Joe Biden tears into Trump over attacks on transgender children
Former Vice President Joe Biden has lashed out at Donald Trump over his anti-trans policy.
Since taking office less than two months ago, President Trump and his team have acted to dismantle civil rights protections for transgender kids in education that had been extended under the Obama government. Under Trump, the Department of Justice has also quietly shelved an Obama-era legal challenge against North Carolina’s state-level anti-LGBT law.
The reversal of years of positive movement on LGBT issues under the Obama administration has been a bitter pill to swallow for LGBT activists – but it appears even harder for Joe Biden.
Obama’s Vice President was visibly angry during a speech in New York today, as he referenced Trump’s attacks on the LGBT community.
He said: “As much great work as we’ve done, we face some real challenges ahead. We thought things were moving in the right direction… but there’s a changing landscape out there folks, and we have a hell of a lot of work to do. There are those attempting to shift the focus.
“40 percent of homeless youth in the street are identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and rejected by their families out on the street… and what do we do about that?
“We’re now focusing on whether or not a transgender child, which bathroom they can use.”
He was speaking after receiving an award from Help USA, a homelessness and domestic violence charity. The VP gave a moving speech on women’s rights and equality.
Of the charity’s work he said: “This isn’t politics guys, this isn’t Democrat-Republican, this is life and death. This is sanity and insanity.
“This is freedom and being caged. That’s what this is all about. It’s about dignity.”
Sign the petition to protect trans kids from Donald Trump here.
VP Biden has been credit as one of the heroes of LGBT rights reform in the Obama administration – unafraid to challenge his own boss when the President didn’t openly support equal marriage, and equally willing to call out world leaders on LGBT issues.
