About Joe Biden:
Joseph "Joe" Biden, born November 20, 1942, is a senior senator from Delaware. Biden received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Syracuse University College of Law in 1968 and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969. In 1970, he was elected to the New Castle County, County Council. Biden won a seat on the senate in 1973 and has served as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is the current chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Biden was selected as Senator Barack Obama's running mate for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
Joe Biden on Gay Marriage:
Senator Biden does not believe same-sex couples should be denied legal protections. He supports state level decisions on the definition of those rights: civil unions, full marriage or otherwise. Ironically, Joe Biden voted in favor of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), yet voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA).
Joe Biden on Gay Adoption:
Senator Biden is a supporter of same-sex adoption. According to the HRC 2008 Presidential Questionnaire, "Senator Biden believes that committed adults who are adopting should not be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation."
Joe Biden on Gays in the Military:
Joe Biden is a supporter of gays in the military. "I've been in these foxholes with these kids, literally in bunkers with them," Senator Biden said in at the June 2007 Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College. "Let me tell you something, nobody asked anybody else whether they're gay in those foxholes. Our allies–the British, the French, all our major allies–gays openly serve. I don't know the last time an American soldier said to a backup from a Brit, 'Hey, by the way, let me check. Are you gay? Are you straight?' This is ridiculous."
Joe Biden on Employment Non-Discrimination:
Senator Biden supports ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination), which would provide protections against sexual identity based discrimination in the workplace.
Joe Biden on Federal Hate Crime Legislation:
Joe Biden is a co-sponsor of the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (S. 1105), which would provide protections based on sexual orientation and gender expression.
Joe Biden on HIV/AIDS:
As Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Biden was instrumental in the passage of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which included a clause that repealed the controversial travel and immigration ban on people living with HIV. Senator Biden was also a co-sponsor of the original Ryan White Care Act and
has supported all reauthorization efforts.
