Joe Biden vows to transform the White House from ‘a source of oppression’ into a beacon for LGBT+ rights
Joe Biden speaking at a live streamed virtual town hall event (PBS News Hour/Getty)
Joe Biden has doubled down on his support for LGBT+ rights, declaring that advocates “deserve a partner in the White House”.
The Democratic nominee promised to be a staunch ally to the LGBT+ community while speaking at a presidential town hall for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
He reaffirmed his commitment to the Equality Act, discrimination protections and LGBT+ healthcare while accusing Donald Trump of trying to roll back hard-won rights.
“You deserve a partner in the White House to fight with conviction and win the battles ahead,” he said in a recorded three-minute speech reported by NBC.
“Together we’ll pass the Equality Act, protect LGBTQ youth, expand access to health care, support LGBTQ workers, win full rights for transgender Americans, recommit to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2025, advance LGBT rights around the globe, not just at home.”
Biden pointed to the litany of crises America is facing, including threats to LGBT+ equality alongside the pandemic, economic decline, climate change and wildfires.
The common denominator of all these problems is Trump, he said, describing him as “a president who makes things worse not better. Who brings chaos not order. Who sees violence and only fans the flames”.
“The White House should never be a source of opposition or fear or oppression,” Biden added. “It should be a source of hope, of moral courage and of unification.”
Both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have repeatedly reinforced their support for the LGBT+ community throughout their campaign, and Biden has promised to make passing the Equality Act a top priority within his first 100 days in office.
“It will be the first thing I ask to be done,” he told attendees at an HRC gala in Columbus, Ohio last year.
If passed, the Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system.
