With early voting already underway and the election on November 5 quickly approaching, Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has centered her campaign on a powerful record of advocating for women’s rights and equality. Harris’s commitment to gender equality spans decades, beginning with her early career as a trailblazing district attorney in San Francisco and extending to her work on global and domestic initiatives that promote gender equality and justice. Her experience, tenacity, and personal dedication have led her to take action beyond borders, reaching women and girls worldwide and empowering them profoundly.

Harris’s dedication to equality extends to the LGBTQ+ community, which has a long history of fighting for their rights. Nearly two decades ago, when many politicians wouldn’t dare endorse gay marriage, Harris made her stance clear in 2013 by officiating some of the first same-sex unions in the U.S. during San Francisco’s so-called “Winter of Love.” Then-Mayor Gavin Newsom instructed the county clerk to approve gay marriages despite a lack of legal recognition, sparking bipartisan backlash. Yet, Harris, a newly elected district attorney then, had no hesitation.

In her memoir, The Truths We Hold, Harris reflects on her decision to join the historic moment, recounting how she had been on her way to the airport before deciding to stop by City Hall. There, she and other local officials were sworn in to perform marriages in “every nook and cranny” of the building. “I was delighted to be a part of it,” she wrote. “There was all this wonderful excitement building as we welcomed the throngs of loving couples, one by one, to be married then and there. It was unlike anything I had ever been a part of before. And it was beautiful.” Harris’s actions that day demonstrated her commitment to LGBTQ+ rights, a commitment that has continued throughout her career.

Domestically, Harris has been equally committed to advancing women’s health and safety. In December 2021, she hosted the first-ever White House Maternal Health Day of Action, spotlighting the critical need for maternal health reform in the U.S. Addressing the country’s status as having the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations, Harris highlighted Black women's unique challenges. She emphasized the urgency of improving pregnancy outcomes and reducing risks during the postpartum period. The administration’s initiatives represent a multifaceted approach to tackling the crisis of maternal mortality and morbidity, which disproportionately impacts women of color.

Pointing to these systemic disparities, Harris has taken a hands-on approach to addressing maternal health care, especially when Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth.  "The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy nation in the world," she noted, with her administration actively working to improve access to quality care for all women. Her leadership has highlighted the need for reforms to protect the lives of mothers and babies alike and has garnered support across the political spectrum.

In March 2023, Harris announced a groundbreaking Global Initiative on Women's Economic Empowerment, allocating over $1 billion to support women worldwide. Harris’s work addresses critical issues like the digital gender gap, a barrier preventing millions of women from accessing the digital economy. In 2022 alone, approximately 260 million more men than women used the internet, with this gap widening by 20 million in just three years. The disparity is most pronounced in Africa, where 66% of women lack internet access.

Harris established the Women in the Digital Economy Fund to combat this, providing $60 million to bridge the digital divide. In partnership with the private sector, her initiative includes nearly $400 million in commitments to support women’s access to the digital economy and an additional $528 million in support of women’s economic empowerment across Africa. Additionally, $47 million has been set aside for U.S. government initiatives to promote gender equality across the continent. Harris views advancing women’s economic status as essential to addressing poverty, promoting education, and fostering political stability, explaining, “Advancing the economic status of women and girls is not only a matter of human rights, justice, and fairness—it is also a strategic imperative that reduces poverty and promotes sustainable economic growth, increases access to education, improves health outcomes, advances political stability, and fosters democracy.”

Harris’s advocacy has also inspired a diverse coalition of supporters. Recently, at a campaign rally in Houston, Texas, Harris was joined by music icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, who spoke passionately about the importance of women’s rights. At the event, where Kelly Rowland and Texas Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Colin Allred also appeared, Beyoncé declared, “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares, deeply, about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we’re not divided. Our past, our present, our future merge to meet us here.”

When asked by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell why she chose to campaign in a traditionally conservative state like Texas, Harris explained, "Texas is ground zero on this most extraordinary issue, which is that we are fighting for a woman's right to make decisions about her own body." Speaking to a crowd of 30,000 in Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium, she launched a powerful critique of Texas’s restrictive abortion laws, specifically condemning the state’s efforts to access women’s medical records if they travel out of state for legal abortion services. In a scathing comparison, Harris remarked, “On the one hand, Donald Trump won't let anyone see his medical records. And on the other hand, they want to get their hands on your medical records. Simply put: They are out of their minds.”

As Election Day nears, Kamala Harris’s record on women’s rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and economic empowerment continues to be a cornerstone of her campaign. Her long-standing dedication to equality—rooted in decades of advocacy—has built a coalition of supporters who see her vision for a more just and inclusive future. With early voting already underway, Harris remains resolute, championing the rights of women and marginalized communities and striving for a future that prioritizes humanity.