Biden adds 'intersex' to presidential proclamation recognizing LGBT 'pride month'
President Joe Biden has added “intersex” to the list of sexual identities his administration is recognizing as part of “pride month.” In a separate move, the administration is once again flying the LGBT rainbow flag outside the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.
On Tuesday, Biden issued “A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, And Intersex Pride Month" ahead of the month of June, which LGBT activists and advocates refer to as pride month.
This year’s proclamation includes individuals who were born “intersex,” marking a departure from last year’s proclamation that only recognized people who self-identify as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer.”
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The term intersex — those who have chromosomal anomalies that lead to disorders of sexual development — refers to individuals who have physical characteristics of both female and male sexual anatomy. A study conducted by researchers at Istanbul University in Turkey found that one in 1,000 newborn babies examined had intersex characteristics.
Biden used this year’s presidential proclamation to warn that “the rights of LGBTQI+ Americans are under relentless attack.” The president lamented the “onslaught of dangerous anti-LGBTQI+ legislation” enacted at the state level, explicitly taking issue with laws that he claimed are “targeting transgender children and their parents and interfering with their access to health care.”
Examples of legislation Biden derided as "dangerous" include bans on mutilating children's bodies, such as removing girls' breast tissue and castrating boys. Legislation banning these life-altering cosmetic surgeries were passed in Alabama, Arizona and Arkansas. Texas’ Department of Family and Protective Services has classified such procedures as a form of child abuse.
Biden assured trans-identified Americans and the LGB community that “I will always have your back as your president so that you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential,” reiterating the vow he made at his State of the Union address. “Today and every day, my administration stands with every LGBTQI+ American in the ongoing struggle against intolerance, discrimination, and injustice,” he added.
“We condemn the dangerous state laws and bills that target LGBTQI+ youth. And we remain steadfast in our commitment to helping LGBTQI+ people in America and around the world live free from violence.”
After outlining the work his administration has done on behalf of the LGBT community, Biden maintained that “there is more work to be done.” He called on Congress to pass the Equality Act, which he described as an effort to “enshrine long overdue civil rights protections and build a better future for all LGBTQI+ Americans.”
The Equality Act, which passed the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives but has stalled in the evenly divided Senate, has faced criticism from opponents due to concerns about its implications for religious liberty and women’s sports. If passed, the legislation would require the allowance of trans-identified individuals to use bathrooms and compete on sports teams that correspond with their chosen gender identity instead of their biological sex.
Additionally, the wide-ranging bill would limit the ability of religious Americans to cite the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 when seeking to exempt themselves from having to abide by provisions of the proposed law that violate their deeply held convictions.
The Biden administration is also telegraphing its support for the LGBT community and pride month at U.S. embassies overseas, including the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See. A Wednesday post on the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See’s Twitter account featured a declaration that “The United States respects and promotes the equality and human dignity of all people including the LGBTQIA+ community,” accompanied by the hashtags #PrideMonth, #AllInclusive and #Pride2022.
Today is the start of #Pride Month. The United States respects and promotes the equality and human dignity of all people including the LGBTQIA+ community. #PrideMonth#AllInclusive#Pride2022pic.twitter.com/6VgN9R8c3J
— U.S. in Holy See (@USinHolySee) June 1, 2022
The tweet also contained a picture of the LGBT rainbow flag displayed at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, making 2022 the second year in a row that the flag has flown outside the embassy during so-called pride month. The embassy is not located in Vatican City, the world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, which is also known as the Holy See. Instead, it shares a building with the U.S. Embassy to Italy in Rome.
The Roman Catholic Church opposes same-sex marriage and homosexual activity that the rainbow flag has come to represent. Paragraph 2357 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” characterizing them as “contrary to the natural law.”
“They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved,” the Catholic Church’s teaching document explains.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
