Former President Joe Biden attended the International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., where he accepted the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s Chris Abele Impact Award. According to the Victory Institute, he is the first former United States president to appear at the conference, and the award recognizes his role in advancing LGBTQ+ equality and leading what the organization describes as the most LGBTQ+ inclusive administration in U.S. history.
During his remarks, Biden moved quickly from gratitude to a direct call to action. “This is no time to give up. Get up. Get up and fight back. Get up,” he told the audience. “What’s the fight all about? It’s about protecting the Constitution.” He also warned that Donald Trump and the MAGA movement are driving efforts to undermine the fight for equality and deepen division.
Biden also reflected on his long record with LGBTQ+ policy. He recalled his 2012 appearance on “Meet the Press,” when he voiced support for marriage equality, and joked, “I got myself in a bit of trouble, but good trouble.” Event organizers and the Victory Institute highlighted that moment, along with his decision as president to sign the Respect for Marriage Act, when explaining why he would receive the Chris Abele Impact Award.
Biden addressed current political attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and what he described as an assault on transgender people. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are trying to distort and derail our fight for equality,” he told the audience. “They are trying to turn it into something scary, something sinister.” He said those messages are designed to stir fear about LGBTQ+ people among parents and religious communities.
Throughout the speech, Biden linked LGBTQ+ equality to everyday economic concerns. He said that at its core the work is “about making every American be treated with basic decency, dignity and respect.” He went on to describe equality as a question of opportunity and affordability, mentioning the chance to make a decent living, pay rent, cover grocery bills, send children to college and obtain quality healthcare. Separate reporting from Politico and research firm Public First has found that 46 percent of Americans say the cost of living is the worst they can remember and that 46 percent of respondents blame Trump and his administration for the affordability crisis.
Biden spoke directly to young LGBTQ+ people who may feel isolated or uncertain about their futures. “You are loved. You are heard. You belong, you belong, you belong,” he said. He described young people sitting alone at home wondering whether they will ever be loved, will ever marry or will ever be accepted for who they are.
He ended his remarks by urging the audience to stay committed and hopeful, saying the United States has historically emerged from crises stronger than before. “We just have to get up and remember who in the hell we are,” he told the crowd, linking his call to action back to the award that brought him to the stage.