26 February 2016•Update: 26 February 2016
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Vice President Joe Biden will attend the Academy Awards this weekend to highlight the issue of sexual assault, the White House said Thursday.
He will introduce pop star Lady Gaga before her performance of Til It Happens to You, nominated for Best Original Song for its appearance in the movie, The Hunting Ground.
The film examines the issue of rape on campus.
“The vice president has done a lot of important work in leading the effort to end violence against women, to end sexual assault,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.
“I think the vice president's passion for this issue will be evident once again on Sunday night.”
Biden’s appearance is part of the White House’s larger “It’s On Us” campaign, which aims to change the culture around campus sexual assault.
One in five women, and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted in college, according the campaign.
The vice president’s visit to the star-studded event comes amid an ongoing controversy over the award show’s relatively low number of minority candidates, but Biden is not expected to take up the issue.
“His appearance is relatively brief, and will thus, you know, be focused on this issue on which he's got quite a long track record,” Earnest said, referring to Biden’s work on sexual assault awareness.
Biden's wife, Dr. Jill Biden, will reportedly join him at the 88th Academy Awards in Hollywood.
