In videos released Friday, former
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden celebrated LGBT
Pride Month and reflected on wins at the Supreme Court.
Friday was the fifth anniversary of
Obergefell, the Supreme Court ruling that led to nationwide
marriage equality. Earlier this month, the
high court ruled that an existing federal civil rights law extended
to LGBT workers.
(Related: Five years after same-sex
marriage ruling, Jim Obergefell says he's still grieving.)
In videos for Pride Live's Stonewall
Day, Obama said that the Stonewall riots that kicked off the modern
LGBT rights movement had led to wins for the community at the Supreme
Court.
“We’re almost 51 years since the
night when the patrons at the Stonewall Inn stood up for their rights
and set off one of America’s defining victories for civil rights,”
Obama said. “Because of the movement they sparked and the decades
of work that followed, marriage equality became the law of the land
five years ago and just this month the Supreme Court ruled that
employers can no longer discriminate against LGBTQ workers.”
“All that progress is worth
celebrating and reflecting on,” Obama continued. “The struggle
and triumph for LGBTQ rights shows how protests and politics go hand
in hand, how we’ve got to both shine a light on injustice and
translate those aspirations into specific laws and institutional
practices.”
Biden, the presumptive Democratic
presidential nominee, and his wife Dr. Jill Biden also recorded a
video for the event, which was held online.
“Pride is particularly poignant this
year,” Biden said. “Even as the LGBTQ+ rights continued to be
attacked, the Supreme Court has affirmed protections for LGBTQ+
people against employment discrimination.”
In contrast, President Donald Trump has
yet to officially recognize Pride Month.
(Related: For
third year, Trump doesn't recognize LGBT Pride.)
Pride Live's Stonewall Day event raised
funds for LGBT groups affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Also
participating in the event were Taylor
Swift, Demi Lovato, Geena Rocero, George Takei, and many others.