United States President Joe Biden commemorated the National Coming Out Day on Monday in a White House press release reaffirming his support to the people associated with the LGBTQ+ community. “You are loved for who you are, you are admired for your courage”, Biden said in the statement.

Biden, a member of the Democratic party, also spoke about The Equality Act, which is aimed at tweaking the 1964 Civil Rights Act, to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. Even though the legislation has crossed the first hurdle of getting approval in the United States House of Representatives, its fate in the thinly divided Senate is unclear.

Biden said in the statement, “From defeating discriminatory bills to passing the Equality Act, we have more work to do to ensure that every American can live free of fear, harassment, and discrimination because of who they are or whom they love.”

Also Read: Superman’s son Jonathan Kent to come out as bisexual, DC says

On the other hand, the US President said that America still has to “ensure the full promise of equality”. Biden acknowledged bullying, harassment and discrimination that is faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the United States.

“Anti-LGBTQ+ bills still proliferate in state legislatures. Bullying and harassment — particularly of young transgender Americans and LGBTQ+ people of color — still abounds, diminishing our national character”, the White House press release read on Monday.

The United States celebrates October 11 as National Coming Out Day, a day to meant to spread awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other sexual and romantic identities. Among the queer communities in the US, the day marks people “coming out of the closet” and accepting their sexual identities in public. People from across the country celebrate the day to garner a greater sense of inclusivity in society.