Biden: Marriage Equality is the 'Civil Rights Issue of Our Day'

Vice President Joe Biden attended a steak-fry fundraiser for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on Sunday and, in a speech, called marriage equality the "issue of our day," the Huffington Post reports.

"A lot of people criticized me for speaking out, not long ago, about gay marriage. I could not remain silent any longer," Biden said. "It's the civil rights of our day. It's the issue of our day."

Biden was referring to a 2012 interview on "Meet the Press" when host David Gregory asked him if he was "comfortable" with same-sex marriage.

"I am vice-president of the United States of America," Biden said on the program. "The president sets the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction - beyond that."

HuffPo reports that Biden defended marriage equality just a week ago, during the 19th anniversary celebration of the Violence Against Women Act. He mentioned the "Meet the Press" interview again and added that he "makes no apologies on the issue of marriage."

Check out a clip of Biden's comments at the fundraiser below: