Vice President Harris made an appearance with second gentleman Doug Emhoff at the Pride parade in downtown Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
Speaking to residents gathered in the city, Harris called for the Senate to pass the Equality Act to provide expanded protections for LGBT people. The House passed the bill in a nearly party-line vote in February.
“We need to pass the Equality Act. We need to make sure that our transgender community and our youth are all protected. We need still protections around employment and housing,” she told the crowd.
“There is so much more work to do. And I know we are committed and we understand the importance of this movement and our roles of leadership in this ongoing movement. So happy Pride, everyone,” Harris added.
Harris also celebrated Pride in San Francisco when she served as a California senator.
The vice president attended the parade following a tough week marked by criticism from members of both parties over her trip to Latin America and handling of the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) blasted Harris’s comments urging would-be migrants from Guatemala to “not come” to the U.S.
Harris also caught flak over an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt in which she acknowledged not having been to the border, adding when pressed, “I don’t understand the point that you’re making.”
The vice president defended her remarks while touting “progress” on addressing the root causes of migration following meetings with leaders in Guatemala and Mexico.