A dull discussion performance under a dark cloud and panic among some DemocratsPresident Joe Biden spoke at the opening of a visitor center for LGBTQ history in New York on Friday.
Biden addressed several hundred LGBTQ participants and allies, including singer Elton John, actor Neil Patrick Harris, fashion designer Michael Kors and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Courtney Act, at the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center to mark Pride Month.
“Today I am proud to open the new visitor center for Stonewall National Monument, the first LGBTQ+ visitor center in America’s national parks,” Biden said. “This is important. We remain in the battle for America’s soul. But I look at the pride and hope and light you all bring, and I know this is a battle we will win and continue to move forward.”
The new center was dedicated in June 1969 Stonewall Riots and in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village is at the scene of the rebellion. The days-long protest began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, and is considered a turning point in the modern gay and lesbian rights movement. Friday’s ceremony was held on the 55th anniversary of the uprising.
What should have been a day dedicated to the nation’s past, according to some LGBTQ participants, was clouded Thursday night by Biden’s poor debate performance and fears about the country’s future.
“It would be great if it focused on what happened here, its history and its importance to our ongoing fight for equal rights,” said Robert Denning, a gay philanthropist. “But it will probably be overshadowed by that.”
Scott Dewey, an account executive at software company SAP, one of the sponsors of the new visitor center, called the debate “humiliating.”
“I felt really bad for Biden, but at the same time I thought, ‘They’re doing this so quickly, are the Democrats trying to sabotage him?’ discussions that took place months ago more than the first presidential debate in history.
“It was a shame,” Dewey added, “He’s very old, and he totally confirmed it last night.”
Biden tried to allay concerns about debate performance and energizes voters at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, hours before his speech in New York on Friday.
“I know I’m not young. I don’t walk as comfortably as before. I don’t speak as easily as before. I don’t argue like I used to, but I know what I know: I know how to tell the truth!” Biden said, addressing the criticism he received after the debate the inaccuracy of some of former President Donald Trumpthe answers of .
Adrian Elim, 34, a freelance videographer at the visitor center, called the debate “a mess.” But Elim, who is non-binary and uses pronouns, said that the center will be here regardless of who is the president.
“If you want to focus on this wild discussion yesterday, well, what’s more important? The most important thing here is to honor the legacy of the Stonewall riots and honor the legacy of the LGBTQ community,” Elim said.
Before the debate began, nearly 4 in 10 LGBTQ Americans who voted Democratic approved of how the president was running the country. According to a Gallup poll. Biden’s approval rating is similar among all voters, 42%According to an NBC News survey.
This was reported by NBC News said earlier this month that the Biden campaign plans to attend more than 200 Pride events this month in 23 states, including all the battleground states, to mobilize queer voters. So does the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group He undertook to spend 15 million dollars in six battleground states to help the Biden campaign, citing concerns about declining support among LGBTQ voters.
Although some LGBTQ voters said they weren’t convinced the president was fit for office, hundreds of attendees on Friday gave him a standing ovation and a standing ovation after he told a story about his teenage interactions with his father.
“I remember my dad dropping me off to get my lifeguard license in Wilmington, Delaware,” Biden said. “And I got out of the car… and two well-dressed men kissed each other. I’ve never seen that before. I looked at my father. I was 16 years old. I looked at my dad and he said, “It’s simple, Joey, they love each other. It’s simple.'”
The president’s appearance at the center comes at a dangerous time for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the United States, as acknowledged by legendary singer Elton John, who was introduced by Biden. John, who is openly gay, told the crowd more than 500 bills targeted The LGBTQ community has been represented in state legislatures across the country this year.
“As President Biden reminded us today, we are facing one of those critical moments,” John said. “Do we stand up for our vision and values, or do we allow misinformation and pointless scapegoating to turn back the clock? There’s no way,” he said as the president made the sign of the cross from behind and the crowd laughed.
Google, Amazon, AARP, JPMorgan Chase and Comcast NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News, are among the center’s founding partners.
Biden’s appearance at the visitor center follows Vice President Kamala Harris. A historic visit to the Stonewall Inn First by a sitting vice president last year. Biden visited the bar in 2019 as a former vice president and then-presidential candidate.
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