President Biden Gifts Marriage Equality Pen to Vice President Harris
Of the more than 5,300 assembled guests and officials at the White House bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday, one person, the vice president, received a special memento.After signing the Respect for Marriage Act into law, President Joe Biden passed along the pen with which he signed the legislation and handed it to Vice President Kamala Harris.
The gesture is a significant acknowledgment by Biden, who was ahead on the marriage equality issue ten years ago, that Harris has stood firmly with the LGBTQ+ community her entire career.Presidents often sign historic legislation with several ink pens, which they hand out as gifts to those integral to the bill’s passage.
Biden has more often than not used only one pen at signing ceremonies.Harris stood behind the President, alongside First Lady Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.“Is everybody here?” Biden could be heard asking as invited dignitaries surrounded the desk where he was signing the legislation.Then, Biden looked at the bill, smiled, and said, “here we go,” as he began signing the document.With the stroke of his pen, the bill became a law, and as Lady Gaga’s hit “Born This Way” began to play, the President looked up at Harris, smiled and nodded, and handed her the only pen he used.Harris, who had been smiling throughout the event, seemed genuinely shocked and news photographers memorialized the moment.She is a known advocate for civil and human rights, including the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
Vice President Harris, who, while serving as San Francisco District Attorney, led the first LGBTQ+ hate crime unit in the country, opposed the so-called “gay and.
