VP Kamala Harris takes part in D.C.’s LGBTQ Pride rally

June 12 (UPI) — After the coronavirus pandemic left most Pride parades and events canceled in 2020, Vice President Kamala Harris joined the CapitalPride Walk and Rally in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.

The Washington parade was one of the numerous Pride celebrations held in cities around the country Saturday.

Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff took to the street with other parade participants as they waved to the crowd as they moved through downtown toward Freedom Plaza. The parade visit did not appear on Harris’s schedule Saturday.

“We need to make sure that our transgender community and our youth are all protected,” Harris said in brief remarks, according to WRC-TV. “We need, still, protections around employment and housing. There is so much more work to do, and I know we are committed.”

Harris told residents the Senate needs to pass the Equality Act to provide protections for the LGBTQ+ community. The bill was passed in February by the House but has languished in the Senate since.

“We need to pass the Equality Act,” Harris told the crowd, according to The Hill newspaper. “There is so much more work to do. I know we are committed and we understand the importance of this movement and our roles of leadership in this ongoing movement.”