Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday
called it “bizarre” that employers are allowed to “fire workers
because of who you love.”
Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign's
(HRC) annual Los Angeles Dinner, where he was introduced by his wife
Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president thanked an audience of more than
1,000 LGBT activists, Hollywood celebrities and politicians for
making American a “more just country.”
“You came out and you marched,”
Biden said. “You demanded to be recognized, demanded your
constitutional rights, demanded a basic American dream. You demanded
respect. And because of what all of you have done, my granddaughter
is going to grow up in a better country, a more just country.”
He also called on Congress to pass the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit
workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity.
“If you think about it, it's
outrageous we're even debating this subject,” Biden said. “It's
almost beyond belief that today, in 2014, I could say to you, as your
employer in so many states, you're fired because of who you love. …
It is bizarre. … I don't even think most Americans even know that
employers can do that.” (The video is embedded on this page.
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Last year, Biden canceled a scheduled
speech at the group's annual National Dinner in Washington D.C. The
AP cited the partial shutdown of the federal government as the reason
behind the cancellation.
Biden also addressed the group in 2008.