The president of the United States, Joe Biden, had called out anti-LGBT+ laws and said that they are “some of the ugliest, most un-American laws I’ve seen” in a White House event dedicated to commemorating Pride Month this month of June.
He says that he’s been here a while and that the laws are “nothing more than bullying disguised as legislation”.
In the event, he was introduced by a teenager who identifies as transgender by the name of Ashton Mota. Ashton Mota, 16, helped alongside the Pride commemorations that were happening at the White House.
There has been an urge towards the US Senate to pass the Equality Act, an act that would help battle a “disturbing proliferation of anti-LGBT+ bills” which is now getting pushed through many state legislatures.
Biden tells the press that “transgender kids are some of the bravest people in the world. It takes courage to be true to your authentic self, and to face discrimination… it takes a toll. These young people aren’t hurting anymore. These laws are hurting them, and it’s got to stop”.
According to statistics, this year has already had 250 bills written by Republican state lawmakers to exclude discussions that involve the LGBT+ community amongst classrooms and even ban them from necessary services such as medical care, participation in sports, and bathrooms around the area.
The Equality Act just passed through the House of Representatives last February, and it will help expand anti-discrimination laws that ban services just based on an individual’s sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The overwhelming Republican opposition that divides the Senate has tried to stop the Biden administration’s agenda. The president has already made moves to reverse the anti-LGBT+ laws that former president Donald Trump had placed during his presidency, overturning the ban of transgender people serving in the military. He has also pushed to protect transgender students and threaten those who are endangering these individuals.
Biden also signed a law of resolution that has created and acknowledged the victims from the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre, making a national memorial for those who have fallen on that day since it is known as the deadliest attack on the community in history. He says that the laws are a “matter of life and death”.