President Joe Biden is getting out front when it comes to transgender issues but finding that road tricky to navigate.
Biden held the largest Pride Month celebration in White House history last weekend, an event that nonetheless was filled with controversy, at least among his conservative critics.
“I swear to God, you’re some of the bravest and most inspiring people I’ve ever known,” Biden told the crowd. “And I’ve known a lot of good folks. You set an example for the nation and, quite frankly, for the world.”
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Biden’s speech mentioned the word “courage” eight times as those gathered on the South Lawn chanted, “Four more years!”
Just days later, the White House pledged that one of those attendees would never again grace the grounds. Transgender influencer Rose Montoya was banned after going topless during the event, with the administration quickly denouncing the act.
“We’re going to continue to be clear on that, and that type of behavior is, as I said, unacceptable,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “It’s not appropriate. It’s disrespectful.”
But she was also pressed about the Biden administration’s stance on thornier issues, such as whether the United Kingdom was right to stop giving puberty blockers to minors and who should be allowed to play women’s sports.
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“What would the president say to the parents out there who have daughters, say, in high school, for example, who are worried that their daughter may have to compete against a male or a person born male,” a reporter asked, “and [who may] worry about their daughter’s safety?”
Jean-Pierre responded that the question “is basically saying that transgender kids are dangerous” but acknowledged that the issue at hand is complicated. When asked about puberty blockers and whether Biden would raise that issue with British leaders, she said she would not go beyond the president’s previous remarks.
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It’s new territory for Biden, who has a history of getting ahead of LGBT issues. As vice president, he famously came out in support of gay marriage ahead of his boss, Barack Obama, and likes to tell a factually questionable story about seeing two men kiss in the early 1960s.
But the issues at play today are not a continuation of those past battles, argues Log Cabin Republicans President Charles Moran.
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“Gay rights are no longer up for debate in America. That debate is settled,” Moran, whose group represents gay and lesbian conservatives, said. “What is up for debate is crazy leftists pushing radical gender theory and sex education ideas on young children. If that’s the debate Joe Biden wants to have, he is going to lose it.”
Still, Democratic strategist Sasha Tirador says Pride Month celebrations and the administration’s other LGBT outreach efforts remain a winner.
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“Any issue that defends human rights and civil rights is a winning issue,” she said. “The Democratic Party is shining light on their communities and their support for them, whereas Republicans are saying we don’t support this or don’t support that. It’s a positive versus a negative campaign, and I think in the end, it’ll pay off. The positive always does.”
Biden’s zealous embrace of Pride Month certainly irked a fair share of conservatives. One issue was that the progress pride flag, which dates only to 2018, hung from the White House’s Truman balcony between two American flags, which Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said was a U.S. flag code violation.
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Complaints also emerged over Biden’s effusive praise in proportion to recent statements about war veterans. His Memorial Day statement only mentioned courage once, and a two-paragraph D-Day anniversary statement was sent out only after a reporter asked why he hadn’t made one.
Support for gay marriage grew quickly after Biden declared his support in 2012, with Donald Trump favoring marriage equality and encouraging other countries to follow suit during his administration.
That hasn’t happened yet with some aspects of the transgender movement. A recent poll, for example, found that support for basing sports participation on birth gender actually increased between 2021 and 2023.
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Republican candidates, led by noted culture warrior Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), are campaigning around the issue. DeSantis has signed bills preventing children from attending drag shows or receiving gender transition procedures, while Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) was booed on The View for saying children are being indoctrinated.
Republican strategist David Carney argues that his party should continue focusing on the transgender issue as one of parents rights if it wants to see success against the Biden administration.
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“As long as it’s focused on kids and protecting kids from life-altering decisions, it’s a winner,” he said. “When they turn 18, they can make that decision if they want.”
