The Biden-Harris campaign is prominently featuring Black LGBTQ+ activists in a new set of television and digital ads released this week. Touting Biden and Harris' commitment to equality in the ads are Wisconsinite, Chris Walton, chairman of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County; Atlanta activists Jauan Durbin and Keon Berry, and Feroza Syed, a transgender activist and original member of the House of Balenciaga.
In Walton’s ad, he talks about seeing Biden as an ally because of his support for marriage equality, while Donald Trump has demonized LGBTQ+ people, reports The Advocate. In another ad, Feroza and Jauan discuss LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance in a potential Biden-Harris administration, and in the third, Jauan and Keon note the importance of voting and the qualities that Biden and Harris bring to the ticket.
Patrick Saunders of Project Q Atlanta has more background on Atlanta residents Syed and Durbin.
Syed and Durbin are both members of the ballroom family the House of Balenciaga. Durbin is a senior sociology major at Morehouse College and was the first openly LGBTQ person to win the title of Mr. Historically Black Colleges & Universities, according to Vice.
“I believe that it was imperative that the Biden campaign spotlight the LGBTQIA+ community during this election season because equity for all should be at the core of American life and standard,” he told Project Q. “By acknowledging and affirming both our identities and differences, we can begin to truly foster an even stronger sense of community.”
Durbin and Morehouse College senior Keon Berry are featured in another Biden campaign ad talking in Cleopas Johnson Park in downtown Atlanta. Berry, who is straight, is the founder and president of the educational non-profit Berry Academy.
Watch the ads below: