Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Monday that there is “no room for compromise” in the policy debate surrounding how society should cater to the desires of transgender people.
“Let’s be clear: Transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time. There is no room for compromise when it comes to basic human rights,” Biden wrote Saturday on Twitter.
The former vice president’s statement comes after fellow 2020 Democrat Bernie Sanders received backlash from liberal activists for promoting popular podcast host Joe Rogan’s endorsement.
Rogan, a libertarian, has faced criticism from the left for his frequent criticism of political correctness, particularly as it relates to gender identity. The comedian has said he is “100 percent in favor of transgender people” but has said he opposes puberty blockers for transgender children and has repeatedly objected to biological males competing in women’s sporting events.
“He’s been insanely consistent his entire life. He’s basically been saying the same thing, been for the same thing his whole life. And that in and of itself is a very powerful structure to operate from,” Rogan said.
The Sanders campaign on Thursday shared the video clip of Rogan’s praise for the Vermont senator along with his quote.
The Sanders campaign the next day defended their promotion of Rogan’s remarks.
“Sharing a big tent requires including those who do not share every one of our beliefs, while always making clear that we will never compromise our values,” Sanders’s campaign press secretary said in a statement. “The truth is that by standing together in solidarity, we share the values of love and respect that will move us in the direction of a more humane, more equal world.”
Biden, who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, has received scrutiny for his own record on LGBT issues.
“I didn’t have to evolve,” he said in September, noting that he came out in support of same-sex marriage before former President Barack Obama did.