We asked readers whether or not President Biden should continue his campaign, what’s at stake for the LGBTQ community in this election, and what the future looks like for America.

What is at stake in the 2024 election, both generally and for the LGBTQ community?

CALEB C, 39, Queer, D.C., Democrat: Our community is facing challenges across the board, from book bans to banning critical healthcare for trans youth and the very real possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Obergefell v. Hodges. They want to erase us from society, to push us back into the shadows.

KARL F, 65, Gay, New Jersey, Democrat: Rights are being taken away from Americans, and it may not be too long before the LGBTQ Community also becomes a target. Trans individuals are already being targeted way too much. Republicans want to take this county back, not move it forward.

KENNETH FALLIN, 75, Gay, New York, Democrat: Alito and Thomas of the Supreme Court have openly stated that they want to end gay marriage. You give these jerks power, and they go mad! We need more liberal governors, senators, and congressmen to block the taking of our freedoms. These Republican goons have tasted victory, and they want more and more, till our Democracy is gone.

RONALD KEENEY, 61, Gay, Maryland, Democrat: Preserving our democracy and adhering to the Rule of Law are at stake. The country is spiraling into a type of American Christo-Fascism with the full support of one major party, a significant portion of the Legislature, and a corrupt Supreme Court.

LYNNE P, 76, Illinois, Ally, Democrat: From what the Republican nominee has said, he will be a dictator and will destroy our democracy. This has already been seen with this year’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. There’s a lot at stake for the LGBTQ community with the courts’ ability to change long-standing laws. If the Republicans win they will be replacing at least two older conservative justices with much younger (to be on the court longer) and still radically conservative people. Women have already lost their right to health care in many states. And now the president has complete immunity in what they can do in office.

RAMSEY PFEFFINGER, 26, Gay, Nevada, Democrat: A quick look at Project 2025 tells us what is at stake, at least generally. The Biden administration has done invaluable work in reconstructing policies to better the lives of LGBTQ people in America. Even with these new policies and ideas set aside, we can see the intense consequences our unbalanced Supreme Court is having on long-established norms. We cannot afford any more justices from a Trump administration.

VICKIE L, 63, Non-binary, Pennsylvania, Democrat: Democracy. All of our individual rights and freedoms. All of our Government aid programs. The environment. Freedom of press and news. Being able to be an out nonbinary lesbian.

NELL MINOW, 72, Ally, Democrat: It’s not hyperbole to say that this election is not about being conservative or liberal or Republican or Democratic — the only issue in this election is the future of democracy. They know there are more of us than they are of them. No GOP Presidential candidate has won the popular vote in 20 years. And so, the only way for them to win is to push us out of the process, from banning books to spreading disinformation to outright voter suppression. That is especially concerning for the most vulnerable communities, including BIPOC and LGBTQ.

The saddest and scariest part is that the oligarchs and despotic world leaders behind it all do not care about bigotry — they just use lies about immigrants, DEI initiatives, and trans kids and athletes to terrify their base into supporting tax cuts and deregulation.

MALCOLM R, 53, Gay, Tennessee, Democrat: American democracy. Women’s body autonomy. Trans rights, voting rights, same-sex marriage, LGBTQ adoption rights, food and drug safety, environmental protection, basic human decency. And so on.

LARRY RAY, 72, Fluid, D.C., Libertarian: This is a vital election to save democracy. It is clear that Trump desires to be an authoritarian like Putin. Using unethical conduct both Trump and Mitch McConnell have packed SCOTUS. Now, SCOTUS is a Trumpie Court. Law-abiding politicians such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Hakeem Jeffries, and Merrick Garland have no idea how to handle chronic liars and manipulators such as Trump or McConnell.

RANDALL READE, 62, Gay, D.C., Democrat: At stake is the whole world. A Trump administration will reverse any progress of climate change, abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, and rights for minorities of any sort. I take him at his word when he says he will deport all immigrants and act like a dictator. It will be the beginning of the end of the “American Experiment in Democracy.”

