Joe Biden called out at LGBT forum for saying Mike Pence is a “decent guy”
Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden speaks at a LGBTQ presidential forum at Coe College’s Sinclair Auditorium on September 20, 2019 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty)
Joe Biden was called out by a moderator for previously saying that Vice President Mike Pence was a “decent guy” at the national 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues yesterday (September 20).
The forum –sponsored by GLAAD One Iowa, The Gazette, and The Advocate– hosted ten Democratic presidential hopefuls to talk about their plans for improving LGBT+ rights in the US.
The Gazette columnist Lyz Lenz question Biden about his voting record in the nineties when he supported Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act, although he later voted to repeal them.
She also called out Obama’s former Vice President for previously saying that Pence was a “decent guy.”
Biden paused, and then said to Lenz: “You’re a lovely person.”
To which she responded: “I’m just asking the questions people want to know.”
An attention grabbing moment from Biden’s time on stage when moderator @lyzl pushed Biden on past votes and calling @VP a “decent guy.”
“You’re a lovely person,” Biden tells the moderator to laugher.
“Just asking the questions people want to know,” she replied pic.twitter.com/DB10NGuBCP
— Molly Nagle (@MollyNagle3) September 21, 2019
Queer Eye’s Karamo and Vice President Joe Biden pose for a photo backstage at The Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues. (Steve Pope/Getty Images for GLAAD)
Joe Biden said he was “proud” of his voting record
After applause from the audience died down, Lenz said: “I guess it goes without saying that Pence is opposed to LGBTQ rights, so the question that arises from this is how can LGBTQ people trust that you won’t compromise on issues that put them at risk in order to reach across the aisle to people like Pence?”
Biden brought up the fact that he famously stepped on the toes of President Obama in 2012 when he announced his own support for same-sex marriage while the President was still officially ‘evolving’ on the issue. He added: “I’m very proud of my record.”
Lenz later wrote on Twitter that after the interview Biden said to her: “You’re a real sweetheart.”
As I was walking off the stage with @JoeBiden he said to me dryly, "You're a real sweetheart." #LGBTQforum— Lyz a real sweetheart (@lyzl) September 21, 2019
Those on social media have slammed Biden over his comments about Pence and for his “sexist” response to Lenz.
One wrote: “I’ll always appreciate him for coming out for gay marriage even before Obama did. But now he’s off his game. Not reading the room. He meant well (really!) but after Trump’s nastiness, the culture isn’t tuned to JB’s mild geniality.”
Another said: “Biden genuinely doesn’t understand why a WOMAN is allowed to question him at all. What a sexist tw*t.”
