(Liberal Voice Network) – President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, hosted a gathering at the White House on Saturday to celebrate Pride Month and show their support for the LGBTQ community. In his speech on the South Lawn, President Biden expressed his heartfelt message to the crowd, assuring them that they are loved, heard, understood, and that they truly belong.
The president commended the extraordinary courage of LGBTQ Americans while acknowledging the challenges they face, including discrimination and violence. He emphasized that no one should live in fear for their safety in the United States. President Biden specifically recognized survivors of the Pulse nightclub and Club Q shootings who were present at the event.
As President Biden seeks reelection, he reassured the crowd, who passionately chanted “four more years,” that LGBTQ rights are a top priority for his administration, both domestically and internationally. He highlighted the measures his administration has already taken to protect civil rights and linked the need for stricter gun control measures to safeguarding the LGBTQ community.
However, President Biden also acknowledged that despite the progress made, there are still significant challenges ahead. He pointed out the discrepancy where someone can legally marry in the morning but face discrimination for being gay in the afternoon, stating that something is still deeply wrong in America.
The event took place amidst a wave of legislation targeting LGBTQ rights introduced by GOP state leaders across the country. The American Civil Liberties Union reported that approximately 417 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in the first quarter of 2023, a new record and double the number from the previous year. The Human Rights Campaign noted that the number of bills signed into law has also doubled compared to the previous year.
President Biden recently announced his plan to appoint a federal coordinator to address the increasing number of book bans targeting the LGBTQ community in various states. Additionally, his administration is set to unveil a partnership led by the Department of Homeland Security, in collaboration with the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. This partnership aims to provide dedicated safety training and resources, issue new advisories from HHS to assist mental health providers in caring for transgender and gender-diverse youth, and implement initiatives to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care and combat youth homelessness within the community.
During the event, President Biden discussed his commitment to confronting the HIV epidemic, removing restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual individuals, and combating conversion therapy. Last year, he addressed conversion therapy through an executive order during Pride Month.