Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it. pic.twitter.com/Ya2mf5ODts

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 3, 2019

In a video posted to Twitter, former Vice President Joe Biden apologizes for making women uncomfortable with physical touches and kisses. His apology comes after a former Democratic political candidate – Lucy Flores – wrote an article for The Cut detailing an “awkward kiss” that Biden had given to the back of her head at a political event in 2014. She wrote, “The vice president of the United States of America had just touched me in an intimate way reserved for close friends, family, or romantic partners — and I felt powerless to do anything about it.” Biden had been subject to other criticism, and sometimes less serious mockery, for his close physical interactions with people he encountered as a politician, especially women. Flores’ accusation was followed up with more scathing columns about Biden’s behavior from feminist writers like Rebecca Traister and Jessica Valenti. In his apology, Biden accepts responsibility for his behavior and says he will “be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future.” The attention to Biden’s behavior was especially notable in the context of the #MeToo movement and reckoning over previously overlooked practices that reinforced and/or exploited gender inequities in power.