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| President Obama thanked LGBT Americans for their 'great and lasting contributions' to the nation. (Photo by Chris Carlson/AP) | |
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By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
Jun 1 2009, 4:12 PM |
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President Obama on Monday officially proclaimed June to be Pride month and called on the U.S. government and American people "to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
The statement, which can downloaded here, marks the first time in eight years that the White House has officially commemorated Pride. Former President Clinton made such proclamations in 1999 and 2000; the Bush administration did not continue the practice.
In the proclamation, Obama praised the work of LGBT Americans in contributing to the nation.
"LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society," he said. "There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities."
Obama noted that Pride this year commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which are seen as the catalyst for the modern LGBT rights movement.
"Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the [LGBT] community," he said. "During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans."
Obama also touted the work that he has done benefitting the LGBT community since he took office.
He noted that he was the first president to nominate openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an administration. He also noted that he had the U.S. join efforts at the United Nations to support a resolution that would decriminalize homosexuality throughout the world.
"The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done," he said. "LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect."
Obama also reiterated his support for hate crimes legislation, civil unions and federal rights for LGBT people, outlawing discrimination in the workplace and ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law "in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security."
The president also called on the nation to recommit itself to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic domestically and overseas.
"These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation," he said. "As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected."
Obama's proclamation came the same day that Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton recognized June as Pride month and
pledged to work toward ending discrimination against LGBT people.
"In honor of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and on behalf of the State Department, I extend our appreciation to the global LGBT community for its courage and determination during the past 40 years, and I offer our support for the significant work that still lies ahead," she said.
A source familiar
with the State Department said Clinton’s statement marks the first
time in eight years that the department has acknowledged June as Pride
month.
Clinton noted that
LGBT people living overseas “live under constant threat of arrest,
violence, [and] even torture.” She pledged to step up State Department
efforts at ending human rights abuses against LGBT people overseas.
“The persecution
of gays and lesbians is a violation of human rights and an affront to
human decency, and it must end,” she said. “As Secretary of State,
I will advance a comprehensive human rights agenda that includes the
elimination of violence and discrimination against people based on sexual
orientation or gender identity.”
In the statement,
Clinton acknowledged the significance of the 40th anniversary of the
Stonewall riots, which are largely seen as the catalyst for the modern
LGBT rights movement.
“Forty years ago
this month, the gay rights movement began with the Stonewall riots in
New York City, as gays and lesbians demanded an end to the persecution
they had long endured,” she said. “Now, after decades of hard work,
the fight has grown into a global movement to achieve a world in which
all people live free from violence and fear, regardless of their sexual
orientation or gender identity.”
Clinton said the State
Department and the Obama administration is “grateful” for its LGBT
employees in D.C. and around the world.
“They and their
families make many sacrifices to serve our nation,” she said. “Their
contributions are vital to our efforts to establish stability, prosperity
and peace worldwide.”
Clinton is reportedly
expected to make an announcement that would address the inequities faced
by gay Foreign Service officers with same-sex partners, although the
statement issued on Monday doesn’t directly address those issues.
Unlike the spouses
of straight Foreign Service officers, the partners of gay Foreign
Service officers aren’t included in travel orders, aren’t eligible
for health insurance, aren’t entitled to emergency or medical evacuation
and aren’t eligible for more than basic language and security training.
A State Department
memo leaked to the media last month indicates that Clinton is planning
to end these inequities soon.
Clinton says in the
leaked memo that the State Department “will be extending a number
of benefits and allowances to domestic partners of members of the Foreign
Service assigned abroad.”
“Historically, domestic
partners of Foreign Service members have not been provided the same
training, benefits, allowances, and protections that other family members
receive,” she said. “These inequities are unfair and must end.”
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