Is this why he needed an LGBTQ liaison? Internet users and U.S. voters are scratching their heads at Joe Biden, because he called a gay couple “mommy and dad.”
The strange moment happened during a Twitter live stream when the former Vice President tried to address LGBTQ voters. Josh Coleman, the president of the Alabama Young Democrats, thanked Biden for supporting marriage equality during his time in the Obama administration. The candidate for the Democratic nomination then recounted the time that he chose to support same-sex marriage. According to Biden, he solidified his stance on the matter after meeting a gay couple with two children back in 2012.
“The way [the children] loved their mommy and dad,” Biden said, “who were in fact strong men, strong people, it just impressed me so much.”
Joe Biden recalls the time he met a gay couple and was very impressed pic.twitter.com/C2niBy204S
— shoe (@shoe0nhead) March 25, 2020
Biden says that not long after, he vocalized his support of marriage equality while appearing on NBC’s Meet The Press. This then led to Barack Obama himself pushing the matter further. Biden says that after his tv appearance, Obama met with him, hugged him, and said, “You told me weren’t going to be quiet and you were right.”
Biden then added, “To me, it’s the civil rights issue of our day, but we have a lot more work to do.”
Frankly, that moment wasn’t a major upset to the Biden campaign but more of a strange choice of words. Despite Biden’s attempt at appealing to LGBTQ voters, however, his “mommy and dad” comment earned some ridicule online.
he’s the Worst
— pinned! (@togahiimiko) March 25, 2020
calling gay parents "mommy and dad…" joe biden. the most out of touch candidate ever. if we keep pushing him as the guy to face trump, trump's gonna win… https://t.co/dKSyn2tNQ6
— Seanie🐀 (@seanwoodguy) March 25, 2020
https://twitter.com/w1ndyy/status/1242950802773344262?s=20
This is just the latest update in Joe Biden and his campaign’s attempt at appealing to LGBTQ voters. Just a few days ago, the campaign announced the hiring of an LGBTQ liaison. Reggie Greer was named for the role and it initially looked like a promising hire. After all, Greer has plenty of relevant experience.
Greer used to work for the LGBTQ Victor Institute as the former director of constituent engagement. Through that job, he often worked with the nation’s more than 850 openly LGBTQ public officials and how to connect them to LGBTQ voters. In addition, Greer formerly worked for the Obama administration as a special assistant to former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and then later as the deputy director of public engagement at the Department of Transportation.
But it looks like Greer has got his work cut out for him. That’s, of course, before even considering his “mommy and dad” comment. After all, Biden has a complicated history with LGBTQ issues. While he helped the push for marriage equality, Biden also supported “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). This past record is something of note. Though, Biden has been vocal about his support of LGBTQ people since then.
Overall, it’s obvious that Biden wants the country to know that he’s pro-LGBTQ and looking for the LGBTQ vote. But are LGBTQ people listening?
Update: This article was updated post its publishing to ensure a neutral stance on the topic.
