend progress but advance it. The LGBTQ+ community is not a monolith; it includes people of every race, ethnicity, faith, age, disability status, economic background, and immigration experience, and many face overlapping forms of discrimination and inequity. Connecticut can continue to be a leader nationally, no matter who is President, but we need a Governor who is proactive in protecting the dignity, safety, and opportunity of the LGBTQ+ community.

The solutions:

• Ensure Gender-Affirming Care is Accessible and Affordable for Everyone:

  For years, Connecticut has been at the forefront of ensuring access to health care for transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) individuals. But recent federal actions are undermining that progress, especially for transgender adolescents, even though this care remains legal and protected under state law. Meanwhile, Lamont has been silent as hospitals across the country have quietly ended gender-affirming care under federal pressure. The result is a growing gap in access to medically necessary services for patients, alongside increasing operational uncertainty for providers. If you receive state dollars - you must uphold our State’s values. That is why as Governor I will support the following: 

  • Provide gender-affirming care coverage under my real Public Option plan and prohibit categorical exclusions for gender-affirming care in all state-regulated health plans. 

  • Invest in programs that increase the number of culturally competent providers across the state.

  • Funding agreements with providers will include explicit non-discrimination requirements covering gender-affirming care. 

• Continue to Strengthen Connecticut’s Shield Law :

  Connecticut's shield law protects patients and providers from out-of-state prosecution for care that is legal here. Gov. Lamont may have signed the bill into law, but has since done nothing to strengthen it, especially extending more protections to providers. As governor I will:

  • Defend the shield law, extend it to cover cross-state telehealth, and close every gap advocates raise as an area of concern. 

  • Pledge to never extradite anyone charged by another state for receiving or providing care that Connecticut law protects. 

• Data and Privacy Protection

  The federal government is increasingly overreaching, demanding access to sensitive information ranging from immigration data to voter records. Federal agencies have also sought access to protected patient information related to gender-affirming care and have taken steps that undermine students’ privacy rights. At the same time, recent decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States have raised serious concerns about the forced outing of students and the normalization of harassment and discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth under the guise of free speech. Connecticut must act with urgency to safeguard the privacy and security of LGBTQ+ individuals, especially when it comes to healthcare and education data. As Governor I will:

  • Restrict all state health data going to support any federal investigation targeting LGBTQ+ people for who they are or the care they have received. This includes insurance records, pharmacy records, and any data held by state agencies.

  • Create short, targeted retention windows, warrant requirements for retroactive searches, and a hard prohibition on sharing data with out-of-state investigations.

  • Strengthen existing regulations to prevent corporate camera networks from sharing Connecticut data with federal investigations.

• Safe, Affirming Schools

  The right to an education is guaranteed by our state Constitution, yet for too many LGBTQ+ students in Connecticut, that promise remains unrealized. Hostile school environments continue to compromise students’ academic success, limit their aspirations for higher education, and negatively impact their overall well-being, ultimately constraining their future social and economic opportunities. Fully funding Connecticut schools means providing Connecticut schools with the resources to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every kid, especially LGBTQ+ youth. As Governor I will support the following: 

  • Create a joint initiative with the State Department of Education and LGBTQ+ Justice and Opportunity Network to create a Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ+ Students.

  • Require every Connecticut school district to adopt and maintain a comprehensive student nondiscrimination policy that covers every protected class under state law — sexual orientation, gender identity, race, disability, national origin, immigration status, and more.

  • Provide public schools with the resources to hire and train mental health professionals that can provide LGBTQ+ inclusive care.

  • Create and include comprehensive, age-appropriate LGBTQ+-inclusive education in school curriculum.

• Housing Support for LGBTQ+ People

  Seventeen percent of LGBTQ+ people have experienced homelessness in their lifetimes — nearly three times the rate of the general population. In Connecticut, LGBTQIA+ youth are dramatically overrepresented among our unhoused population. The state's response has been inadequate. General youth shelter funding exists, but affirming, safe, specifically LGBTQIA+-focused shelter beds are scarce. No one should have to choose between fearing for their safety or facing homelessness. That is why as Governor I will support the following:

  • Dedicated funding for LGBTQ+-affirming youth shelters and transitional housing and ensuring that mainstream housing services are genuinely safe and welcoming for LGBTQ+ people of all ages.

  • Require LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for all staff at state-funded housing programs, with accountability mechanisms tied to state funding.

  • Support Just Cause evictions protections so no person loses their housing solely because of who they are.

  • Ensure that senior housing initiatives explicitly include protections and affirming environments for LGBTQ+ older adults.

• LGBTQ+ Seniors

  As Connecticut's LGBTQ+ population ages, ensuring equitable access to affirming and culturally competent care must become a growing priority. LGBTQ+ older adults often face challenges in home health care, short-term rehabilitation, long-term care settings, and hospice services, including discrimination, social isolation, and concerns about whether their identities and relationships will be respected. Connecticut should work to ensure that every older adult can age with dignity by strengthening nondiscrimination protections, improving provider training, and promoting inclusive practices across the continuum of care.

  • Expand the Senior Bill of Rights to cover home health care, short-term rehabilitation stays, and hospice care.