RICKARD SIMON, 66, Gay, Minnesota, Democrat: Generally, if the presumed Republican nominee was elected the very heart of our Democracy would be in danger. As for the LGBTQ community, our rights and identities would be endangered of being wiped out.

JOEY TEETS, 68, Gay, Virginia, Democrat: Our democracy, and everything it offers. With the stacking of Supreme Court Justices Trump knew would do his bidding he now has their legal blessing to do as he pleases. If he is returned to the White House he will never leave.

And while he is there, he will return America to the days of old white, straight-living men doing as they please, while they roll back all federal protections for everyone other than themselves.

DOUGLAS W, 18, Queer, Massachusetts, Democrat: Literally everything. I don’t expect to be able to be queer in the open anymore if the Republicans win this fall.

THOMAS W, 34, Gay, DMV, Democrat: Everything is at stake. If Trump wins another term, he will be emboldened and surrounded by enablers. He will undo every pro-LGBTQ executive order that Biden put in place. Besides that, he will, if given the opportunity, sign a national abortion ban. All of our rights are at stake and we need to vote accordingly.

THOMAS W, 67, Gay, D.C., Democrat: In what should be an easy decision, I find it amazing that people want to gleefully run into the weeds. This election is about: do we want a dictatorship or do we want to continue this experiment in democracy? Don’t follow the news media that wants to focus on a President who may be slowing but has achieved more than his predecessors. Read the Heritage Project 2025 “plan.”

Want LGBTQ rights? They’d be gone. Want reproductive freedom? Gone. Want women’s rights or equality? Gone. The plan of the Republican cult is to roll back all protections to the ’50s or before.

Do you like good roads? Thank this president. Are you glad you didn’t die during the pandemic or after? Thank this president. Are you glad your business or favorite place of business survived the pandemic? Thank this president.

If the news media focused on the failures of the last and the outright lies being told by the cult, perhaps this would be a fair and free election. I see them hounding us to a dictatorship and then they’ll be wringing their hands about how “we” let this happen.

DEREK WILLIAMS, 71, Gay, Scotland, Democrat: Republicans have been chipping away at rights we thought we’d won decades ago. With a Republican majority on the Supreme Court, it is just a matter of time before we lose Marriage Equality. Get out and VOTE!

BRADY YOUNG, 51, Gay, Utah, Democrat: Trump must not be president. After the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, the nation is in danger. With Roe overturned, same-sex marriage could fall, too, because it’s based on the same legal framework. But it’s bigger than that. Project 2025 threatens to transform the country and society in drastic, unpredictable ways.

Following the recent presidential debate, what are your thoughts about President Biden staying in the race?

GORDON BINDER, 75, Gay, D.C., Independent: I fully appreciate why many would-be voters are alarmed and worried about the President’s condition. But I do not see any potential Democratic candidate who could take on Trump, especially in swing states that are likely to decide the outcome. It’s not popular votes but electoral votes that will decide who wins. So, much as I might prefer other options, I don’t see any viable ones. Stay in.

CALEB C: He should have stepped down long before now, but he did not. And now we’re here. Sure it was just one debate, but it highlighted major problems for Biden and his electability. I think he should absolutely resign and the Democrats need to scramble to get a better candidate. It’s our only chance. Biden cannot defeat Trump.

PAULA DYAN, 74, Ally, D.C., Independent: He should stay. He’s doing a great job as president. He just had a bad day. (He didn’t look well.) He should rely on VP Harris for help — a partnership, co-president. (Reagan had help.)

KARL F: I have said for some time now that President Biden should bow out and let someone younger take the reigns. I’m afraid with the election just over four months away, it may be too late. I would definitely support President Biden if he continues to run. I believe Democratic values and policies are best for the middle class, and especially LGBTQ individuals.

KENNETH FALLIN: I have always liked President Biden. He is a good man, but I fear he is not in the best of mental and physical health to run, or to serve. Voters on the fence will see him as weak, and might vote Republican. The Democratic Party must take charge and nominate a much stronger candidate. It is of the utmost importance that Trump not get re-elected. He wants to be a dictator, and if he wins, that is what he will become. Trump is very open about what he plans to do if elected.

