Joe Biden recalls seeing two men kissing in the 1950s and what his dad said

President Joe Biden was the special guest on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show last night. Interviewed by gay comic actor Kal Penn, the discussion touched upon LGBTQ+ issues.

Penn, engaged to his partner, Josh, for the past five years, asked the President about his attitude towards same-sex marriage.

Biden recalled his first experience with gay people when he saw two men kissing on the street back in the 1950s. He was in his senior year in High School at the time. His dad took him to city hall to pick up a job application to be a lifeguard at a pool in Wilmington, DE.

“My dad was dropping me off to go in and get an application. I remember I’m about to get out of the car and I look to my right. Two well-dressed men in suits kissed each other. I’ll never forget it, I turned and looked to my dad. He said, ‘Joey, it’s simple. They love each other.’ … I’m not joking. And it’s just that simple.

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“It doesn’t matter whether it’s same-sex or a heterosexual couple. You should be able to be married. What is the problem?”

Penn, 45, told Biden that his aunties and uncles have expressed disappointment to him at not yet tying the knot. Biden agreed with them, telling him to listen to his relatives, “get married. Do it now. Don’t wait.”

Related:

Actor Kal Penn comes out, reveals 11-year relationship with fiancé, Josh

Penn is best known for Harold and Kumar and Designated Survivor, and also worked for the Obama administration

Florida “close to sinful”

Biden also criticized the “cruel” treatment of trans people in Florida, saying, “What’s going on in Florida is, as my mother would say, close to sinful.

“I mean, it’s just terrible what they’re doing,” he continued. “It’s not like a kid wakes up one morning and says, ‘You know, I decided I want to become a man’ or ‘I want to become a woman’ or ‘I want to change.’ What are they thinking about here? They are human beings. They love, they have feelings, they have inclinations that are… It just, to me, is, I don’t know is, it’s cruel.”

He said the only way to fight such discrimination was to “make sure we pass legislation like we passed with same-sex marriage. You mess with that, you’re breaking the law and you’re going to be held accountable.”

Florida’s GOP-controlled state legislature passed its infamous ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill last year. Officially named the “Parental Rights In Education’ Act, it bars teachers of younger kids from discussing LGBTQ+ issues.

The state has barred trans girls from competing in sports in alignment with their gender. More recently, the Florida banned gender-affirming care for minors. It is also defunding diversity and inclusion initiatives in universities.

New proposed legislation in the state, entitled the “Protection of Children” bill, targets hotels and restaurants that allow minors to view “adult entertainment”. It also threatens to potentially send parents to jail for up to a year if they take kids to drag shows. It doesn’t mention ‘drag’ by name but mentions “the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts” among its definition of “adult” entertainment, so we all know what it’s talking about.

The environment and MAGA

Biden and Penn also talked extensively about the environment and the battle in the Republican party between moderates and MAGA devotees. Watch the full interview between them on YouTube. The comments on LGBTQ+ issues comes after the 14.40 mark.

Related:

White House lit in rainbow colors after Biden signs the Respect For Marriage act

This was beautiful.