In his second Pride Month proclamation
as president, Joe Biden called out the spate of anti-LGBTQ bills
introduced and passed in Republican-led states.
President Biden called the measures
“dangerous” and “cruel.”
“Today, the rights of LGBTQI+
Americans are under relentless attack. Members of the LGBTQI+
community – especially people of color and trans people –
continue to face discrimination and cruel, persistent efforts to
undermine their human rights,” Biden wrote.
“An onslaught of dangerous
anti-LGBTQI+ legislation has been introduced and passed in States
across the country, targeting transgender children and their parents
and interfering with their access to health care.”
“These unconscionable attacks have
left countless LGBTQI+ families in fear and pain. All of this
compounded has been especially difficult on LGBTQI+ youth, 45 percent
of whom seriously considered attempting suicide in the last year –
a devastating reality that our Nation must work urgently to address.”
“This month, we remind the LGBTQI+
community that they are loved and cherished. My Administration sees
you for who you are – deserving of dignity, respect, and support,”
he said.
Biden also called on the US Senate to
approve the Equality Act, a nationwide LGBTQ protections bill that
stalled in the Senate after clearing the House.