CHRISTOPHER G, 60, Gay, Virginia, Democrat: I think the debate showed he is less electable. Yes, he can do the job, but he’s clearly older acting and visibly aged. And regardless of his ability to continue to do the job, many people see him as too old. That jeopardizes his ability to win. I think he should step down.

THOMAS G, 70, Gay, California, Democrat: Biden needs to resign, make Kamala the president before the convention, let the delegates decide who should be our candidate and who can knock out not only Trump but the entire MAGA Project 2025!

DAN HEIMBACH, 59, Gay, Maryland, Democrat: Biden should stay in the race. Everyone stumbles on occasion.

CHRISTOPHER HORGAN, 29, Ally, Ireland: I believe Biden’s run for a second term is incredibly harmful. His frailty has destroyed the morale of Democratic voters and has delivered America on a silver platter to Trump.

DON JODREY, 62, Gay, Maryland, Democrat: Biden should drop out of the race. He should never have run, and it is hubris keeping him in.

EDNA JOHNSTON, 61, Lesbian, Virginia, Democrat: Joe Biden is the most effective president in my lifetime. He had a bad debate. So what?

ROBERT JONES III, 71, Gay, Iowa, Democrat: As much as he has been a great president, time is catching up with him as it does all of us. I’m concerned that he won’t beat Trump and that is the most important factor in this race.

RONALD KEENEY: President Biden needs to withdraw from the 2024 race as the Democratic Party nominee.

JOE L, 66, Gay, Florida, Democrat: I have serious concerns about Biden being able to perform well mentally for four more years. However, at this late stage in the campaign, he should continue.

VICKIE L: I think he’s still capable of doing the job, and if not, has surrounded himself with the very best team.

NELL MINOW: I’m of two minds, the realist and the “if this were a movie” answers. In the second category, I’d have Biden lock down his replacement with party leaders, then announce he’s stepping aside, and THEN take advantage of the superpowers just handed to him by SCOTUS and do some really crazy stuff like getting DOJ to go after Donald Trump, Ivanka and Jared, and Don R. and Eric.

I’d get the FBI to find out who paid Kavanaugh’s loans and get the IRS to audit the Kochs, Harlan Crow, Elon Musk, and all those other GOP donors so that they comb through every penny going back to what they got paid for their lemonade stands when they were in grade school.

But my realist mind says Biden stays in and spends the next 120 days limiting his vocabulary to “reproductive rights,” “gun safety,” “vulnerable communities including trans kids and racial minorities,” “Supreme Court” and “Project 2025.”

DAN ORT-PATRICK, 58, Gay, Pennsylvania, Democrat: I feel he needs to stay in the race but he needs to be out campaigning more. A president surrounds themselves with a cabinet of advisors so I’m not worried about him.

LYNNE P: Since I have been through a couple of changes of candidates over the years at the last minute (1968 and 1972), I have seen that it doesn’t work. I think we need to stay the course with President Biden, emphasizing that 90 minutes should not change the work done in the last 3-plus years. I shudder to think where we would be had Trump been the president bringing us out of the Covid pandemic.

RAMSEY PFEFFINGER: Are modern elections won on policy or personality? Americans have voted for elderly presidents before and likely will again. This is not an ageism debate. This is a conversation about performance. Can Biden rally a crowd, can he communicate visions that put the public at ease, or, daringly, inspire them?

When my peers are working multiple jobs, spending 60% of their income on rent, and completely relinquishing any notion of ever owning a home, they do not want to hear the New York Times report that the president told governors this week he is no longer doing events after 8 p.m., or that his aides defended his debate performance by saying he is most optimal between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Are we pushing for him to stay in the race out of fear or out of confidence — and which one should we be striving for this year?

I want Democrats to win. Questioning a Biden ticket is about patriotism, representation, and a hope for a better outcome. The last time we thought a candidate was owed a nomination, that it was their “turn,” it did not end well for the party.

