Biden shares message of hope at largest-ever White House Pride celebration: 'I see courage'

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted what was described as the largest-ever White House Pride celebration on the South Lawn Saturday with hundreds of people in attendance. 

The event represented the ongoing commitment the Biden administration has made to protect and foster the LGBTQI+ community in the U.S. It comes at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation — particularly aimed at the transgender community and LGBTQ+ minors — making its way through several state legislatures. 

"Today, we say loud and clear that you belong, that you are beautiful, that you are loved," the First Lady said in her opening remarks. "I want to send a message to the entire community — especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You’re understood. And you belong." 

According to the Human Rights Campaign, state lawmakers have introduced over 520 anti-LGBTQ+ laws — more than in each of the previous five years — with over 220 of them specifically targeting transgender and non-binary people. The organization adds that a record 70 anti-LGBTQI+ laws have been enacted so far this year. 

That tally includes a recent flurry of bills that affect transgender people, including legislation recently passed by Republican governors vying for the 2024 presidential nomination.

The president addressed these bills in his remarks, calling them "callous and cynical." 

"When families across the country face excruciating decisions to relocate to a different state to protect their child from dangerous anti-LGBTQI+ laws, we have to act. We have to act as a nation," Biden said. "These bills and laws attack the most basic values and freedoms we have as Americans — that’s not hyperbole; that’s a fact: the right to be yourself, the right to make your own health decisions, the right to raise your own children." 

He also discussed the efforts his administration is making to preserve the rights and safety of the LGBTQI+ community. On Thursday, the White House released a fact sheet explaining the measures. They say federal agencies are announcing new actions to:

• Protect LGBTQI+ communities from attacks on their rights and safety by launching a new LGBTQI+ Community Safety Partnership and announcing that the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department will serve as the Department’s liaison to the LGBTQI+ community on issues related to protecting the rights of the community.
• Support LGBTQI+ kids so they can thrive by strengthening mental health resources for LGBTQI+ youth, launching a new federal initiative to address LGBTQI+ youth homelessness, releasing federal funding to support programs that help parents affirm their LGBTQI+ kids, and advancing new regulations to protect LGBTQI+ youth in foster care.
• Shield LGBTQI+ Americans from book bans that threaten their rights by announcing that the Department of Education will appoint a new coordinator to address the growing threat that book bans pose for the civil rights of students.

The president highlighted the historic appointments of LGBTQI+ individuals to his administration. 

"We’re joined today by leaders across our administration, which has more proud staff at every level than any administration in American history," Biden said. 

This includes Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, as well as the first and second transgender Americans to be confirmed by the United States Senate: Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Admiral Rachel Levine and Undersecretary of Defense Shawn Skelly. 

"By the way, I am proud that back home in Delaware the first transgender state legislator in American history, Sarah McBride," Biden added. 

With survivors of the Club Q and Pulse nightclub shootings in attendance, Biden also took the opportunity to renew his calls for a ban on assault rifles.  

"In all of you what I see is courage. I mean it sincerely from the bottom of my — I see courage," Biden said.

He closed out his remarks praising the "hope and light" that the LGBTQ+ community brings and telling members that they "set an example for the nation and, quite frankly, for the world." 

"We all move forward when we move together with your joy, with your pride lighting the way." we all move forward when we move together with your joy, with your pride lighting the way. So today, let us proudly remember who we are: the United States of America," the president finished. "Happy Pride. Enjoy the celebration." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.