Joe Biden officiates another same-sex wedding
Obama’s VP Joe Biden has shown Mike Pence what a real Vice President is supposed to look like.
The 74-year-old, who has been honoured for his fierce support of LGBT rights, played a role in a couple’s wedding over the weekend.
Mr Biden officiated the ceremony for a Democratic staffer, DNC Finance chair Henry Munoz, and his partner Kyle Ferrari.
Actress Melanie Griffith was among the guests at the ceremony, sharing a photo of the moment on Instagram.
She wrote: “My dearest friends Henry Munoz and Kyle Ferrari were married today by VP Joe Biden. Wishing them everlasting love and a joyous life journey!”
It is the second known occasion on which Mr Biden has officiated a gay wedding.
Towards the end of his time in office, Mr Biden infuriated Republicans when he carried out a same-sex wedding in the White House for two gay staffers.
But this wedding is particularly timely, coming as the current White House administration pretend a gay couple doesn’t exist.
The husband of Luxembourg’s gay Prime Minister attended a wives’ reception during a NATO summit.
However, the White House initially left the Luxembourgish First Gentleman out of its initial report of the event, only listing the women who met with US First Lady Melania Trump.
The former Veep, who has repeatedly ruled out a run for President himself, has confessed to “run-ins with at least four heads of state” after challenging their LGBT rights records during official meetings.
He has even famously stepped on the toes of President Obama.
He forced the President’s hand on same-sex marriage in May 2012, by backing it while the President was still officially ‘evolving’ on the issue.
A book later claimed that “chaos erupted inside the West Wing” after news of Biden’s comments – and within days Obama had also come out in favour of same-sex marriage.
Lightning struck again when the VP backed an executive order banning anti-LGBT workplace discrimination in 2014, when the President had already rebuffed calls for executive action.
Mr Biden got his way on that occasion as well, with Obama reversing his position again and signing an order just two months later.
Towards the end of his time in office, Mr Biden carried out a same-sex wedding in the White House for two gay staffers.
His support for LGBT rights was so strong that the homophobic Westboro Baptist Church picketed the funeral of his late son Beau Biden.
Mr Biden’s son had served as Attorney General of Delaware, and like his father was a staunch defender of LGBT rights, worked to successfully introduce non-discrimination laws in the state in 2013.
