Biden formally recognizes LGBTQ Pride Month, restarting a tradition that Trump abandoned

• Biden officially recognized June as Pride Month on Tuesday.
• The Trump administration neglected to officially declare Pride Month for the past four years.
• Pride Month celebrates and support the LGBTQ+ community.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally declared June as Pride Month and reiterated his pledge to defend the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the US.

"This Pride Month, we recognize the valuable contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals across America, and we reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with LGBTQ+ Americans in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice," Biden said in a presidential proclamation marking the beginning of Pride, a month commemorated with parades and festivities across the country in support of LGBTQ+ rights.

Biden's executive action on Tuesday marks a return to a president who officially recognizes Pride Month. For eight years, former President Barack Obama issued presidential proclamations for Pride. But former President Donald Trump halted the tradition when he took office.

The White House weighed in on the difference, saying in a statement that "after four years of relentless attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic actions to accelerate the march toward full LGBTQ+ equality."

Trump once recognized Pride Month in a tweet in 2019, yet he neglected to issue a presidential proclamation for Pride during his four years as commander-in-chief.

On his first day in office, Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to re-enforce protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in education, employment, healthcare, housing, and other areas.

A few days later, Biden reversed a Trump-era policy that largely banned transgender people from serving in the US military. "It's simple: America is safer when everyone qualified to serve can do so openly and with pride," Biden said at the time.

The Biden administration last month also authorized US embassies to fly the Pride flag, repealing another Trump administration decision.

On Tuesday, Biden touted his administration's efforts to fight for the LGBTQ+ community and said he "will not rest until full equality for LGBTQ+ Americans is finally achieved and codified into law."

He called on Congress to approve the Equality Act, a bill that aims to expand civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. The House passed the legislation in February, but the Senate has yet to take it up.

Biden also acknowledged the "tragic levels of violence against transgender people, especially transgender women of color" and how several states have introduced "discriminatory" bills targeting trans athletes in schools.