LGBTQ groups helped shape Biden DOJ civil rights agenda, documents reveal

Internal records from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division reveal that a quarterly LGBTQI+ Working Group brought together activist groups—including the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Women’s Law Center—to discuss federal strategies on transgender issues. The groups pressed the department to counter state bans on gender-affirming care, bathroom restrictions, and transgender participation in sports, and to confront hate-crime threats.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke responded by noting that many of the groups represented plaintiffs in cases the DOJ was already supporting and highlighted recent filings challenging such bans, such as an Idaho law. An agenda circulated after the meetings listed the activists’ priority topics and identified representatives from agencies like the Defense Department, HHS, Labor, EPA, EEOC and FEMA. While the documents show the activists’ input, it could not be verified that any DOJ action directly resulted from these recommendations. The Working Group was dissolved after the Trump administration took office.