MALCOLM R: Yes! He needs to stay in the race. It was fucking 90 minutes. It is trivial compared to what is at stake! Vote for a Democrat, vote for the candidate with the strongest possibility of winning. We can bust their balls after they get in office.

RANDALL READE: He should stay in. Changing at this point will only weaken the party. People need to realize they are not voting for two men, they are voting for two entirely different governing philosophies.

MARK SCHULTE, 59, Bisexual, New York, Democrat: He should resign.

ROBERT T, 45, Gay, Virginia, Democrat: He’s fine. I think we need to stop overreacting to an 81-year-old stutterer with a cold flubbing up a couple of questions on national TV. The choice is STILL clear in November.

JOEY TEETS: HE SHOULD STAY THE COURSE! He is the best person to stop Trump. Infighting among Democrats needs to be quelled as it only emboldens the Republicans and discourages the 3% of Independents that we need to keep him and Kamala in the White House.

BRAD W, 69, Gay, Maryland, Democrat: I think the President should stay the course, as long as he consistently shows Americans his decidedly frightening debate performance was a perfect storm of bad conditions. It is his decision to choose, but I think a withdrawal at this moment in time would add more chaos than clarity, widening the window of opportunity for people who are not troubled by horrific autocratic declarations.

CHIP W, 62, Gay, D.C., Democrat: Joe has been a good president. He righted the ship of state that had floundered under Trump. He restored honesty and dignity to the office of the President. And he calmed international waters by leading on Ukraine, growing NATO, and reassuring our allies. But it is time for him to sacrifice once more for his country. He needs to be the best president he can be for the rest of his term and leave office on a high note next January 20 with his head held high.

By opening [up] the convention, he will bring energy and excitement to the party and the nation — something missing now and something he cannot provide. Every effort needs to be focused on keeping Trump away from the Oval Office and a potential dictatorship. Yes, egos may be bruised in the near term, but the country will be stronger for it in the long term.

THOMAS W, 67: I have no problem with President Biden. Is he old? Yes. Is he slowing down? Yes. Is his gait as agile as 20 years ago? No. But then neither is mine. With age, certain things slow down but wisdom usually improves.

If the news media looked back on the last several elections, you’d see the same criticism of Obama, of Clinton, of Reagan, and of the Bushes. It seems the first debate is always a clunker for the President — perhaps because they overprepare. In the Biden-Trump debate, it’s hard to debate someone who is a pathological liar and just makes things up as he goes with no challenge from the moderators or news media following. I think Biden was too careful. He needs to be Biden.

DEREK WILLIAMS: Everyone loves their grandad, but if Democrats do not immediately replace the fumbling, inarticulate Biden with an awake, coherent, combative and fact-checking candidate, the election is lost, and America is lost along with it. Putin will again vicariously rule the U.S.A. with the eternally mendacious Trump as his puppet, the U.S. will pull out of NATO, Ukraine will be handed to the Russians so as to create a hard border with NATO countries, and the world is, overnight, a more dangerous place.

If Biden steps down now and gives a younger, switched-on candidate a chance to prepare in the short time remaining, he will do so with honor and his dignity intact. If he blusters on, his name will not be fondly remembered.

ROBERT L. YORK, JR., 56, Gay, DMV, Democrat: Absolutely stay in the race! Judging President Biden on 90 minutes is absurd especially when #45 isn’t being judged for the decades of crime, adultery and cognitive decline he continues to be in which is on full display at his ego rallies. President Biden has been a strong President and we need to rally behind him and support him and send #45 off for good!

BRADY YOUNG: I admire Joe Biden. He has been a very good president. Yet I feel somewhat duped by his advisors who have “handled” him. I believe he has declined rapidly in the last year. They kept it from us. Elections are run on hope. It’s the essential ingredient. Biden has lost that and it’s not something you can get back. He deserves to go out with dignity and the thanks of a grateful nation. That can be his legacy and how he will go down in history.

If he stays, it doesn’t end well for him or for us. If he loses, he’ll be remembered and blamed for what comes from a second Trump term. If he wins, he will continue in cognitive decline, and he’ll be remembered for that. He must allow someone else to step up. A primary-like few weeks will generate excitement, eclipse the Republican Convention in news coverage, and bring back hope, at least.

