Before President Biden took office as the 46th president, he and his administration put unwavering support for transgender issues at the forefront of their policies.
In the waning days of the Biden administration, FOX News Digital revisited the administration's support for transgender issues, including several controversies that drew backlash from conservatives.
“The president's belief is that transgender rights are human rights,” former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press conference less than a month into the administration.
The day before Biden took office, he announced the nomination of Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health, who would be the first transgender woman to hold the position, subject to Senate confirmation. Shortly after this announcement, Biden, in his official capacity as president, rescinded Trump-era transgender policies, celebrated a holiday advocating for transgender and LGBTQ communities as a whole, and announced support for transgender individuals at every State of the Union address. promised.
Biden official Rachel Levine says her early memories were of transgenderism and questioning her biological sex
Dr. Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary of Health (Joe Hermit/Patriot-News, via AP, File)
After Biden nominated Levine to the Department of Health and Human Services, where he remains in the post, Biden announced that his administration would be rescinding the Trump administration's ban on transgender military personnel. He reiterated his clear support for transgender people.
In 2018, during the Trump administration, the 45th president formally authorized the Pentagon to ban transgender people from serving in the military, with limited exceptions, after pledging to do so in 2017.
Biden opposed the policy through an executive order on his fifth day in office, saying it was the “right thing to do” and was in the country's “national interest.”
President Biden gestures after signing the Executive Order Advancing Equality for LGBTQI+ Individuals and handing his signature pen to Florida's Javier Gomez during a Pride event at the White House on June 15, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a barrier to military service and that America's strength lies in its diversity,” the White House said in January 2021. It's easy to answer by recognizing our core values. ”
The White House said at the time that the United States is “stronger at home and around the world when we are inclusive,” adding that “our military is no exception.”
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The Biden administration has also increased transgender and LGBTQ holidays over the past four years, including announcing an annual Transgender Day of Visibility message.
“Transgender rights are human rights, and I call on all Americans to join me in advancing the value and dignity of transgender Americans. Together, we can eradicate discrimination.” “We can fulfill our country's promise of freedom and equality for all,” he said. Posted on his X account in March 2021.
First Lady Jill Biden takes the stage during a Pride celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on June 26, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
International Transgender Visibility Day was founded by activists over a decade ago and is celebrated on March 31st every year. However, the holiday came under fire earlier this year because it fell on the same day as Easter Sunday. The most sacred holiday for Christians. Conservatives, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), denounced the White House's decision to recognize Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter as an attack on Christianity.
Caroline Leavitt, who served as press secretary for the Trump campaign, said: “We believe that tomorrow is a celebration of one thing: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.'' We ask the millions of Catholics and Christians across the country to apologize.” She said at the time that she was President Trump's secretary before being appointed White House press secretary.
White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital at the time that Biden, as a Christian, sought to “bring people together” at the event.
“As a Christian who celebrates Easter with my family, President Biden is in a position to unite people and protect the dignity and freedoms of all Americans,” Bates said.
Biden responds to question about Easter being “Transgender Visibility Day'' despite his declaration: “We never did that.''
Fox News Digital previously reported that the White House is celebrating or commemorating seven other holidays focused on LGBT issues. Lesbian Visibility Day in April. May marks the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Pride month in June. Spirit Day in October. Intersex Awareness Day in October. And Transgender Day of Remembrance in November.
Sam Brinton, former deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Energy, speaks on stage at a Trevor Project event in New York City on June 11, 2018. (Dave Kotinski/Getty Images, The Trevor Project)
The Biden administration came under fire in 2022 after one of the first “non-binary” officials in the U.S. government was accused of stealing airport baggage on multiple occasions. Non-binary is understood as an individual who does not identify solely as male or female.
Former Biden official in trouble after being accused of multiple airport thefts to be exempted by 2023
Sam Brinton, a biological male who worked as an assistant secretary of energy, made national headlines in 2022 when he was accused of stealing luggage from an airport. Brinton is accused of stealing a woman's suitcase at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in September and another suitcase at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas in July. Amid outrage over the incident, the DOE announced that Brinton was no longer employed by the department.
Las Vegas police booked Sam Brinton into the Clark County, Nevada Jail. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
Biden also hosted what is believed to be the largest Pride celebration in White House history in 2023. During the event, transgender model and activist Rose Montoya came under fire for standing topless and bare-chested on the South Lawn. white house. The incident was condemned by conservatives as an “international disgrace” and Montoya was subsequently banned from visiting the White House.
The White House responded to the controversy by saying, “This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful to any White House event. It reflects the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families and the hundreds of other guests who attended.” It's not a thing,” he said. “People appearing in the video will not be invited to future events.”
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Rose Montoya attends the Trans Latinx Coalition's 10th Annual GARRAS Fashion Show Fundraiser held at Pacific Design Center on November 16, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. (JC Olivera/Getty Images)
The administration has invited prominent transgender people to the White House in recent years, including hosting “Jeopardy!” In 2022, he sat down with champion Amy Schneider, and in 2023, he sat down with Dylan Mulvaney, the transgender internet influencer embroiled in the Bud Light commercial controversy. The Biden administration also has set its sights on promoting Sean Skelly, a transgender retired Navy officer and activist, to the position of assistant. Skelly served as defense secretary in preparation for 2021, a role he still holds.
Sean Skelly attends Out Magazine's #OUT100 event on November 9, 2017 in New York City. (Brian Bedder/Getty Images for OUT Magazine)
In comments to FOX Digital, the White House praised the progress made by the trans community under the Biden administration.
“President Biden is proud to champion the dignity of all Americans and make historic strides for the following values that Fox shares and includes in our employee handbook: “Americans have the right to an environment free from harassment, discrimination, and violence, where they can live openly without retaliation, without fear of consequences or transphobia,” Bates said.
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Jeopardy Champion Amy Schneider speaks in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 31, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden also supports the transgender community in his annual State of the Union address, pledging in his first year in office that “the president has your back.”
In his first State of the Union address of 2021, Biden declared, “I want every transgender American watching at home, especially our brave young people, to know that the President stands by us.”
In 2022, he said, “The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is wrong. As I said last year, especially to young transgender Americans, I will always support you as president. I will support you, so you can be yourself.” Unleash your God-given potential. ”
Dylan Mulvaney accepts the Streamy Award for Breakout Creator on stage at the Streamy Awards on August 27, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)
“And let us pass the bipartisan Equality Act so that LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender youth, can live in safety and dignity. Our strength is only an example of our power. Let us not forget that the world is watching,” Biden said in his 2023 State of the Union address.
The U.S. Embassy in the Holy See, the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, also showed support for the LGBT community under the Biden administration by flying the Pride flag every June.
U.S. raises Pride flag at Apostolic Embassy in Rome
The second Trump administration is expected to move away from Biden's clear support for advancing transgender issues. During his campaign, the president-elect pledged to ban biological males from women's sports and remove “woke” ideologies from the military, but his policies include excluding transgender people from the military. Whether it will be included has not been determined.
“On Day 1, I will reverse Joe Biden's cruel policies on so-called 'gender-affirming care' — a process that involves giving children puberty-blocking drugs, mutating their appearance, and ultimately “Can you believe this?” Trump said in a campaign video last year of his plan to “protect children from left-wing gender insanity.”
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“I will sign a new executive order directing all federal agencies to end all programs that promote the concept of gender or gender reassignment at any age. We will be asking Congress to permanently stop it from being used to facilitate or pay for these procedures,” and would very quickly pass laws banning child sexual mutilation in all 50 states. . ”
