States with poor climate policy ‘overlap’ with those seeking to limit rights, Kamala Harris says
State lawmakers in states with poor climate policy and those that have passed policies that limit rights to those facing discrimination have “overlapped” on questions of climate action, Kamala Harris said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Women’s March on Washington as a former California attorney general, Harris said that states that have passed policies limiting rights of those accused of crimes to be investigated by the government have “overlapped” with states that have passed policies limiting rights of those in marginalized communities who are the targets of abuse, discrimination and harassment.
At the Women’s March event, Harris said that states with poor climate policies in her home state of California have also “overlapped” with those that have passed policies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation.
“When we talk about limiting rights, that’s another phrase for discrimination,” Harris told the crowd. “And it’s not just limiting the right to protest or the right to enter the labor force. It’s literally limiting the right to live your life any way you wish.”
At a Women’s March on Washington event on Tuesday, Harris called for Congress to pass legislation that:
Protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination
Ensure that transgender employees have access to the same protections as other workers
“It’s not about attacking transgender people or trans rights. It’s about saying when somebody goes about their business, people should be free from discrimination,” said Harris. “And when we look at some of the state policies that have passed, that are very harmful to transgender individuals in California, those policies overlap.”
Harris’ comments come one day after at least one other state, Virginia, passed a law that would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
During Tuesday’s event, Harris also took aim at the Trump administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, calling the