American voters are choosing between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump after a bitterly contested US presidential election campaign.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump have cast their ballots in New York polling stations, alongside their spouses and family.
Voters in several states have faced long queues pointing to a high turnout.
When asked if he would accept the result, the Republican candidate said: “We’re going to see how things play out”.
Hillary Clinton said it was “the most humbling feeling” to vote “because so many people are counting on the outcome of this election”.
Just what does the result mean for the LGBT community and minority groups?
It is only recently has Trump realised the strength of the female vote. His campaign has been dogged by allegations of sexual impropriety against women while he has also spoken degradingly of the opposite sex.
As far as Trump’s presidential campaign, women’s attitudes toward the Republican candidate are mixed.
Worryingly, he’s expressed support to the North Carolina HB2 law that required transgender individuals to use bathroom facilities corresponding to their birth gender.
His party is quite clear that it views “traditional” marriage between a man and a woman as “the foundation for free society”.
He also defended the beating of a Hispanic man, claiming the perpetrators were just passionate men who got carried away.
Hillary Clinton, however, praised the Obama administration’s guidance directing public schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms matching their gender identity. She has also received the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign.
As secretary of state during President Barack Obama’s first term, Clinton fought for greater benefits for LGBTQ diplomats at the State Department and greater recognition of gay rights around the world.
If elected, Clinton would support federal legislation to ban all discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, according to her campaign website. She would also make it easier for people to change their gender on official documents, take measures to support LGBTQ elders and youth, and work to promote LGBTQ rights worldwide.
As a U.S. senator, she introduced legislation to protect voting rights; supported increased funding for HIV and AIDS programs, spotlighting the disproportionate impact on African American women.
Tonight we are playing the election waiting game: by tomorrow we’ll find out who won.
