Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden attended a virtual fundraiser on Wednesday evening in which he mentioned recently deceased transgender Supreme Court litigant Aimee Stephens and three LGBTQ policies he’d fight for as president.
Biden said he was about to call Stephens when his aide stopped him to say she had passed away.
Related: Joe Biden has met his moment. America needs him now more than ever.
During the fundraiser, Vlada Knowlton, a mother of a transgender child, asked Biden what he’d do to protect the trans community from discrimination and “unjust attacks.”
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
In response, Biden mentioned the recent death of Aimee Stephens, a funeral home worker whose firing for being trans is currently being examined by the U.S. Supreme Court, potentially determining trans employment rights for generations to come.
“I was supposed to call her [on Tuesday],” Biden said. “I had her picture and her bio on my desk, I was supposed to call her. I’m looking over at Annie (Tomasini, his traveling chief of staff), I guess it was yesterday at 2:00, and Annie came in to me in with tears in her eyes and said they passed away,” Biden said.
Biden then said as president he’d ban conversion therapy, something he called “sick,” get the Equality Act passed through Congress, allow trans people to join the military again, and allow trans people to choose their correct gender when registering to vote.
“You ought to be able to just put X on sex, and be able to — you don’t have to explain a damn thing. If you’re a registered person in that place, you should be able to vote,” Biden said.
Biden also plugged the re-election campaign of Alabama Senator Doug Jones.
“It’s a stupid thing for me to say,” Biden said, “if you’re gonna give me a little extra money don’t. Send it to Doug Jones. I really mean it … He’s a good decent man, he’s the kind of person we’re talking about.”
Jones has a gay adopted son, Carson, who gave anti-gay Vice President Mike Pence some serious side-eye when Pence swore-in Doug to the senate.
Earlier this month two major LGBTQ rights organizations endorsed Biden for president.