Kamala Harris parties with the Queer Eye cast... but tells guests why there is a reason 'not to celebrate' this Pride Month
- The vice president also threw a special Pride Month party at her residence
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Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated the 20th anniversary of the show Queer Eye on Thursday as part of her ongoing celebration of Pride Month.
The vice president welcomed co-founders and producers of the show David Collins and Michael Williams to her ceremonial office at the White House Executive Office Building as well as cast members Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez, Karamo Brown, and Jonathan Van Ness.
The group was noticeably missing prominent star Bobby Berk, who announced in January he was leaving the show after an alleged dispute with one of his costars.
The group of stars and cast members were welcomed by Harris despite controversy roiling the long-running reality show after star Van Ness was labeled a 'monster' in a shocking Rolling Stone exposé.
Van Ness, who identifies as nonbinary, was accused of being 'emotionally abusive', having 'rage issues', and being a 'nightmare,' by sources.
Kamala Harris speaks at a Pride celebration at the vice president's residence
Harris was expected to have a conversation with the creators and cast to talk about the show's impact on its 20th anniversary, but she opened up the event with comments on the Supreme Court ruling on the abortion pill.
'This is not a cause for celebration,' she said, 'Because the reality is certain things are still not going to change. We are looking at the fact that two thirds of women of reproductive age in America live in a state with a Trump abortion ban. This ruling is not going to change that.'
With President Joe Biden spending most of his June in Europe, the vice president has taken the lead on celebrating Pride Month by opening up access to LGBT journalists, social media influencers, and celebrities.
On Thursday evening, Harris threw a Pride celebration at the vice president's residence with members of the Queer Eye cast and other prominent LGBT figures in Washington, DC including California U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, Chasten Buttigieg, and Politico's White House correspondent Eugene Daniels, according to The Advocate.
LGBT celebrities Raven Symone, Billy Porter, and Dyllon Burnside also attended. Drag performer and winner of the show Ru Paul's Drag Race Nymphia Wind emceed the event.
Harris urged her guests to celebrate their cultural victories and remember the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse gay nightclub shooting eight years ago.
'It is important that every day we remember the struggle but we also not allow anyone or anything to strip us of our joy and so we remember the struggle and in the struggle we always remember that the sacrifices and the pain are almost unbearable but for the sake and in memory of those who have sacrificed so much,' she said.
Kamala Harris welcomed the stars of the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to celebrate their 20th anniversary of the show
Kamala Harris welcomed LGTB figures to a Pride event at her residence
Last week Harris met with a crowd of cheering LGTB figures at Los Angeles Airport and gave an exclude interview to the Washington Blade about the upcoming election.
She warned that former President Donald Trump represented a threat to the gay community, even as they were celebrating their progress.
'All of that progress is on the line this November. Donald Trump and his MAGA allies attack Americans' rights and freedoms – and have all but promised to go after the right to love who you love, ban books, and restrict surrogacy,' she said.
