Here are President Joe Biden's 15 queerest accomplishments
| 01/20/25
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The White House is blanketed in rainbow colors symbolizing LGBTQ+ Pride June 26, 2015, the day of the Supreme Court's marriage equality decision.
MOLLY RILEY/AFP via Getty Images
President Joe Biden is leaving office Monday as the most pro-LGBTQ+ president in history, surpassing even former President Barack Obama, the man he served as vice president. American society in general has progressed in its acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, so that may have enabled Biden to do more, but he also stood up to the homophobic and transphobic backlash that amped up during his term.
"It was without a doubt the most pro-LGBT administration ever," says LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President and CEO Annise Parker.
Here's a look at Biden's top pro-LGBTQ+ actions.
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President Joe Biden prepares to sign a series of executive orders at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office just hours after his inauguration on January 20, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
On his first day in office, January 20, 2021, Biden signed an executive order assuring that the federal government would not engage in workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and that it would stand against such discrimination in the private sector as well. The order built on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that the federal law banning sex discrimination also applied to bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Donald Trump's administration had largely ignored the ruling and had argued before the court for a different outcome.
Dozens of protesters gather in New York City's Times Square near a military recruitment center to show their anger at Donald Trump's decision to reinstate a ban on transgender people in the military on July 26, 2017.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Just a few days into his presidency, on January 25, 2021, Biden revoked the trans military ban, which Trump had announced via Twitter in 2017 and which went into effect in 2019. Biden's order lifting the ban read in part, "It shall be the policy of the United States to ensure that all transgender individuals who wish to serve in the United States military and can meet the appropriate standards shall be able to do so openly and free from discrimination."
Transgender Day of Visibility rally at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn.
Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
On March 31, 2021, Biden became the first president to issue a White House proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility. It honored the "trailblazing work" of trans and nonbinary folks in fighting for equality in the arenas of education, sports, and the workplace. However, it also drew attention to the "high rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination" faced by this community.
"The crisis of violence against transgender women, especially transgender women of color, is a stain on our Nation's conscience," the proclamation declared, adding, "The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to fulfilling the promise of America for all Americans by stamping out discrimination and delivering freedom and equality for all."
He has recognized the day in 2022, 2023, and 2024 as well. In 2024, the day coincided with Easter Sunday, and Republican politicians, including Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, and right-wing media figures falsely accused Biden of attempting to replace Easter with TDOV. But the date of TDOV is fixed, March 31, while the date of Easter changes. In response, a spokesperson for the White House called the strange attacks "unsurprising" coming from certain politicians.
Shortly afterward, in a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later addressed the issue by saying, “Every year, for the past several years, on March 31, Transgender Day of Visibility is marked. And as we know — for folks who understand the calendar and how it works, Easter falls on different Sundays — right? — every year. And this year, it happened to coincide with Transgender Visibility Day. And so that is the simple fact. That is what has happened. That is where we are.”
Biden speaks at the Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on June 10, 2023.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Biden proclaimed Pride Month every year of his term. His proclamation for Pride Month in 2021 also recognized the epidemic of violence against trans Americans, especially women of color. Despite progress, his proclamation said, the U.S. "continues to face tragic levels of violence against transgender people, especially transgender women of color. And we are still haunted by tragedies such as the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando. Ending violence and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community demands our continued focus and diligence. As President, I am committed to defending the rights of all LGBTQ+ individuals."
The following year, his Pride statement noted, "This Pride Month, the Administration will be focused on spotlighting the voice of LGBTQI+ people across America, especially our LGBTQI+ children and families."
In his 2024 proclamation, Biden referred to his administration’s advancement of LGBTQ+ rights, including his signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, his order ending the ban on trans service members in the military, as well as executive orders protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in health care, employment, education, and more. He referred to his administration’s push to end conversion therapy and to stop the ongoing HIV epidemic.
First Lady Jill Biden and daughter Ashley Biden hosted hundreds on the White House South Lawn for the 2024 Pride party.
LGBTQ+ employees and their supporters walk out of Disney Animation in Burbank, Calif., protesting CEO Bob Chapek's handling of the controversy over Florida's "don't say gay" bill, March 22, 2022.
Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Early in 2022, as conservative states ramped up their attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, Biden spoke out strongly. He tweeted that Florida's then-pending "don't say gay" bill (since signed into law but now gutted by a court) was "hateful" and assured LGBTQ+ Americans that "you are loved and accepted just as you are." He also blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's directive that parents who allow their trans children to receive gender-affirming care be investigated for child abuse.
Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Megan Rapinoe, soccer player and advocate for gender pay equality, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House July 7, 2022.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
In July 2022, Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation, on Megan Rapinoe, a star on the World Cup-winning U.S. Women's National Team. It was first time a soccer player had received the honor and the sixth time a female athlete had received it. Biden recognized not only Rapinoe's athletic accomplishments but also her activism for gender equality. "Megan did something really consequential," Biden said. "She helped lead the change for perhaps the most important victory for anyone on her soccer team, or any soccer team: equal pay for women."
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden greet Elton John after a concert on the South Lawn of the White House September 23, 2022.
Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Biden moved Elton John to tears when awarding him the National Humanities Medal in September 2022 to honor his music and HIV advocacy. The presentation was a surprise, and John said he was "flabbergasted." The citation recognized him as "an enduring icon and advocate with absolutely courage, who found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma, and advance the simple truth that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect." His Elton John AIDS Foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fight the disease.
Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, leaves the courtroom after the court's verdict in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022. A Russian court found Griner guilty of smuggling and storing narcotics after prosecutors requested a sentence of nine and a half years in jail for the athlete.
KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
Biden and his administration worked long and hard for the release of lesbian basketball star Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia for a minor drug offense in February 2022. She was freed in December of that year, and Biden celebrated with her wife, Cherelle Griner; administration officials had been a source of support to Cherelle throughout the ordeal. "Moments ago, standing together with her wife, Cherelle, in the Oval Office, I spoke with Brittney Griner," Biden said. "She's safe. She's on a plane. She's on her way home."
Biden continued, "After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along. This is a day we worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release. It took painstaking and intense negotiations, and I want to thank all the hardworking public servants across my administration who worked tirelessly to secure her release."
President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act December 13, 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House.
Lawrence Jackson/The White House
The Respect for Marriage Act is a signature achievement of Biden's presidency. The act, which Biden signed into law in December 2022, assures that marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples will remain the law of the land no matter what the U.S. Supreme Court does. Conservative justices have said they'd like to overturn the court's marriage equality ruling if a case gives them a chance, and they're emboldened now that they've overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. "Love is love. Right is right. Justice is justice," Biden said at the signing ceremony. He notably came out for marriage equality as vice president in 2012, a few days ahead of President Obama, and they were easily reelected that year.
Biden gave Vice President Kamala Harris the pen he'd used to sign the bill, in recognition of her longtime activism for marriage equality. Notably, when she was attorney general of California, she refused to defend the anti-marriage equality state constitutional amendment known as Proposition 8. It was eventually invalidated in court.
Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on February 7, 2023, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol. Vice President Kamala Harris is behind him
Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images
Biden has consistently mentioned the LGBTQ+ community and relevant issues in his State of the Union addresses. In 2021, speaking to a joint session of Congress — in a president's first year in office, that speech is not called a State of the Union address — Biden made a pitch for the Equality Act, the sweeping LGBTQ+ rights bill that still hasn't passed Congress, and said, "To all the transgender Americans watching at home — especially the young people, who are so brave — I want you to know that your president has your back." He made similar comments in his 2022 and 2023 State of the Union speeches, with the latter additionally noting the accomplishment of passing the Respect for Marriage Act.
In 2024, he delivered a powerful State of the Union speech that included a denunciation of the surge in book bans — many of the targeted books deal with LGBTQ+ or race-related matters. “Banning books ... Ii’s wrong!” he said. He went on to condemn attempts to censor history: “Instead of erasing history, let’s make history!” He again gave a shout-out to trans Americans as well.
Biden delivers remarks onstage during the 2023 Human Rights Campaign National Dinner October 14 in Washington, D.C.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Joe and Jill Biden spoke passionately spoke in support of the LGBTQ+ community, emphasizing their continued commitment to combat discrimination and violence, at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in October 2023. The occasion marked the fourth time Joe Biden had spoken at the annual gala, but his first as president.
