Joe Biden accused of siding with ‘radical LGBT+ activists’ by homophobic hate group and we know which we’d rather
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden addresses a drive-in campaign rally at the Michigan State Fairgrounds October 16, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Joe Biden has been condemned by a designated homophobic hate group for saying he will “flat out change the law” to reverse Donald Trump’s transphobic policies.
Biden made the comments in a televised town hall debate last week, telling the mother of an eight-year-old trans girl that he will “eliminate” Trump’s discriminatory policies.
Mieke Haeck, a physical therapist and “proud mom” of two girls aged eight and 10, the youngest of whom is trans, explained how the Trump administration has “attacked the rights of transgender people”, highlighting the discriminatory transgender military ban, the weakening of non-discrimination protections and removal of the word “transgender” from government websites.
“How will you, as president, reverse this dangerous and discriminatory agenda and ensure that the lives and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under US law?” Haeck asked.
“I will flat out just change the law,” Biden replied without hesitation. “Eliminate those executive orders, number one.”
The Family Research Council (FRC) is designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The fundamentalist Protestant group has condemned Biden — who is a Catholic — for these remarks, accusing him of promoting the “unfounded belief that all children with ‘gender dysphoria’ are innately and immutably ‘transgender'”.
Family Research Council says Joe Biden is ‘dangerous’ for supporting trans kids.
The FRC leader, Tony Perkins, is a longtime Trump ally who said in 2018 that it was a mistake to strike down sodomy laws that had criminalised homosexuality.
In 2017, Trump was the first US president to address the FRC annual conference, where he told the crowds that their anti-LGBT+ views would no longer be silenced. Among those in the crowd were white supremacists, far-right activists and religious extremists who oppose the equality of LGBT+ people.
Perkins wrote in an FRC blog on Friday (October 16) that Biden was seeking “the approval of radical LGBT activists” with his commitment to trans equality.
“Joe Biden isn’t just wrong, he’s dangerous,” said Perkins, who this year blamed queer people for ruining July 4 and putting the US constitution in “jeopardy”.
“Joe Biden is wrong to encourage gender transitions for eight-year-old children,” added Peter Spring, senior fellow for policy studies at Family Research Council Action.
And Denny Burke, a pastor from Kentucky, also condemned Biden for supporting LGBT+ children.
“No, no, no,” Burke tweeted. “If you have a child with gender conflicted feelings, you aren’t helping them by encouraging them to embrace body-denying propaganda. Their body isn’t lying to them about maleness/femaleness. Don’t lie and tell them that it is.”
Biden has faced backlash from other Christian groups in the past for his pro-choice stance on abortion, which is at odds with Catholic teachings. While he has annoyed homophobic hate groups with his pro-trans commitment, LGBT+ rights organisations have welcomed his unhesitating commitment to upholding rights for a minority group.
“We deserve a president who will fight for transgender rights, advocate for our community and affirm that Black Trans Lives Matter,” tweeted the Human Rights Campaign. “Joe Biden is that leader.”
