Joe Biden: LGBT employment discrimination needs to be fought
Vice President Joe Biden said in a speech on Thursday that, while much has been accomplished by the LGBT community, the next step is fighting for equality in employment.
He said: “There are still 32 states where marriage can be recognized in the morning and you can be fired in the afternoon.”
At the New York celebratory event for LGBT advocacy group, Freedom to Marry, he congratulated the crowd for their efforts in the recent Supreme Court decision, claiming that the next strides to equality will be much easier.
He believes many are unaware of the existing discriminatory laws and is pushing to bring awareness to them.
Biden, the guest of honour, said: “I want you to know that this next door will be a hell of a lot easier to open.”
Founded in 2003, the organization, which has been pushing for same-sex marriage for over a decade, hosted the gala as a tribute to its work and its numbered days left.
Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson has a long history with Biden, whom he interned for when the vice president was a senator.
Biden said: “I’ve never been so happy to be with an outfit that’s going out of business.”
The political leader is known for backing the LGBT community – he announced his support for same-sex marriage before President Barack Obama in 2012.
He credits the start of his open mind from his father.
Remembering when the two saw a same-sex couple kissing, he said: “It’s been based on this very simple proposition best expressed to me by my dad as a 17-year-old kid. . .
“I turned and looked at my dad, and I’ll never forget what he said: ‘Joey, they love each other, it’s simple.'”
That sense of tolerance was passed from Biden to his sons, including the late Beau Biden – a known LGBT advocate in politics.
Biden is rumoured to be a possible Democratic candidate for the 2016 election and sources believe his speech implies that he will enter the presidential race sooner rather than later.
The Vice President recently declared the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage as the most important since ending school segregation.
