Obama Proclaims June 2014 LGBT Pride Month

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2014

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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 -- from immigration
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