Dec. 5 (UPI) — President-elect Joe Biden called for a “new era of LGBTQ rights” Friday as he congratulated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for receiving an award from the LGBTQ Victory Institute.
Biden participated in the institute’s panel on the 10-year anniversary of the repeal of the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that for years prevented LGBTQ Americans from serving openly in the U.S. military.
He reiterated his campaign vows to make LGBTQ rights a priority during his presidency and for his administration to be the most inclusive in U.S. history.
“It’s an honor to be an ally,” Biden said. “Vice President-elect [Kamala] Harris and I are committed to being the most pro-equality administration in history. But we can’t do it without you and we can’t do it without my dear friend Nancy Pelosi.”
He said he looks forward to working directly with Pelosi again to “continue the fight for full equality and usher in a new era in LGBTQ rights.”
During a town hall event in October, Biden spoke against Trump administration rollbacks on LGBTQ protections, saying there should be “zero discrimination.”
“I would flat out just change the law,” he said at the time, responding to a question about his stance on Trump’s moves that bar transgender Americans from serving in the military, among others. “I would eliminate those executive orders.”
Biden has named a number of openly LGBTQ individuals to his administration, including Karine Jean-Pierre as deputy press secretary, Pili Tobar as deputy White House communications director and Carlos Elizondo as White House social secretary.
