Jill and Ashley Biden headline White House Pride celebration in the U.S.A.
June 28, 2024First lady Jill Biden and the president and first lady’s daughter, Ashley Biden, headlined the White House Pride celebration on the South Lawn in the U.S.A. on Wednesday, followed by a performance by singer and actress Deborah Cox.
According to ‘Washington Blade’, Ashley Biden acknowledged the work of LGBTQ+ people of colour, like Marsha P. Johnson, a key figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969, and others who continue to fight against injustice globally. She stated, “My dad has built the most pro-equality administration” in history.
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Introducing her mother, Ashley Biden described her as “the woman who taught me to be myself [and] showed me in so many ways how I can make a difference,” and praised her for working tirelessly “to ensure that all people have the opportunities and freedoms that they deserve.”
Jill Biden expressed, “I hope that all of you feel that freedom and love on the South Lawn today.” Her speech was briefly interrupted by a protestor chanting “no Pride in genocide,” which was overshadowed by chants of “four more years.”
The first lady noted that many attendees were from states passing laws targeting LGBTQ+ Americans. She said, “There are those who see our communities and our families and wish to tear them down,” adding, “those who can’t see that the world is so much bigger and [more] beautiful than they know — but when our homes are threatened, when they strip away our rights, and deny our basic humanity, we say, ‘not on our watch.’”
Jill Biden emphasised that “Pride is a celebration, but it is also a declaration,” and mentioned the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges nine years ago, which established marriage equality as the law of the land.
She highlighted the Biden-Harris administration's achievements on LGBTQ+ rights, including the repeal of the previous administration’s ban on military service by trans servicemembers and the FDA’s loosening of restrictions on blood donation by gay and bisexual men.
Furthermore, the first lady celebrated the president’s announcement earlier on Wednesday, stating that he will pardon LGBTQ+ veterans who were discharged and court-martialed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“We will never stop fighting for this community,” she affirmed.
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