Former President Joe Biden’s appearance at a 2019 CNN town hall focused on LGBTQ issues featured several unusual exchanges, including a joke in which he put his arm around Anderson Cooper and suggested he had something personal to reveal.
The town hall aired on Oct. 10, 2019, while Biden was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.
CNN partnered with the Human Rights Campaign for the event, which gave LGBTQ Americans and their allies an opportunity to question Democratic candidates about issues affecting the community.
Biden began his portion by arguing that the Democratic candidates largely agreed on LGBTQ policy issues and that differences between them would come down more to what he described as their “degree of emotional concern.”
During the event, Biden repeatedly tried to emphasize how comfortable and supportive he was around gay Americans.
At one point, he complimented a male audience member’s appearance, telling him he looked like he had “just stepped out of Gentlemen’s Quarterly.”
Biden also recounted his 2012 decision to publicly support same-sex marriage while serving as vice president under Barack Obama.
While telling the story, Biden moved toward Cooper, placed his hand on him and reenacted a moment involving Obama showing appreciation for Biden’s stance.
Biden also joked about having “come out” when he announced his support for same-sex marriage.
After the audience laughed, Biden put his arm around Cooper again and said, “I’ve got something to tell you.”
The moment generated attention because Cooper is openly gay and because Biden appeared to be joking about personally coming out.
Slate columnist Christina Cauterucci described the performance at the time as awkward and strained, arguing that Biden appeared to be using humor and physical gestures to demonstrate his support for LGBTQ people.
Biden’s broader message, however, focused on how public attitudes toward gay and lesbian Americans had changed over previous decades.
He argued that discrimination and hostility toward gay people had become less socially acceptable.
“The idea it’s normal. It’s normalized. It’s not anything strange. It’s not strange,” Biden said during the town hall.
He also recalled how public discussions surrounding gay Americans had often focused on stereotypes years earlier.
“Remember, Anderson, back 15, 20 years ago when we talked about this in San Francisco, it was all about, well, gay bath houses,” Biden said.
He continued by referring to stereotypes about “round-the-clock sex” before arguing that gay couples were more likely to stay together longer than heterosexual couples.
Cooper then ended Biden’s segment, saying, “We’re going to leave it there, Mr. Vice President.”
The event also featured several other Democratic presidential candidates, including Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro and Tom Steyer.
The town hall came during a period when LGBTQ protections were a major issue in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
Candidates discussed subjects including employment discrimination, hate crimes, transgender rights, health care and the Equality Act.
Biden’s comments drew particular attention because of the way he mixed policy discussion with personal stories, jokes and physical interaction with Cooper.
The exchange remains one of the more unusual moments from Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, particularly his joke suggesting he had something to tell Cooper immediately after discussing coming out and same-sex marriage.
