President Joe Biden's highly anticipated White House Pride Month celebration, set to be the largest in history, has been postponed from Thursday evening to Saturday due to the smoke
engulfing Washington from wildfires in Canada, according to officials.
In a statement, the White House announced that the Pride event, originally scheduled to take place on the South Lawn, would be postponed based on the projected air quality in the region.
The celebration, which was expected to host thousands of guests, was designed as a deliberate response to a wave of Republican-led legislation and other attacks targeting the LGBTQ+ community, as emphasized by Biden officials.
As forest fires continue to rage across Canada, the country is facing its worst-ever start to wildfire season, resulting in a smoky haze spreading over several US cities and causing flight cancellations.
President Biden had planned an evening of festivities that included a focus on LGBTQ+ families and featured performances by singer Betty Who and DJ Queen HD from Baltimore.
The President was also slated to announce new measures aimed at assisting schools and LGBTQ+ youth in navigating book bans, aiding community centers in combatting threats, and improving access to better care for transgender youth, as stated by domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden.
It remains unclear whether these announcements will also be postponed.
Tanden highlighted the disturbing rise in violent threats against LGBTQ+ community organizations and the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ Americans in various parts of the country during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday evening.
Republican-led states have been enacting a series of bills targeting transgender youth, with some prohibiting discussions on gender or sexuality by teachers of younger children, and others proposing or passing laws restricting drag performances.
In April, the White House expressed concern over the dangerous precedent set by bills targeting LGBTQ+ kids and limiting gender-affirming care for youth.
As part of the response, the White House will introduce a new coordinator in the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights to provide schools with guidance on navigating book bans and their impact on LGBTQ+ youth, as well as how they violate civil rights laws.
The Department of Homeland Security will launch new training programs for community groups to handle active shooter and bomb threat situations, while the Department of Justice will expand its collaboration with state and local law enforcement to protect the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services will release a new advisory for mental health care providers to support transgender youth.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who recently announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ restrictions, claiming to protect children.
President Biden's stance on gay rights has evolved throughout his lengthy political career, with a significant moment being his endorsement of same-sex marriage in 2012 as vice president, which prompted then-President Barack Obama to express his support a few days later.
Since assuming office, President Biden has overturned the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, issued an order to halt conversion therapy, and signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, granting federal recognition to same-sex marriages.
Public support for same-sex marriage in the United States has doubled since the late 1990s, reaching over 70% according to Gallup polls. The percentage of individuals identifying as LGBTQ+ has also doubled over the past decade, surpassing 7%.
On Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in the country, declared a national state of emergency, citing the proliferation of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in statehouses nationwide. This legislative session witnessed the passage of over 70 bills deemed anti-LGBTQ+ by the HRC, double the previous year's record, with more than 500 bills introduced. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.