WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden has affirmed his support for federal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people while giving remarks at the Spring Equality Convention for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
Addressing the tremendous progress made for the LGBT community – from marriage equality to open and honest military service by gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members – the vice president highlighted the challenges that remain, including the need for federal non-discrimination protections that protect all LGBT people.
“We have to pass the federal non-discrimination legislation, and we need to pass it now,” said Vice President Biden.
Later this spring, a sweeping LGBT federal non-discrimination bill will be introduced in Congress—a bill that is expected to include protections in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit, education, jury service and federal funding.
“In most states in this country, a couple who gets married at 10 AM risk being fired from their jobs by noon, and evicted from their home by 2 PM simply for posting their wedding photos on Facebook,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The time has come in this country for full federal equality, nothing more, nothing less.”
The vice president also addressed other challenges that the LGBT community continues to face, including the challenges faced by the transgender community and by LGBT youth facing homelessness.
The HRC Spring Equality Convention is an annual event consisting of training, workshops, a lobby day, and other events for volunteers and leaders of the organization as they work toward their vision – a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
