In a video posted to Twitter on Monday that Elon Musk later rebuked him for, President Joe Biden claimed that kids who claim to be “LGBTQ” are “all our kids,” a claim that many found disturbing because it reduces a family’s autonomy.
Making that claim, Biden said, “These are our kids. These are our neighbors. Not somebody else’s kids; they’re all our kids. And our children are the kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft. It matters a great deal how we treat everyone in this country. LGBTQ Americans, especially children, you are loved, you are heard, and this administration has your back.”
Elon, in response, said, “You are the government. They are NOT your kids.”
You are the government.
They are NOT your kids.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 14, 2023
The Biden remark about “our kids” highlighted in the video came from a speech he gave alongside UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on June 8th, in which he claimed that gay people are currently being fired for being gay, that hate crimes are increasing, and that a “Pride” celebration would be postponed because of the Canadian wildfires. He said:
“It’s wrong for — that a person can be married in the morning in the United States and fired in the afternoon by their employer because they are — they’re gay. It’s wrong that the violence and hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people is rising. It’s wrong that extreme officials are pushing hateful bills targeting transgender children, terrifying families, and criminalizing doctors.
“These are our kids. These are our neighbors. It’s cruel and it’s callous. Not somebody else’s kids; they’re all our kids. They’re the kids — and our children are the kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft. It matters a great deal how we treat everyone in this country. And the fact is that I’m announcing today a series of new initiatives that we’re taking to protect the LGBT community. I was going to do this at the fore out on South Lawn. We’re having Pride Day, but we’re going to have to postpone it because of the — the climate, because of the weather and the pollution out there because of the fires.”
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That “Pride” celebration eventually happened, with the White House hoisting the rainbow flag and flying it in between two American flags. During the event, Rose Montoya, a transgender model and activist appeared shirtless, disturbing many people and causing an online firestorm.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Biden White House condemned Montoya’s behavior in a statement about the incident that was released on Tuesday in which it described the flashing incident as “inappropriate and disrespectful,” saying, “This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful for any event at the White House. It is not reflective of the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families or the other hundreds of guests who were in attendance. Individuals in the video will not be invited to future events.“