In his last
speech to the United Nations, US President Barack Obama spoke out against
violence aimed at gays and others around the world.
‘I do not
believe progress is possible if our desire to preserve our identities gives way
to an impulse to dehumanize or dominate another group,’ Obama said on Tuesday
(20 September).
‘If our
religion leads us to persecute those of another faith, if we jail or beat
people who are gay, if our traditions lead us to prevent girls from going to
school, if we discriminate on the basis of race or tribe or ethnicity, then the
fragile bonds of civilization will fray.’
He added: ‘The
world is too small, we are too packed together, for us to be able to resort to
those old ways of thinking.’
Obama is the
first US president to publicly support same-sex marriage while still in office
and has championed other areas of LGBTI equality including allowing gays and
lesbians to serve openly in the US military.
In his UN
speech, Obama also pointed out that even in remote corners of the world,
‘citizens are demanding respect for the dignity of all people no matter their
gender, or race, or religion, or disability, or sexual orientation, and those
who deny others dignity are subject to public reproach.
‘An explosion
of social media has given ordinary people more ways to express themselves, and
has raised people’s expectations for those of us in power.’
A significant part of his legacy will be his advocacy of both inclusion and equality for all people. President Obama stands as a champion of all populations marginalized by the power structure of global society. He is truly a remarkable leader and an inspiration for all.
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