Ashley Biden calls for LGBTQ+ children to feel ‘loved and accepted’ in moving Pride Month speech

Ashley Biden has followed in her father’s footsteps by giving a pro-LGBTQ+ speech to mark gay Pride Month.

President Joe Biden’s daughter made the heartfelt speech during a Pride celebration on the South Lawn of the White House, on Wednesday (26 June).

The social worker, who wore a rainbow-coloured dress, praised her dad’s administration, which finalised new Title IX anti-discrimination rules last month, and credited LGBTQ+ activists of colour, such as Marsha P Johnson. 

“Too many LGBTQ+ children grow up in homes that don’t accept them,” Ashley Biden told on-lookers, before emphasising the importance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer children feeling “loved, accepted and supported”.

The younger Biden added: “LGBTQ+ students deserve to be safe at school, at home and in their communities. Period.” 

Some people on X/Twitter criticised the fact that Ashley Biden originally stumbled over the LGBTQ+ acronym, reversing some letters, with one – a well-known critic of the administration – saying the Biden “family needs help”. 

Last year, president Biden vowed to stop LGBTQ+ groups being “prosecuted or targeted with violence” across the world.

He has frequently spoken out about the importance of equal rights, and, in a move condemned by right-wing pundits and former president Donald Trump, he proclaimed 31 March Transgender Day of Visibility. This year, it coincided with Easter Sunday.

And earlier this week, he issued pardons to those “convicted simply for being themselves” under a military law that banned gay sex in the armed forces for more than 60 years.

Trump, who is currently vying for a return to the White House, has already said he will reverse Biden’s legal protections for trans people “on day one” if he wins November’s presidential election. 

• Nov 29 2023

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