Joe Bidenis making his first appearance onThe Daily Showsince taking office as the president of the United States — and weighing in on attacks against LGBTQ+ Americans — sitting down with actor and former Obama administration stafferKal Pennfor a segment airing Monday night.
In a preview of the White House interview released Monday morning,guest hostPenn — who is engaged to his longtime boyfriend — asks President Biden how he came to be a vocal supporter of marriage equality.
“I can remember exactly when my epiphany was,” Biden respondsin the clip. “I hadn’t thought much about it, to tell you the truth. I was a senior in high school and my dad was dropping me off … [I was] about to get out of the car and I look to my right, and two well-dressed men in suits kissed each other.”
The president continues: “I turned and looked at my dad, and he said, ‘Joey, it’s simple, they love each other.’ … It’s just that simple. It doesn’t matter whether it’s same-sex or a heterosexual couple, you should be able to be married. What is the problem?”
President Biden holds a ceremony to sign the Respect for Marriage Act.Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty
Biden made history as the vice president in 2012 when he announced hissupport of same-sex marriagebefore the Obama administration had a chance to sign off, becoming one of the most prominent politicians to stand for LGBTQ+ rights at the time and beating PresidentBarack Obamato the punch.
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Same-sex marriage was later legalized nationwide, in 2015, thanks to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling inObergefell v. Hodges— but at least one current justice on the far-right Supreme Court has recently suggested reassessing the decision, creating fear that many LGBTQ+ people could lose their hard-won rights.
President Biden’s full interview with guest host Kal Penn airs Monday on Comedy Central’sThe Daily Showat 11 p.m. ET/PT.
source: people.com