Similarly, what are your thoughts about former President Trump staying in the race?

FRANK C, 64, Gay, New Jersey, Democrat: Trump will stay in. And if he wins in November (which is probable) there will be no Presidential election in 2028. We will have a dictator for as long as he lives.

KARL F: He is NOT fit to be president any time, anywhere!

KENNETH FALLIN: The thought of Trump getting elected is the most horrifying thing. He has some type of voodoo power over the Republican Party, and it’s frightening to see these people let him get away with things that no one but him could get away with. The MAGA crowd are ignorant boobs. If only they could recognize that Trump couldn’t care less about them. It is just too fantastic to comprehend! I am a longtime New Yorker, and Trump and his family were never taken seriously. In fact, they were jokes!

ERIC H, 50, Gay, D.C., Libertarian: He is a criminal and should be prosecuted and disqualified from public office.

FRANK HOWELL, 66, Gay, DMV, Democrat: Arrest him for treason under the authority of new powers enhanced for the president by the Supreme Court.

EDNA JOHNSTON: Any decent person would have dropped out after losing Jean Carroll’s sexual assault civil suit against him. But he’s not a decent person.

RONALD KEENEY: Convicted felon Donald Trump needs to withdraw from the 2024 race as the Republican Party nominee.

BLAIR MICHAELS, 59, Gay, New York, Democrat: He’s made it clear. He’s in this for himself. No other right minded individual who’s a convicted felon would damage the Republican Party like he has.

NELL MINOW: It is shameful to have a convicted felon and adjudicated sexual predator on the ballot and even more shameful that members of his party and base continue to support him. He should drop out immediately. Can you make that happen, please?

LYNNE P: He will not drop out, so there is no need to even speculate.

RAMSEY PFEFFINGER: He is not at the top of the Republican ticket because of his record, he is at the top of the ticket because he has a cult of personality behind him. It won his race in 2016, and nearly did so again in 2020 despite being impeached. It appears many in his party do not even want him on the ticket, but they are keeping him because he energizes voters. While this is not an encouraging direction for politics in America to be headed, it is the reality, and a lesson Democrats could take a closer look at.

MALCOLM R: I don’t think he’s fit to run for any office on the planet, except as Vladimir Putin’s taint washer. But I guess he’s the best the Republicans can offer while ignoring their constituents’ desires or needs.

GARY T, 70, Gay, D.C., Democrat: Lock him up. That says it all.

JOEY TEETS: I want Trump to face the ire of the voters and be turned away. We Democrats have defeated him in the last three national elections. We will do it again and the Republicans will finally see him as the loser he is.

BRAD W.: President Trump should never have been allowed to enter this race, much less stay in the race. The circumstances that have colluded to postpone genuine, timely, fair examination of the plethora of outrageous, destructive, and self-serving actions that this man has been accused of committing in recent times (supported by an extraordinary volume of tangible, clear evidence publicly presented) are contradictory in implementation and damming in hearing.

Examination at the time of each incident in the U.S. judicial system should have been not only permitted, but encouraged with non-partisan support. Our sacred trust and respect in the world is being torn down by callow, selfish power-mongers. Why did Al Franken have to resign for an admittedly inappropriate prank, and these craven partisans are allowed to skip free? I think it would be an irreparable break in American faith if the perpetrators of January 6 were pardoned as heroes. I was born and raised in the DMV and I am still shattered by all that occurred that day. We all saw it with our own eyes.

DEREK WILLIAMS: Trump has told us what he’ll do: he’ll fire all the generals in the armed forces and replace them with loyalists to his totalitarian ideology. Trump admires Putin, Kim Jong Un, and other dictators.

He’s already destroying faith in the criminal justice system and in the outcome of Democratic elections he doesn’t win. Any election Trump doesn’t win is “rigged” according to him, and any criminal case that convicts him is “a political witch hunt.” He has contempt for science and education, and, in the words of his niece, the psychologist Mary Trump, he has “no redeeming features whatsoever.” America, PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS AGAIN!

