Socialist Democrat Pushes ‘Trans Bill of Rights’

Socialist Claire Valdez, the Democratic nominee in New York’s 7th Congressional District, said a “Trans Bill of Rights” is among the issues she wants Democrats to deliver if they retake the House.

Valdez made the comments on the Hell Gate podcast, alongside Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic candidate in New York’s 13th Congressional District. Hosts asked what more members of Congress should be doing to end the war in Iran and to “block the sale of arms to Israel,” and whether the two had raised those issues with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Cohost Holly Pretsky noted reporting that Jeffries had reached out to the candidates. “Is this something you talked to him about as a condition for, maybe, supporting him as Speaker should Democrats take the House back?” she asked.

Valdez said they had not had that kind of conversation. “In my conversation recently I wanted to emphasize how important certain issues were in my district and that were defining parts of my race, and that includes the war,” she said. “It includes the genocide, Medicare for all, Trans Bill of Rights, like, there are a lot of things that I ran on that I want to deliver for my district, and I think it’s our responsibility to do exactly that.”

Asked how Jeffries took that, Valdez said it was “a very cordial conversation.” Avila Chevalier added, “I think he understands that we won our elections because people believe in our visions, right? That is just the reality of where Democrats in this country are at.”