Joe Biden becomes first President-elect to mention trans people in victory speech

Joe Biden became the first President-elect to mention trans people in a victory speech over the weekend.

The Democrat leader was addressing crowds in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday night when he made the comments.

Biden was capping a dramatic election week which saw him beat Republican leader and incumbent President Donald Trump. At the time of writing, Biden had amassed 75,404,182 votes and 290 electoral college votes to Trump’s 70,903,094 votes and 214 electoral college votes.

“Young, old, urban, suburban, rural, gay, straight, transgender”

The 77-year-old said: “I’m proud of the campaign we built and ran. I’m proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse coalition in history.

“Democrats, Republicans, independents, progressives, moderates, conservatives, young, old, urban, suburban, rural, gay, straight, transgender, white, Latino, Asian, Native American.”

Biden continued: “Especially those moments when this campaign was at its lowest ebb, the African American community stood up again for me. You’ve always had my back, and I’ll have yours.

“I said at the outset, I wanted this campaign to represent and look like America. We’ve done that. Now that’s what I want the administration to look like and act like.

“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance.”

“We have never been a collection of red states and blue state”

Biden’s speech follows fellow Democrat and former President Barack Obama’s in 2008, which was the first to mention gay people.

Obama said at the time: “It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”

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