2013 lgbt pride month proclamation

7/28/2019 2013 LGBT Pride Month Proclamation

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THE WHI TE HOUSE

Of f i ce of t he Pr ess Secr et ar y

For I mmedi at e Rel ease May 31, 2013

LESBI AN, GAY, BI SEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRI DE MONTH, 2013

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BY THE PRESI DENT OF THE UNI TED STATES OF AMERI CA

A PROCLAMATI ON

For mor e than t wo cent ur i es, our Nat i on has st r uggl ed tot r ansf or m t he i deal s of l i ber t y and equal i t y f r om f oundi ngpr omi se i nt o l ast i ng r eal i t y. Lesbi an, gay, bi sexual , andt r ansgender ( LGBT) Amer i cans and thei r al l i es have been hard atwor k on t he next gr eat chapt er of t hat hi st or y - - f r om t hepat r ons of The St onewal l I nn who sparked a movement t o servi cemember s who can f i nal l y be honest about who t hey l ove t o br aveyoung peopl e who come out and speak out every day.

Thi s year , we cel ebrat e LGBT Pr i de Mont h at a moment of

gr eat hope and pr ogr ess, r ecogni zi ng that more needs t o be done.Suppor t f or LGBT equal i t y i s growi ng, l ed by a gener at i on whi chunder st ands t hat , i n t he wor ds of Dr . Mar t i n Lut her Ki ng, J r . ,"i nj ust i ce anywher e i s a t hr eat t o j ust i ce ever ywher e. " I n t hepast year , f or t he f i r st t i me, vot er s i n mul t i pl e St at esaf f i r med mar r i age equal i t y f or same- sex coupl es. St at e andl ocal gover nment s have t aken i mport ant st eps t o pr ovi demuch- needed pr ot ect i ons f or t r ansgender Amer i cans.

My Admi ni st r at i on i s a pr oud par t ner i n t he j our ney t owar dLGBT equal i t y. We ext ended hate cr i mes pr otect i ons to i ncl ude

at t acks based on sexual or i ent at i on or gender i dent i t y andr epeal ed "Don' t Ask, Don' t Tel l . " We l i f t ed t he HI V ent r y banand ensur ed hospi t al vi si t at i on r i ght s f or LGBT pat i ent s.Toget her , we have i nvest i gat ed and addr essed pervasi ve bul l yi ngf aced by LGBT st udent s, pr ohi bi t ed di scr i mi nat i on based onsexual or i ent at i on and gender i dent i t y i n Feder al housi ng, andext ended benef i t s f or same- sex domest i c par t ner s. Ear l i er t hi syear , I si gned a reaut hor i zat i on of t he Vi ol ence Agai nst WomenAct ( VAWA) t hat pr ohi bi t s di scr i mi nat i on on t he basi s of sexualor i ent at i on or gender i dent i t y i n t he i mpl ement at i on of anyVAWA- f unded progr am. And because LGBT r i ght s ar e human r i ght s,

my Admi ni st r at i on i s i mpl ement i ng t he f i r st - ever Feder alst r ategy t o advance equal i t y f or LGBT peopl e ar ound t he wor l d.

We have wi t nessed r eal and l ast i ng change, but our worki s not compl et e. I cont i nue t o suppor t a f ul l y i ncl usi veEmpl oyment Non- Di scr i mi nat i on Act , as wel l as t he Respect f orMarr i age Act . My Admi ni st r at i on cont i nues to i mpl ement t heAf f or dabl e Car e Act , whi ch begi nni ng i n 2014, pr ohi bi t s i nsur er sf r om denyi ng coverage to consumers based on t hei r sexualor i ent at i on or gender i dent i t y, as wel l as t he Nat i onal HI V/ AI DSSt r at egy, whi ch addr esses t he di spar at e i mpact of t he HI Vepi demi c among cer t ai n LGBT sub- communi t i es. We have a l ong wayt o go, but i f we cont i nue on t hi s pat h t oget her , I am conf i dent

7/28/2019 2013 LGBT Pride Month Proclamation

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t hat one day soon, f r om coast t o coast , al l of our young peopl ewi l l l ook t o t he f ut ur e wi t h t he same sense of pr omi se andpossi bi l i t y. I am conf i dent because I have seen t he t al ent ,passi on, and commi t ment of LGBT advocates and thei r al l i es, andI know t hat when voi ces ar e j oi ned i n common pur pose, t heycannot be st opped.

NOW, THEREFORE, I , BARACK OBAMA, Pr esi dent of t heUni t ed St at es of Amer i ca, by vi r t ue of t he aut hor i t y vest edi n me by t he Const i t ut i on and the l aws of t he Uni t ed St at es,do her eby pr ocl ai m J une 2013 as Lesbi an, Gay, Bi sexual , andTr ansgender Pr i de Mont h. I cal l upon t he peopl e of t heUni t ed St at es t o el i mi nat e pr ej udi ce ever ywher e i t exi st s,and t o cel ebr at e t he gr eat di ver si t y of t he Amer i can peopl e.

I N WI TNESS WHEREOF, I have her eunt o set my hand t hi st hi r t y- f i r st day of May, i n t he year of our Lor dt wo t housand t hi r t een, and of t he I ndependence of t heUni t ed St ates of Amer i ca t he t wo hundr ed and t hi r t y- sevent h.

BARACK OBAMA

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