How Biden Opposed Gay Rights For 50 YEARS After His High School ‘Epiphany’ When He Saw Two Men Kissing: Said Gay People Were A ‘Safety Risk’ In 1973 And Voted Against Marriage Between people of the same sex
- In 1996, then-Sen. Biden (D-Delaware) voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, seen by many as a major setback for the gay rights movement.
- In 2006, Biden declared marriage ‘between a man and a woman’
- In 2012, then-Vice President Biden reversed course, telling ‘Meet the Press’ that he supported same-sex marriage.
President Joe Biden is credited with pushing President Barack Obama to move on gay marriage in 2012, but he said gay people were a “security risk” 50 years ago and previously voted against marriage between people of the same age. same sex.
This week, Biden sat down with The Daily Show guest host Kal Penn, an actor who recently came out as gay and a former member of Obama’s White House staff. The president suggested that his ‘epiphany’ about gay rights came early in high school.
“I can remember exactly where my epiphany was,” Biden said before recalling how he was a senior in high school and saw two men kiss as his father left him. And i will never forget. I turned and looked at my dad, and he said, ‘Joey, it’s simple. They love each other. It’s simple.”
And it never has, never has, it’s that simple, it doesn’t matter if it’s a same-sex or straight couple, you should be able to get married. So what is the problem?’ Biden pondered.
US President Joe Biden is interviewed by ‘The Daily Show’ guest host Kal Penn at the White House on March 13, 2023. He praised his early support for gay rights at the high school.
But before Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act in December, his record of being a strong ally of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community and same-sex marriage was limited to the last decade.
Beginning in 1973, then-Sen. Biden of Delaware told Wilmington’s The Morning News that he did not entirely agree with gay rights.
“My knee-jerk reaction,” Biden, 30, told gay rights activist Robert Vane at a Delaware civic association meeting, “is that they (gays) are security risks, but I have to admit I haven’t thought much about it.” .. Damn me!
1993: Then-Senator Biden voted for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a policy that required gay servicemen to remain in the closet.
1994: Biden was with a majority of senators who voted to cut funding to schools that supported the belief that homosexuality is an acceptable way of life. Mediaite reported.
1996: Biden also voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, another controversial bill signed by Clinton that prohibited extending federal benefits to same-sex couples living in states where gay marriage had been approved.
2006: Biden downplayed the need to legislate to ban gay marriage. ‘Why do we need a constitutional amendment? Marriage is between a man and a woman. What’s going on here?” Biden said.
2008: During the vice presidential debates, Biden was asked if he supported gay marriage. ‘No,’ Biden said. ‘Barack Obama and I support a civil redefinition of what constitutes marriage. We don’t support that.’
But in 2012, there was a seismic shift in the LGBTQ community’s acceptance of Biden. During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” as vice president, the highest-ranking Democrat made an off-the-cuff comment in support of same-sex marriage, much to the shock of the White House and Obama.
Then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware) in 1973 wasn’t always a supporter of gay marriage based on his legislative record.
Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996
In 2012, then-Vice President Biden reversed course, telling ‘Meet the Press’ that he supported same-sex marriage.
