JD Vance receives score of zero in new report on LGBTQ+ support in Congress

The Republican candidate for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), has received a score of zero on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) just-released Congressional Scorecard for the 118th Congress.

The biannual report assesses the record of every member of Congress regarding LGBTQ+ rights and then gives them a score out of 100. Vance’s zero score reflects that he did not support HRC’s position on any bill related to LGBTQ+ people.

Related:

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It’s not a surprise, considering Vance recently blamed transgender inclusion for America’s declining schools, claiming that teachers no longer have time for basic academic lessons because they are too busy teaching “radical ideas” about gender. He was also against the federal Respect for Marriage Act, and last year, he refused to certify U.S. foreign ambassadors because they weren’t anti-LGBTQ+ enough. He even introduced legislation in the Senate to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth and make it less accessible for trans adults.

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Vance’s willingness to hitch himself to Donald Trump – who spent his first presidential term dismantling LGBTQ+ rights – also indicates the senator’s animosity toward LGBTQ+ people.

Other senators with scores of zero include Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Marco Rubio (R-FL).

Scores of zero in the House include Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Jim Jordan (R-OH), James Comer (R-KY), Greg Steube (R-FL), Dan Bishop (R-NC), and viciously anti-LGBTQ+ House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) – who has devoted her tenure to attacking trans kids – managed to receive an 8 for supporting HRC’s position on four bills. She voted against four larger spending bills with anti-LGBTQ+ provisions, although the report doesn’t take into account why she voted against those bills.

217 members of Congress received scores of 100, meaning they have been completely dedicated to supporting pro-LGBTQ+ legislation and defeating anti-LGBTQ+ bills.

Senators with scores of 100 include Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA), the first Black lesbian in the U.S. Senate. Out Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) got a score of 93 because she didn’t vote on two bills and did not co-sponsor a bill to strengthen anti-discrimination protections and a bill to increase the use of U.S. diplomacy to protect LGBTQ+ rights worldwide.

In the House, scores of 100 included Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Steny Hoyer (D-MD). All the out LGBTQ+ members of the House got scores of 100. Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), though, was not included in the scorecard because he was expelled before the end of his term.

“Congress has a responsibility to stand against bigotry and discrimination and to promote inclusion and opportunity for LGBTQ+ Americans,” Hoyer said in a statement after receiving his perfect score. “At a time when MAGA Republicans are working to undermine protections for the LGBTQ+ community – especially transgender Americans – it is vital that we support policies that reflect the American principles of equality and justice for all. I will continue to work with Democrats to advocate for LGBTQ+ Americans and their rights.”

In a press release introducing the scorecard, HRC slammed the “historic attacks on LGBTQ+ inclusion” currently taking place in Congress, including the “unprecedented partisan use of must-pass legislation” to dismantle LGBTQ+ rights.

HRC president Kelley Robinson called out GOP House members for inserting dozens of anti-LGBTQ+ riders into the annual appropriations bills and the National Defense Authorization Act but celebrated that organizers helped stop over 100 of these riders from becoming law.

“The LGBTQ+ community is growing in strength every day,” wrote Robinson in the report’s introduction. “With a record-high 75 million Equality Voters nationwide, informed voting and representation matters now
more than ever. Throughout the 118th Congress, we have seen both the legislative backlash targeting the LGBTQ+ community and the unrelenting power we have to push progress forward.”

“The Senate saw far fewer attempts to attack the freedom of LGBTQ+ people,” Robinson continued. “They stood firm against the extreme House legislation, and instead largely considered legislation to defend freedom with votes to expand voting rights, protect access to IVF and contraception, and secure the fundamental right to abortion and reproductive health care in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.”

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