BRADY YOUNG: I am proud to be a Democrat. At least my party has what it takes to recognize and question whether our nominee is fit for four more years. The Republicans are willfully blind to the dangers of Trump because they are stuck in a cult of personality. They are enabling this disaster and can’t do the patriotic thing by rejecting him and all that he stands for. I am frightened.

How do you feel about the future of the United States?

CALEB C: I feel we are doomed.

FRANK C: One word: Rotten!

PAULA DYAN: Scared. But willing to fight/die for Democracy.

DAVID F, 58, Gay, D.C., Democrat: After the Presidential Immunity decision by the Supreme Court, I am feeling very bleak.

KENNETH FALLIN: I am so worried about our country’s future. I am a senior citizen, but I want the next generation to enjoy the freedoms I’ve enjoyed. I also don’t want all the gay rights taken away. It has been a long struggle for the community. What a shame if things went back to 1969 and before.

JIM HARMES, 59, Gay, Maryland, Democrat: Guarded, but I’m ready to fight when I need to. My husband and I want to retire soon and I need to know we’ll be safe.

DON JODREY: I’m currently discouraged by the intense political polarization and I wonder whether we will be able to return to more bipartisanship. I’m also concerned about our military-industrial complex and the amount we spend on defense as well as military support for other countries. And I’m concerned about the federal debt and solvency of entitlement programs. Presently I see no indications that our political leaders (of both parties) are dealing with any of this effectively.

EDNA JOHNSTON: I am always hopeful about the future of the U.S. We’re living in intense times and will remain so until the anti-liberal forces that now prevail in the Republican Party, the US Supreme Court, and the US House of Representatives are soundly defeated. They’ve been defeated in the past and they will be defeated again.

RONALD KEENEY: We’re in deep trouble. China, Russia, and all our enemies gloat as they watch us lose our way. The U.S. has lost its moral compass and its stature as a beacon of liberty. Shame on us.

VICKIE L: Hope we save our democracy. Otherwise, we’re Russia.

LYNNE P: Depends on who wins the presidential election. If Trump wins we will slide into a religious nationalist country run by corporations and religions. If Biden wins we will remain a democratic country for at least four more years.

MALCOLM R: A tragic failure if we continue to make everything a popularity contest and not about succeeding in the promises made in this country’s founding. We are not just inheriters of our country’s past — we are the builders of its future. We must learn from our trauma not repeat it. I hope accountability will become the hallmark of the future of this country and the conviction to provide justice for all.

RANDALL READE: I’m rather pessimistic. The forces of autocracy are too strong to go away, even if the Democrats get a sweep of the White House and Congress. The media still doesn’t see the existential threat and keeps playing “bothsides-ism.” There is so much anger, mostly stroked by the media and misinformation campaigns that are relentless. And I don’t see that going away any time soon.

MARK SCHULTE: It’s a sorry state of affairs, though I’m a senior and I’ll likely be dead before things get really bad.

ROBERT T: The United States will be fine, eventually. As Martin Luther King said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” But we must turn the page on Trump and rid that disease from our country. Then we need the next generation of Democratic leaders to step up.

DOUGLAS W: Uncertain and kind of horrified.

THOMAS W, 67: I fear we are on the path to a dictatorship and we have nearly half the population saying, “So what?” People ought to study cults. They ought to study what led to WWII.

This election is truly about what we value and want to be as a country. Do we really believe all are created equal? Do we really believe in freedom of the press, religion (which includes no religion), reproductive freedom, women’s rights, and a justice system that is equal for all? I get sad when I think what my grandchildren may have to live with and how we blew it.

BRADY YOUNG: The rule of law as we’ve known it has changed dramatically in the last few weeks with this radical Supreme Court. I never thought I’d see the day when the country is in such danger and the stakes were so high.

To participate in our next 2024 Election Forum, sign up for our free newsletter and magazine at www.metroweekly.com/subscribe.

Follow us on X at @metroweekly and on Instagram at @MetroWeekly.