WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden welcomed hundreds to the White House on Saturday for a delayed Pride Month celebration aimed at showing LGBTQ+ people that his administration has their back at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation, particularly aimed at the transgender community, sweeping through statehouses.
The event, which the administration described as the largest Pride event hosted at the White House, was initially scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed because of poor air quality from hazardous air flowing in from Canadian wildfires. But the haze that blanketed a huge swath of the East Coast this past week had lifted over the nation's capital, allowing the president and first lady Jill Biden to hold their South Lawn party.
“So today, I want to send a message to the entire community — especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You're understood. And you belong,” Biden said.
Pride Month is being celebrated this year as state lawmakers have introduced at least 525 bills and enacted 78 bills that whittle away at LGBTQ+ rights, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights.
That tally includes a recent flurry of bills that affect transgender people, including legislation recently passed by Republican governors vying for the 2024 presidential nomination.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into that bans gender-affirming medical care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youths. Earlier in the week, a federal judge temporarily blocked portions of a law that DeSantis signed shortly before announcing that he was running for president.
In North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum last month signed a bill that prohibits public schools and government entities from requiring teachers and employees to refer to transgender people by the pronouns they use. Burgum, who like DeSantis has made culture issues a central part of his tenure as governor, joined the White House primary field.
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American flags and a pride flag hang from the White House before a "Pride Month" celebration on the South Lawn, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Washington. Credit: AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Josh Helfgott, an LGBTQ+ activist and social media influencer from New York City, said marking Pride Month at the White House felt like one of the most important moments of his life. But he said the tide of legislation added another layer to this year’s celebrations.
“Pride this year is so important because we cannot be silent when faced with hate and bigotry,” Helfgott said “The other side is so loud, incredibly loud. ”
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Old trick - Play the victim, vie for compassion. The reality is that thousands of kids are taking drugs and having surgeries that they will regret and will destroy their lives. Much due to the aggressive lobbying of the Toeva spreaders. Not to mention all of the people who aren't really homosexual but will think they are b/c of all of this Pride poison. And then there is the very notion of making something so impure a central component of the consciousness of the community. 10 years ago Obama was like "They just want to get married". Harmless, right? Then it decomposed to where we are today. And it can only get worse unless the side of Light fights hard against.
קדושים תהיו remains a primary value and mitzva. And the pasuk וְאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁכַּ֤ב אֶת־זָכָר֙ מִשְׁכְּבֵ֣י אִשָּׁ֔ה תּוֹעֵבָ֥ה עָשׂ֖וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם מ֥וֹת יוּמָ֖תוּ דְּמֵיהֶ֥ם בָּֽם remains in force [in theory - in the absence of the Sanhedrin it can't be actualized].
This is a war against morality and against Hashem. Spearheaded by the President of the US with taxpayer dollars. Who, by the way, is a religious Catholic who believes in the sanctity of the Torah and his own religion forbids acts of homosexuality.
THANKS JOE FOR ERODING THE MORAL FOUNDATION OF OUR CULTURE.