Cher raised $2 million for Biden campaign at LGBTQ-themed fundraiser

Singer Cher raised nearly $2 million for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in an LGBTQ-themed virtual fundraiser on Monday.

“So ask yourself, do you believe in life after Trump?” Cher asked the audience in a nod to her famous single, “Believe.”

The event featured former South Bend, Ind., Mayor and presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg and other openly gay politicians, such as Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).

Cicilline announced at the beginning of the event, which was attended by 500 people, that they had raised nearly $2 million. 

During the fundraiser, Biden pledged to sign the Equality Act in his first 100 days in office.

The bill, which passed the House but has not come up for a vote in the Senate, would add protection for LGBTQ people in various federal statutes. 

The event took place the same day that the the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce endorsed Biden for president.

Democrats have historically polled high among LGBTQ voters, with 82 percent of LGBTQ voters casting their ballot for Democratic House candidates in 2018, according to an NBC News exit poll.

The Trump campaign has also sought to court LGBTQ voters, with Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting Director of National Intelligence, saying in a video that Trump is a champion for LGBTQ rights. 

“President Trump has done more to advance the rights of gays and lesbians in three years than Joe Biden did in 40 plus years in Washington,” said Grenell, who is openly gay.