During an interview with The Daily Show, Democratic President Joe Biden spoke about his support for LGBTQ+ rights and opened up about seeing a gay couple for the first time when he was a senior in high school.
Notably, Biden told guest host Kal Penn that he learned to accept LGBTQ+ people due to the response he received from his father, who told him that accepting that two people love each other is actually quite "simple."
The interview underscored Biden's commitment to marriage equality, which was codified into federal law last year when he signed the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) in response to concerns that a Republican majority on the Supreme Court could overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, a landmark ruling that granted LGBTQ+ couples same-sex marriage rights.
You can hear what Biden said in the video below.
President Biden on Mobilizing Youth, Climate Change & Human Rights | The Daily Showyoutu.be
Biden said:
"I can remember exactly when my epiphany was. I hadn't thought much about it, to tell you the truth."
"I was a senior in high school and my dad was dropping me off ... [I was] about to get out of the car and I look to my right, and two well-dressed men in suits kissed each other."
"I turned and looked at my dad, and he said, 'Joey, it's simple, they love each other.' ... It's just that simple. It doesn't matter whether it's same-sex or a heterosexual couple, you should be able to be married."
"What's the problem?"
Many appreciated Biden's story and applauded it for the lessons it imparts.
The President's interview was his first on The Daily Show.
Biden also spoke about GOP-led efforts to restrict the rights of transgender people, addressing the number of laws in state legislatures that seek to restrict transgender people from receiving gender-affirming medical care, competing on sports teams or using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
Though he did not call out any specific laws he found offensive, Biden called these efforts "cruel," adding that it is "not like a kid wakes up one morning and says, You know, I decided I wanted to become a man or want to become a woman or I want to change."
