Elizabeth Warren is a badass — no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The U.S. Senator from Massachusetts was elected to her seat in 2013 and we’ve been cheering her on from the sidelines ever since.
It just so happens that today is this fabulous woman’s birthday! In honor of her 67th, we’ve crafted a list celebrating a few of the many reasons why we are such fans of Warren and why we think she’s the most badass Senator in Washington right now.
1. She’s not tied to Wall Street.
Warren’s top contributors from 2011-2016 are EMILY’s List and Moveon.org, two known progressive campaigns, with the former specifically supporting women running for office. Women’s Issues and Education are two of five top industries that have supported her financially. Some groups you won’t see on the list? Goldman Sachs, Pfizer and British Petroleum; also known as Wall Street, Big Pharma, and Big Oil.
Before she was even elected, Warren was on the political rise on the left with her viral campaign video, declaring, “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own.” Check out this mic drop moment below:
2. She is an ally to the LGBTQ community.
This Senator wasn’t one to just “hop on the bandwagon” of granting protective legislation and civil rights to those in the LGBTQ community. Her work goes beyond her support of marriage equality, which has often been looked at by Congress as the be-all and end-all of LGBTQ-related legislation. She took part in the “It Gets Better” campaign in 2012, describing the bullying she had witnessed growing up and advertising the Trevor Project, a national suicide hotline specifically made for “gay and questioning youth.”
In her 2014 book, A Fighting Chance, Warren plainly states, “We need to create a future for all our children; and that means transgender children. ALL our children — no exceptions.” In her most recent actions for the community, she participated in the 15-hour filibuster over gun control legislation in the Senate, and she signed a letter to the FDA demanding they repeal their restrictions on gay and bisexual men being blood donors.
Check out her video for “It Gets Better:”
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3. When she doesn’t like something, she doesn’t hold her tongue.
Enough said; now watch her throw major shade at Donald Trump:
Here she is going off about money in Washington:
4. She won’t back down on the importance of women’s health.
Senator Warren is extremely pro-choice, supporting both the public funding of abortions and the inability for states to create anti-abortion measures to undermine the legal procedure. In addition, she voted to re-affirm the Violence Against Women’s Act, and not only that, but strengthen it to protect those especially at risk for domestic violence: “Native Americans and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.”
In addition to her consistent endorsements from EMILY’s List, Warren is also supported by The Feminist Majority, an organization that has considered her a part of the force in Washington trying to “enhance feminist participation in public policy.”
Here’s the Senator laying out the truth in response to the 2015 bill that intended to defund Planned Parenthood:
5. Finally, she’s a major dog lover.
It’s true, Elizabeth Warren loves dogs, specifically her golden retriever, Otis. This pooch plays a pretty important role in her campaign as well, leading the “Dog Lovers for Elizabeth Warren” group on her campaign site. Check him out delivering his endorsement speech for Warren:
So with that, happy birthday, Senator Warren — keep on slaying in Washington!
Images via Elizabeth Warren for Senator, Pinterest, Planned Parenthood, Twitter, Facebook.
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