Most of the openly gay people that have worked with me, that Ive worked with, the one advantage they have is they tend to have more courage than most people have, President Joe Biden said in a recent interview while reflecting on LGBTQ+ activists who have fought against violence and discrimination.Biden reportedly expressed admiration for the men and women who broke the back of the prejudice or began to break the back, starting with those who sparked the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Related President Joe Bidens LGBTQ+ legacy: 45 defining moves he made for equality President Biden has been advancing equality for LGBTQ+ people in the workplace, health care, and other areas of peoples lives. I was really impressed when I went to Stonewall, Biden said, speaking of the 7.7-acre areadesignated as a National Monument in 2016, the nations first monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history. And I was really impressed talking to the guys who stood up at the time. I think the thing that gets underestimated is the physical and moral courage of the community, the people who broke through, who said, Enough, enough, and they risked their lives. Some lost their lives along the way. Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today [They] took their lives in their own hands, Biden continued. Not a joke. It took enormous courage, enormous courage. Most of the openly gay people that have worked with me, that Ive worked with, the one advantage they have is they tend to have more courage than most people have. No, Im serious. I think you guys underestimate that.All the LGBTQ+ people that have worked for me or with me have reinforced my view that its not what your sexual preference is, its what your intellectual capacity is and what your courage is, he added. Its not like someone wakes up one morning says, You know, I want to be transgender, thats what I want to do. What do they think, people wake up, decide one morning, Thats what I wanted its a lot easier being gay, right?During the interview, Biden mentioned the many pro-LGBTQ+ actions his administration has taken, including signing the Respect for Marriage Act, appointing high-level out officials and judges, ending the anti-gay blood donation ban, establishing rules to protect LGBTQ+ kids in foster care, and issuing Title IX and Title VII rules to protect queer students and workers. However, Biden said theres still more to do to secure full LGBTQ+ equality. When a person can get [same-sex] married [and] show up at a restaurant and get thrown out of the restaurant because theyre LGBTQ, thats wrong, he said. Thats why we need the Equality Act. We need to pass it. So, Im going to be doing everything I can to be part of the outside voices, and I hope my foundations that I will be setting back up will talk about equality across the board.The Equality Act would add gender identity and sexual orientation to federal civil rights protections. But to become law, it would need Republican support, at least in the Senate, where it needs 60 out of 100 votes to get past the filibuster. I think there are a lot of really good Republicans that Ive served with, especially in the Senate, who dont have a prejudiced bone in their body about this but are intimidated, Biden said. Because if you take a position, especially in the MAGA Republican Party now, youre going to be theyre going to go after you. Trump is a different breed of cat, Biden said. I mean, I dont want to make this political, but everything hes done has been anti, anti-LGBTQ, I mean, across the board.Biden also criticized Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who expressed interest in the nations highest court possibly overturning its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, calling Thomas view just pure, simple prejudice.My dad used to say that everyones entitled to be treated with dignity, Biden said, noting that, when he was a teen, he expressed surprise to his father over seeing two men kiss. His father explained, Joey, its simple. They love each other.As a consequence of that, most of the things that Ive done have related to just [what] I think is basic fairness and basic decency,Biden said.