Former Vice President Joe Biden is
calling on the LGBT community to hold President Donald Trump
accountable for his promise to be an ally.
“Hold President Trump accountable for
his pledge to be your friend,” Biden said during a private LGBT
gala hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in New York.
“Just because you don't have Barack
[Obama] and me in the White House doesn't mean it's time to give up,
keep quiet, stay on the sidelines,” he's quoted as saying by the
AP.
During the campaign, Trump vowed to be
a better “friend” to the LGBT community that his Democratic
rival, Hillary Clinton. The president, however, has filled his
cabinet with men and women opposed to LGBT rights, including Vice
President Mike Pence, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Housing
Secretary Ben Carson, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos. In February, the Trump administration revoked
Obama-era rules that instructed public schools to allow transgender
students to use the bathroom of their choice. Trump has also refused
to declare June LGBT Pride month.
In a statement issued in January, the
White House said that Trump “has been clear in his commitment to
improving the lives of all Americans, including those in the LGBT
community.”
Biden also took aim at so-called
“bathroom bills” that restrict bathroom access for transgender
individuals.
“Transgender Americans are under
attack from state legislatures from North Carolina to Texas,” Biden
said.