US President Joe Biden recognises June as Pride Month, vows to fight for LGBTQ rights

President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued a presidential proclamation recogniding June as Pride Month, vowing to fight for full equality for the LGBTQ community to be codified into law.

The acknowledgement of Pride, a month defined for many in the LGBTQ community by marches, parades and parties across the United States, also offered Biden his latest opportunity to contrast his own behaviour and priorities with those of his predecessor in office.

Last year, Donald Trump steadfastly ignored Pride, refusing to acknowledge the celebration of many Americans nationwide with even a presidential tweet, overruling suggestions from several aides that he write one. Embassies overseas were told they were prohibited from flying the Pride flag.

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Trump’s silence came as his administration rolled back a 2016 regulation that mandated health care as a civil right for transgender patients under the Affordable Care Act.

That was then.

As Biden marked the beginning of Pride on Tuesday, the White House underscored the contrast, noting that “after four years of relentless attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, the Biden-Harris administration has taken historic actions to accelerate the march toward full LGBTQ+ equality.”

Since taking office, Biden has signed an executive order that combats discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. His administration has also reversed a Trump-era ban that prohibited transgender people from serving in the military.

He has also restored protections for transgender people seeking emergency shelter and homeless services. The Trump administration had denied them access to single-sex shelters of their gender identity.

As the Biden administration has put an emphasis on diversity in the federal government, the White House noted Tuesday that 14% of all presidential appointees identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

Biden, a politician whose own views on gay rights have evolved over his decades in public life, did not always identify with the positions of LGBTQ activists. He voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, blocking federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Two years earlier, he voted to cut off federal funds to schools that teach the acceptance of homosexuality.

But gay rights advocates have accepted that the views of Democratic leaders have evolved dramatically over the years and generally credit Biden with being ahead of many other elected officials in his party.

As vice president, for instance, Biden was the highest-ranking Democrat to initially endorse same-sex marriage in 2012 — disclosing his position in a television interview. He was credited with pushing President Barack Obama to express his support for same-sex marriage a few days later.