He highlighted challenges both domestic and global. “You are the beacon of light around the world,” he said, adding, “It’s all about hope. Think about it. How do you live without hope? And this community in the United States of America is leading the world in giving people hope.”
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Biden speak onstage at the grand opening ceremony for the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center hosted by Pride Live on June 28, 2024, in New York City.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, a Program of Pride Live
Last June, Biden became the first sitting president to visit the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. He and his wife, Jill Biden, attended the grand opening of the theStonewall National Monument Visitor Center, adjacent to the Stonewall Inn, where a 1969 uprising against police harassment sparked activism that has continued to this day. The grand opening came on the 55th anniversary of the uprising.
“This beloved bar became the site of a call to cry for freedom, dignity, equality, and respect,” Joe Biden said during his visit. “You marked a turning point in civil rights in America.”
“LGBTQ+ people are some of the most inspiring people I know,” he added. “Your courage and contributions enrich every part of American life. You set an example for the entire world. ... Stonewall remains a symbol of the legacy of leadership at the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans women of color [who] for generations who have been at the forefront of helping realize the promise of America for all Americans.”
Biden had visited the Stonewall Inn in 2019 as a private citizen — on his way to the Democratic presidential nomination the following year.
Biden speaks at an LGBTQ+ presidential forum at Coe College’s Sinclair Auditorium in September 2019 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
In September of last year, after Biden had stepped down as the Democratic presidential nominee, he gave an interview to theWashington Blade praising the LGBTQ+ community and warning of the dangers posed by Donald Trump, Project 2025, and right-wing Supreme Court justices. “I was really impressed when I went to Stonewall,” he said. “And I was really impressed talking to the guys who stood up at the time. I think the thing that gets underestimated is the physical and moral courage of the community, the people who broke through, who said ‘enough, enough,’ and they risked their lives. Some lost their lives along the way.”
He highlighted the need to pass the Equality Act, and he said Project 2025, a blueprint for the next conservative president prepared by far-right activists, “is just full of nothing but disdain for the LGBTQ community,” he said. “And you have [Supreme Court Justice] Clarence Thomas talking about, when the decision was made [to overturn] Roe v. Wade, that maybe we should consider changing the right of gays to marry — I mean, things that are just off the wall — just pure, simple prejudice.”
The Republican Party has changed because of Trump, he noted. “Trump is a different breed of cat,” Biden said. “I mean, I don’t want to make this political, but everything he’s done has been anti, anti-LGBTQ, I mean, across the board.”
“I think there are a lot of really good Republicans that I’ve served with, especially in the Senate, who don’t have a prejudiced bone in their body about [LGBTQ+ people] but are intimidated,” he said.
Mary Kathleen Costello appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee
footage still via US Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Mary Kathleen Costello, a military veteran and former assistant U.S. attorney, was confirmed as a federal judge last September. She was Biden's 12th out judicial nominee confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the most of any president in history.
By a 52-41 vote, Costello was confirmed as a district court judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. With her confirmation, Biden surpassed Obama’s total of 11 confirmed out judges. President Bill Clinton had one out judicial nominee confirmed to the bench while Trump had two.
Biden's administration set a record for total out appointees. Besides judges, the administration had LGBTQ+ appointees in 13 ambassador-level posts, 43 Senate-confirmed positions, and multiple high-level spokesperson roles, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. They amounted to about 15 percent of total appointees, the most in any presidential administration.
From left: Biden presents Evan Wolfson with the Presidential Citizens Medal; Biden presents Mary Bonauto with the Presidential Citizens Medal; Tim Gill is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Biden.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Tom Brenner/Getty Images
Early in January, as Biden prepared to leave office, he honored three LGBTQ+ Americans. On January 2, Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry, and Mary L. Bonauto, senior director of civil rights and legal strategies at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), were among 20 honorees receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian honor. Both are lawyers who were key to the fight for marriage equality, with Bonauto arguing the Obergefell v. Hodges case before the U.S. Supreme Court, resulting in the 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
On January 4, Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, to gay tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Tim Gill, who has worked for marriage equality and protections against discrimination. His Gill Foundation has also funded health care, education, and public media. The 19 recipients included several major allies as well, such as former Secretary of State and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, philanthropist George Soros, U2 front man Bono, and the late Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who oversaw the lifting of the trans military ban under Obama.