Biden: Almost 14% of 1,500 agency appointees identify as LGBTQ

• To mark the start of Pride Month, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that nearly 14% of his 1,500 federal agency appointees identify as LGBTQ.
• The president thanked historic appointees, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, for their service.
• Biden called attention to the spike in violence against members of the LGTBQ community and urged Congress to pass the Equality Act.

U.S. President Joe Biden marked the start of Pride month by stating that nearly 14% of his 1,500 federal agency appointees identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ).

During Tuesday’s proclamation, Biden called attention to a tragic spike in violence against transgender people. Transgender women of color and LGBTQ youth, especially, have been facing bullying and harassment that could lead to self-harm and suicide. 

The Democrat president urged Congress to pass the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ people from such discriminatory acts.

Biden specially thanked historic appointees, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, for their service. Buttigieg was the first openly gay Cabinet secretary while Levine was the first openly transgender person to hold a position confirmed by the Senate.

Activists have touted the Biden administration as the most pro-LGBTQ in U.S. history. Meanwhile, his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, did not officially recognize Pride Month during his four years in office.

Biden championed LGBTQ rights since his first day in office. An executive order directed federal agencies to protect LGBTQ people under all federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex. A ban on transgender people from enlisting and serving in the military was also reversed.

An order by Trump’s then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on flying the Pride flag was also reversed by Biden’s administration.

Some of the U.S. embassies, such as those in India and Australia, have also expressed their support for the LGBTQ community. 

Source: Aol.com