Joe Biden: "Gay people tend to have more courage than most"

“The openly gay individuals I have worked with, or who have worked with me, generally have more courage than most,” President Joe Biden stated in a recent interview, praising LGBTQ+ activists who have opposed violence and prejudice.

Biden reportedly commended the “men and women who shattered or began to shatter the prejudice,” starting with those involved in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. “I was truly impressed when I visited Stonewall,” Biden said, referring to the 7.7-acre area declared a National Monument in 2016, the nation’s first monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history. “I was greatly impressed talking to the people who stood up back then. What often gets underestimated is the physical and moral courage of this community, the individuals who broke through barriers declaring, 'Enough, enough,' risking and sometimes losing their lives.”

“[They] took their lives into their own hands,” Biden continued. “Not a joke. It required immense courage, immense courage... Most openly gay individuals I have worked with tend to have more courage than most people. I’m serious. I think people underestimate this.”

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“All LGBTQ+ individuals that have worked with or for me have reinforced my belief that it’s not about sexual preference, but about intellectual capacity and courage,” he added. “It's not as if someone wakes up one day and decides, ‘I want to be transgender.’ Do people think it’s easier being gay?”

During the interview, as ‘LGBTQ Nation’ writes, Biden highlighted several pro-LGBTQ+ measures taken by his administration, such as signing the Respect for Marriage Act, appointing openly gay officials and judges, lifting the gay blood donation ban, implementing protections for LGBTQ+ foster children, and establishing Title IX and Title VII regulations to protect queer students and workers.

However, Biden emphasised that more work is needed to achieve full LGBTQ+ equality.

“When someone can get [same-sex] married but be refused service at a restaurant for being LGBTQ, that’s wrong,” he stated. “That’s why the Equality Act is needed. We need to pass it. I will do everything I can to support it, and I hope my future foundations will advocate for equality.”

The Equality Act seeks to include gender identity and sexual orientation in federal civil rights laws. To become law, it requires Republican support, particularly in the Senate, where it needs 60 out of 100 votes to overcome the filibuster.

“I’ve worked with many good Republicans, especially in the Senate, who aren’t prejudiced but feel intimidated,” Biden said. “In the current MAGA Republican Party, taking a stand could lead to backlash.”

“Trump is a unique character,” Biden noted. “Not to politicize, but his actions have been anti-LGBTQ across the board.”

Biden also critiqued Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who suggested reconsidering the court’s 2015 decision legalising same-sex marriage nationwide, labeling Thomas’ viewpoint as “pure, simple prejudice.”

“My dad used to say that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity,” Biden recalled, mentioning an instance from his youth when he remarked on seeing two men kiss. His father explained, “Joey, it’s simple. They love each other.”

“Because of that, most of my actions have been driven by what I consider basic fairness and decency,” Biden concluded.

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