Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday
called gay rights advocates in Massachusetts “courageous.”
Biden made his remarks during a
campaign stop at the Pilgrim Monument and Museum in Provincetown,
Massachusetts – a prominent gay community in Cape Cod.
“You are freeing the soul of the
American people,” Biden said to thunderous applause.
“If I had to use one adjective to
describe this community it'd be courage,” Biden was quoted as
saying by POLITICO.com.
“You have summoned the courage to speak out, to come out. We owe
you.”
Biden thanked the activists for
advancing the “civil rights of every straight American.”
Massachusetts became the first state to
legalize gay marriage in 2003.
In May, Biden endorsed gay marriage
during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, telling host
David Gregory that he is “absolutely comfortable with the fact that
men marrying men, women marrying women,” but added, “The
president sets the policy.”
Two days later, President Barack Obama
became the first sitting president to endorse marriage equality.