WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden delivered an unapologetic defense of transgender rights on Friday, accusing Republicans of weaponizing LGBTQ identity for political gain and warning that such tactics come at the expense of basic dignity.

Accepting an award from the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute at its annual leadership conference, Biden told the room of several hundred LGBTQ elected officials and advocates that Republicans have “turned people’s basic identity into a political football.”

“They’re trying to turn it into something scary, something sinister,” he said. “But at its core, it’s about giving every American the basic decency and respect they deserve.”

The remarks represent one of Biden’s sharpest responses to the GOP’s years-long national campaign against transgender rights — a campaign that some Democrats blame for contributing to their 2024 losses and sparking internal debates over how the party should handle identity issues.

A Record Biden Says He Won’t Walk Away From

Biden, 83, highlighted his administration’s LGBTQ milestones, which the Victory Institute described as “the most LGBTQ-inclusive in U.S. history.”
About 15% of his appointees identified as LGBTQ.

He also noted:

His early 2012 endorsement of same-sex marriage, made on Meet the Press before President Obama publicly supported it.

His 2018 foreword for transgender lawmaker Sarah McBride’s memoir.

His administration’s expansion of civil rights protections for gender identity in healthcare and education.

His signing of the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022.

Biden acknowledged his own evolution, referencing votes in the 1990s that sided against LGBTQ protections. “I got myself in a bit of trouble — good trouble,” he joked of his later shift.

A Sharp Contrast With Trump

Biden’s remarks also underscored the widening gulf between his LGBTQ policy record and President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda.

Trump’s administration has:

Reinstated restrictions requiring U.S. passports to list sex assigned at birth

Barred transgender people from serving in the military

Attempted to roll back federal protections for LGBTQ patients, students, and workers

Cut funding for HIV vaccine research and LGBTQ suicide-prevention programs

Trump has referred to transgender teenagers as “mutilated” and framed trans identity as incompatible with military service. His 2024 campaign ad — “Kamala Harris is for they/them. Donald Trump is for you.” — crystallized Republicans’ attempt to cast Democrats as extreme on gender issues.

Despite this, Trump has appointed several openly gay men to prominent posts, which his supporters cite to counter accusations of anti-LGBTQ animus.

A Divided Democratic Party — and Changing Politics

Within the Democratic Party, some strategists argue the party must moderate on issues such as transgender athletes and medical transition for minors, pointing to national polls showing majority support for certain restrictions.

Others counter that Republicans’ anti-trans messaging is losing potency.
They note that in Virginia’s 2025 governor’s race, Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated a Republican who heavily centered his campaign on anti-trans themes — a sign the strategy may be losing traction.

A Message to Young LGBTQ Americans

Biden ended with an appeal to queer youth watching political battles play out online:

“There are young people sitting alone, scrolling through social media, wondering whether they will ever truly be accepted for who they are,” he said.

“You are heard, and you belong.”

The crowd met the line with a standing ovation.