Justice Department reaffirms commitment to protecting LGBTQI+ communities

Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Leaders from the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division reinforced the department's commitment to protecting LGBTQI+ rights in a quarterly meeting.

The department's working group held the meeting Thursday with senior leadership from the FBI as well as representatives from several other branches of the Justice Department, including the Office of Justice Programs and Office on Violence Against Women. Representatives from the LGBTQI+ community also attended.

The meeting "reinforces the Justice Department's commitment to taking an all-of-department approach to protecting LGBTQI+ rights, including by engaging with organizations and stakeholders on issues affecting the LGBTQI+ community," the Justice Department said in a statement.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division led the meeting, which also focused on discrimination faced by people living with HIV.

The working group's meeting came the same day the Justice Department filed suit against Tennessee and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for enforcing a law it says discriminates against HIV patients and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Justice Department also pointed to its recent legal challenge to North Carolina's bans on gender-affirming health care for transgender minors.

Asside from legal challenges, the department said Thursday it will continue to "educate the public about threats facing the LGBTQI+ community.

That education includes hosting a virtual, nationwide community meeting outlining practical steps for protecting LGBTQI+ communities "from hate-motivated attacks and threats of violence."