Joe and Jill Biden honour LGBT+ ‘defiance, courage and love’ in Pride month video address
Joe and Jill Biden wished the LGBT+ community a “bright and joyful” Pride from the White House. (YouTube/ The White House)
Joe and Jill Biden have honoured the “defiance, courage and love” and the LGBT+ community in a beautiful video message to mark Pride month.
Speaking from the White House, Joe Biden began: “Hi everyone, we want to wish you a happy Pride month, and let you know how proud we are to stand with you this month and every month.
“For the LGBTQ community, for the nation and for the world, Pride month represents so very much.”
Jill added: “It stands for defiance, in the face of injustice, the legacy of Stonewall, and the fight to ensure that all people be treated with dignity and respect.
“It’s a fight that resonates this year on the 40th anniversary of the HIV/ AIDS crisis, and the fifth anniversary of the deadly attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
President Biden continued: “Pride stands for courage, courage of all those in generations gone by and today who proudly live their truth.
“It stands for justice, as June marks the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision delivering marriage equality and protecting LGBTQ employees from discrimination.
“And above all else, Pride month stands for love.”
Jill declared that there was still “a lot of work to do, to ensure that everyone enjoys the full promise of equity, dignity and protection… especially for trans people and for LGBTQ people of colour”.
“We’re making progress,” said Joe.
“In executive orders and federal laws, and in representation, and in hearts and minds. This administration, our administration, is always going to have your back.”
He again promised to “fight to pass the Equality Act“, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity many areas of public life, and to build a “better life” for young queer people, while Jill wished everyone a “bright and joyful Pride”.
President Biden’s celebration of Pride month 2021 is especially meaningful to the US LGBT+ community, as Donald Trump largely ignored the worldwide celebration of LGBT+ people during his time as president, barring one instance in 2019.
During that same year, Trump’s administration denied US embassies the right to fly rainbow flags in honour of Pride Month unless they were granted permission by the State Department.
