WASHINGTON — The White
House on Friday issued a proclamation by President Barack
Obama, declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride
Month, saying his administration “stands alongside all those who fight for LGBT
rights.”
“As we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn
defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every
brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out, as well as the allies who
supported them along the way,” said Obama, in this, the sixth consecutive year
he has issued the proclamation.
Presidential Proclamation —
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2014
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND
TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2014
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As progress spreads from State to
State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow
Americans are treated with dignity and respect — our Nation becomes not only
more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed
freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that
remains.
Last year, supporters of equality
celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of
Marriage Act, a ruling which, at long last, gave loving, committed
families the respect and legal protections they deserve. In keeping with this
decision, my Administration is extending family and spousal benefits — fromimmigration benefits
to military family
benefits — to legally married same-sex couples.
My Administration proudly stands
alongside all those who fight for LGBT rights. Here at home, we have
strengthened laws against violence toward LGBT Americans, taken action to
prevent bullying and
harassment, and prohibited discrimination in
housing and hospitals. Despite this progress, LGBT workers in too many States
can be fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender
identity; I continue to call on the Congress to correct this injustice
by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And in the years
ahead, we will remain dedicated to addressing health disparities within the
LGBT community by implementing the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy
— which focuses on improving care while decreasing HIV transmission rates among
communities most at risk.
Our commitment to advancing equality
for the LGBT community extends far beyond our borders. In many places around
the globe, LGBT people face persecution, arrest, or even state-sponsored
execution. This is unacceptable. The United States calls on every nation to
join us in defending the universal human rights of our LGBT brothers and
sisters.
This month, as we mark 45 years since
the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent
movement, let us honor every brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out,
as well as the allies who supported them along the way. Following their
example, let each of us speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity — because if
hearts and minds continue to change over time, laws will too.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA,
President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim
June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon
the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists,
and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto
set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand
fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA
Obama has issued the Pride Month
proclamation every year since taking office in 2009. Prior his administration,
President Bill Clinton was the last president to issue
such a proclamation, first doing so in 1999 and then in 2000 before he left
office. President George W. Bush never issued a proclamation commemorating LGBT pride.
Obama will host a reception at the
White House on June 30 to commemorate Pride month.
