Joe Biden at HRC’s National Dinner | Photo: Ward Morrison
As he strode onstage to swelling music, thunderous applause and cheers and whoops from the audience, Vice President Joe Biden was a rockstar — at least for the night.
The keynote speaker for last Saturday’s 19th annual Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, Biden received a hero’s welcome after an effusive introduction by the organization’s President Chad Griffin. “This man is not afraid to speak his mind, and he has never shied away from speaking up for us,” Griffin told the crowd, praising the vice president’s embrace of the LGBT community, even when it wasn’t politically expedient to do so.
In many people’s minds, Biden’s legacy on LGBT rights will always be tied to his 2012 Meet the Press interview, when he told host David Gregory he was “absolutely comfortable” with the concept of treating same-sex and opposite-sex marriages equally. A favorite among Democratic-leaning activists due to his propensity for unscripted, blunt political assessments, Biden’s appeal has charmed many in the LGBT community who see him as an authentic ally.
Several activists called out as the Vice President reached the podium, urging him to step into the 2016 race for the White House.
“You should run!” someone shouted.
“Don’t say that,” Biden responded, as the room erupted with cheers. Biden’s hypothetical candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination has been hyped by some in the media, amid polling that suggests party frontrunner Hillary Clinton had sustained injuries to her reputation and trustworthiness.
But on Saturday night, Biden downplayed his role in the equality fight. Rather, the vice president said, the credit must be given to those at the grassroots level who risked their jobs, livelihoods and, at times, their physical well-being in demanding their constitutional rights.
“I’ve been thanked for speaking, apparently out of turn, on Meet the Press,” he said. “But the speed which things have changed since 2012 to today…is not because of any national figure that spoken out. Not because of any of the celebrities that you’ll have stand before you tonight…. It’s because of all of you, and thousands of faceless people like you, who have had the courage to stand up and speak, speak their hearts and minds.”
Biden credited the LGBT community with not only liberating themselves by demanding equality, but their straight allies who may have been too afraid to speak up in defense of LGBT rights.
“The very fact that we recognize that love is not a political matter, it’s a basic human right, is because of you,” he said. “I want to pay tribute to the women and men who’ve taken great risk, and had the courage to change things. To change the world in which my grandchildren will grow up, all for the better. We owe them, we owe you.”
Biden dismissed what he called the “shrill voices” that continue to fight any progress on LGBT rights, saying they are in the minority and will ultimately not be successful in their cause. He urged those in attendance to take fate into their own hands and shape their destiny. He also noted the majority of the country is much more progressive on LGBT rights than most might assume.
Biden at HRC’s Dinner | Photo: Ward Morrison
“The American people are so much better than their leaders give them credit for,” he said. “The American people are already with you. Look at the numbers.” He then took a dig at the GOP. “There’s homophobes still left. Most of them are running for president.”
Biden believes the key to harnessing the widespread support for LGBT equality is to first educate people about the discrimination that the community still faces. Most people wrongly believe that the nation’s civil rights laws already protect LGBT people, resulting in the current impasse.
To better educate the public, Biden suggested that wealthy LGBT donors invest money into advertising campaigns designed to inform people of the discrimination that LGBT individuals can face in 31 states — and why the Equality Act, a bill that would prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination, is necessary.
“The first part of change is information,” Biden said. “Calling on the people of each of these states to demand change that they think has already happened is not going to be as hard as you think.”
David Urban, a Republican strategist and CNN commentator who served as a senior advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, has written an op-ed accusing Democrats of fear-mongering for suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
In his USA Today op-ed, Urban accuses "hyperpartisan liberals" of trying to "sow fear and discontent" by suggesting that the Supreme Court could reverse its own precedent and strike down the 2015 ruling -- a move that would immediately reinstate same-sex marriage bans still on the books in 32 states.
In what many see as a rebuke of the Trump administration’s agenda, Democratic candidates channeled anti-Trump frustration into a wave of wins -- including key victories for pro-LGBTQ candidates in Tuesday’s bellwether races.
In Virginia, former Democratic Congresswoman and LGBTQ ally Abigail Spanberger cruised to a decisive win over Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, defeating her by nearly 15 points.
Earle-Sears, who narrowly won election on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s coattails four years ago, tried to replicate Youngkin's formula by emphasizing cultural issues, but failed to find issues that galvanized voters. She devoted much of her campaign to attacking Spanberger over pro-LGBTQ school policies that allow students to use restrooms matching their gender identity, and over the absence of a statewide ban on transgender athletes competing on female-designated sports teams.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, has stopped accepting financial support from two defense contractors, Northrop Grumman and RTX (formerly known as Raytheon).
The change, first reported by the progressive publication The Intercept, comes amid a two-year pressure campaign from far-left and pro-Palestinian organizations who alleged that the companies were profiting off of Israel's military campaign in Gaza by supplying arms and other military technology to the Israeli military.
In a statement to Metro Weekly, HRC said that it is not currently sponsored by Northrop Grumman or RTX, but did not directly respond to an inquiry asking specifically about how those relationships ended.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.