Former Vice President Joe Biden was
asked Thursday how he'll protect LGBT rights by a mother concerned
about her transgender child.
Mieke Haeck, a physical therapist in
Pennsylvania, was among the voters who participated in Thursday's ABC
News town hall.
Haeck told Biden that she's the “proud
mom” of two girls, one of whom is transgender.
She told Biden that President Donald
Trump's administration had “attacked the rights of transgender
people.”
“How will you, as president, reverse
this dangerous and discriminatory agenda and ensure that the lives
and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under U.S. law?” Haeck
asked.
“I will flat out change the law,”
Biden responded, possibly referring to his support for the Equality
Act, a federal LGBT protections bill that cleared the House earlier
this year but stalled in the Senate. Trump has signaled his
opposition to the legislation.
Biden said that there should be “zero
discrimination” against transgender people, adding that too many
transgender women of color are “being murdered.” (At least 32
transgender or gender non-conforming people have been killed this
year, making 2020 the deadliest year on record.)
Biden also weighed in on the nomination
of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, saying that the LGBT
community had “great reason to be concerned” about her
nomination. During her confirmation hearing in the Senate, Barrett
refused to discuss her views on LGBT rights and apologized for using
the term “sexual preference” instead of sexual orientation.
(Related: Amy
Coney Barrett won't say whether she supports SCOTUS same-sex marriage
ruling.)