President Joe Biden denounced Florida's recent rash of anti-transgender legislation as "close to sinful" in a recent interview.
He also suggested that trans rights should be protected on the federal level.
"What's going on in Florida is, as my mother would say, close to sinful," Biden told "The Daily Show."
"It’s just terrible what they’re doing," added Biden.
The president's comments come as a record number of state legislatures across the country are introducing bills to crack down on a number of transgender policies — from restricting trans athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports to mandating transgender people use the bathrooms that align with their biological sex.
Florida will soon enact a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, including prohibiting doctors from prescribing hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgical procedures for minor patients.
While he didn’t specify which rules were most concerning, Biden said efforts to restrict transgender rights were "cruel."
"It's not like a kid wakes up one morning and says, 'You know, I decided I wanted to become a man or want to become a woman, or I want to change,'" said Biden. "I mean, what are they thinking about here? They're human beings. They love, they have feelings, they have inclinations."
Biden continued: "It just, to me, is, I dunno, it’s cruel. And the way we do it is make sure we pass legislation like we passed on same-sex marriage. You mess with that, you're breaking the law, and you’re going to be held accountable."
According to data collected by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and shared with CNN, at least 385 bills targeting LGBTQ life have been introduced nationwide through March 7, outpacing last year's total of 306.
Biden also maintained his support for same-sex marriage, describing the experience of seeing two "well-dressed men" kissing outside a Delaware office building when he was young.
"I'll never forget — I turned and looked at my dad," Biden recounted. "He said, 'Joey, it's simple. They love each other.'"
Despite that memory, in 1996, then-Senator Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. The legislation defined marriage as existing between a man and a woman.
Evolving over time, Biden's views on the subject changed to such a degree that he signed new federal protections for same-sex couples at the end of last year.
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