No, Joe Biden Didn’t Support Gay Marriage In High School
Former Vice President Joe Biden sat down with an interview for The Daily Show with Kal Penn. During that interview, he claimed he saw two men openly kiss each other when he was in high school as his dad dropped him off somewhere. I’m not going to challenge the notion of two openly gay guys kissing each other in public in the 1950s because it isn’t really relevant.
Penn asked Biden about his evolution on marriage equality (which used to mean something completely different).
“I can remember exactly when my epiphany was.
“I hadn’t thought much about it, to tell you the truth. And I was a senior in high school. And my dad was dropping me off and I was about to get out of the car and I looked to my right and two well-dressed men in suits kissed each other. I mean, they gave each other a kiss. And then one went, looked like he was headed to the Dupont building, one looked like he was going to the Hercules Corporation building.”
-Joe Biden 2023 – The Daily Show
Biden then offers up his dad’s take on the kiss:
“And I’ll never forget, I turned and looked at my dad, he said, Joe, it is simple. They love each other. It is simple. I’m not joking. It is simple. They love each other. And it has never been — it has never been — it is just that simple. It doesn’t matter whether it is same-sex or heterosexual couple. You should be able to be married.”
This isn’t the first time Biden has told this story. It has always been received with skepticism in years past.
Joe Biden Townhall Story About Men Kissing Is Made Up – 2020
Biden openly opposed gay marriage his entire Senate career. He even quipped that gay people working in government were a security risk.
Here‘s him opposing it in 2006 on Meet The Press.
The first time we have Biden coming out and even tacitly supporting gay marriage was on Meet The Press in 2012. David Gregory even opened up the line of questioning by saying:
“He’s (Obama) opposed to it. You’re opposed to it. Have your views evolved?”
Joe Biden on Meet The Press, May 2012
The idea that Biden supported gay marriage his whole life and political career is a lie. If he had those views, he lied about them and betrayed gay people his entire Senate career. It’s far more likely that Biden is doing what Biden always does … lies for political pandering and expediency.
If Kal Penn had any integrity, he’d call him out on his lie. He didn’t.