Joe Biden is the first president honored with International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference award

On Dec. 5, former President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to receive the Chris Abele Impact Award at the annual International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., in recognition of his administration’s unprecedented commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality.

His appearance felt especially significant. With federal and state-level protections for LGBTQ+ people increasingly under threat, Biden’s remarks to the more than 700 attendees carried extra weight.

LGBTQ+ Victory Institute President and CEO Evan Low presented the award alongside Chris Abele, the award’s inaugural namesake and a Victory Action board member, and Michael Fleming, president of the David Bohnett Foundation and a former Biden appointee.

“Chris, I’m honored to receive this award in your name,” Biden said. “And I accept it knowing it reflects the work we’ve done together.”

“President Joe Biden is a hero and an icon for our LGBTQ+ community,” Low said. “He’s been a long-time supporter of our work and our mission. He presided over the most inclusive administration in history—hands down.”

The Chris Abele Impact Award recognizes public officials who’ve made significant contributions to advancing LGBTQ+ political representation, equality, and equity in the United States. Biden was honored in part for building the most LGBTQ+-inclusive federal administration in U.S. history. Through the Victory Institute’s David Mixner Political Appointments Program, the Biden administration brought that number to an estimated 14 to 15% of federal appointees.

Abele, a philanthropist and former Milwaukee County executive, was the award’s inaugural recipient for his work building leadership pipelines and supporting LGBTQ+ candidates nationwide. Biden is the third person to receive the honor, following Abele and Bohnett.

In his acceptance speech, Biden reflected on key milestones from his presidency, including signing the Respect for Marriage Act on Dec. 13, 2022. The landmark legislation repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and enshrined federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.

“As the ceremony came to an end, the sun began to set. Rainbow lights lit up the portico of the White House,” Biden recalled. “There was celebration, but also, quite frankly, relief. Through the hard work, faith, counsel, and sheer grit of so many people, a momentous battle was finally won.”

Biden emphasized that his support for LGBTQ+ equality goes back decades. In 2012, while serving as vice president, he publicly endorsed marriage equality on NBC’s Meet the Press—a move he said put him in “good trouble.”

He also recalled a private conversation years earlier with LGBTQ+ leaders in the home of a gay couple raising two children.

“I wish every American could have seen the love in the eyes of those two boys for their dads,” Biden said. “If they did, they’d never have any doubt about what this is all about.”

While acknowledging ongoing challenges, Biden stressed the enduring promise of American democracy. “We’ve never fully lived up to the idea that all people are equal,” he said, “but we’ve never walked away from it.”

Biden’s address was broadcast live on C-SPAN and streamed across multiple platforms, marking the first time the conference received such national coverage.

He also addressed the current political climate, criticizing efforts to weaponize diversity, equity, and inclusion and warning against playing “political football with people’s identities.” He highlighted Congresswoman Sarah McBride, who previously worked for his late son, Beau, when he was Delaware’s attorney general, praising her commitment to what she calls “the hard work of persuasion.”

“In times that can be dispiriting and even hurtful,” Biden said, quoting McBride, “hope is a conscious choice. You have to summon it.”

Biden echoed that message as he spoke about mounting attacks on transgender rights—state-level efforts to restrict gender-affirming care, limit classroom discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation, and bar transgender people from full participation in public life.

“We are one of the only countries in the world that has come out of every crisis stronger than when we entered it,” Biden said. “I still believe we will do so again.”

He closed with a direct message to LGBTQ+ youth watching from afar.

“To anyone sitting alone, scrolling through social media, wondering if they’ll ever be loved or accepted—just be you,” Biden said. “Be who you are.”

The speech drew sustained applause and a standing ovation from attendees, who responded to both Biden’s record on LGBTQ+ rights and his call to action.

“So long as we keep the faith, summon hope, and remember who we are,” Biden concluded, “we’re the United States of America.”