Biden lauds 'extraordinary' courage of LGBTQ Americans at White House Pride event

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed LGBTQ Americans to the White House on Saturday for a picnic and concert to commemorate Pride Month.

"You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. And you belong," Biden said in his remarks on the South Lawn to a cheering crowd.

The president praised the "extraordinary" courage of LGBTQ Americans, while acknowledging the discrimination and violence the community faces.

"No one should have to fear for their safety in this country," he said, recognizing survivors of the Pulse nightclub and Club Q shootings who were present at the event.

As Biden looks to secure another term in office, he reassured the crowd - who at one point chanted "four more years" - that LGBTQ rights were a "top priority" both at home and abroad. He touted a number of steps taken by his administration to protect civil rights and tied stricter protections against gun violence to protecting the LGBTQ community.

But Biden admitted, "For all the progress we've made, we know challenges still remain."

"When a person can be married in the morning but thrown out of a restaurant for being gay in the afternoon, something is still very wrong in America," the president said.