Is it true that President Joe Biden said the United States has become a nation of gays? No, that's not true: According to the transcript of Biden's remarks at a Pride Celebration, posted on the White House's website, he did not say that America is a nation of gays. He reiterated his support for the LGBTQ+ community at a June 10, 2023, picnic on the South Lawn, billed as the largest LGBTQ+ gathering in the history of the White House.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted on TikTok on June 18, 2023, under the title: "Biden declares America's transformation into a nation of gays."
The Arabic video was translated into English by Lead Stories. It opened:
Peace be upon you! Biden has told the world that the American nation is gay. Why did the United States, Canada and Britain force themselves into this scene? Why did it [U.S.] stoop itself and its people to this minority? What is the use of supporting a minority, which actually has no political advantages.
At the end of the four-minute, 23-second video, the speaker concluded:
We must understand the dangers (of such moves), which are not in support of gays or out of love for them or any other minority ... but aim at creating a conflict and opening the door for interfering in other nations.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Jun 19 13:25:30 2023 UTC)
According to Reuters, Biden's Pride Celebration was meant to reassure the LGBTQ+ community. It said he called for "new measures to protect the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ people amid a spate of what he called 'terrifying' attacks and legislation."
The Associated Press said the White House Celebration was aimed at showing "LGBTQ+ people that his administration has their back at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation, particularly aimed at the transgender community, sweeping through statehouses."
And NBC News wrote that Pride Month was being celebrated as "state legislators have introduced at least 525 bills and enacted 78 that whittle away at LGBTQ rights."
CNN quoted Biden in a tweet:
"You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. And you belong," President Joe Biden said at a Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn of the White House https://t.co/X44JwoscxV
-- CNN (@CNN) June 10, 2023
