ABOVE: Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo via Harris’ Facebook page.
With school starting again at the end of summer, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff met virtually with LGBTQ high school students Sept. 1 in a year marked by a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation in state legislatures, including the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” measure signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Emhoff hosted the roundtable with the LGBTQ students to hear “about their back-to-school experience,” and measures advanced by state legislatures were a key component of the conversation, according to a readout of the talk the White House issued Sept. 2.
“During the meeting, the students shared how legislation in states that targets and discriminates against the LGBTQI+ community has impacted them and their peers,” the readout says. “They referenced Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill and the need to defend and protect LGBTQI+ rights.”
The Biden administration’s work in supporting LGBTQ youth was among the efforts Emhoff highlighted during the virtual meeting, the White House readout says, as well as marks intended to “encourage civic participation among young people and expressed his commitment for ensuring that every young person feels safe and loved for who they are.”
