Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Pride Month, 2011

Proclamation 8685 of May 31, 2011

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Pride
Month, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The story of America's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our
fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our
friends and neighbors who continue the task of making
our country a more perfect Union. It is a story about
the struggle to realize the great American promise that
all people can live with dignity and fairness under the
law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous
individuals who have fought to achieve this promise for
LGBT Americans, and we rededicate ourselves to the
pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual
orientation or gender identity.

Since taking office, my Administration has made
significant progress towards achieving equality for
LGBT Americans. Last December, I was proud to sign the
repeal of the discriminatory ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell''
policy. With this repeal, gay and lesbian Americans
will be able to serve openly in our Armed Forces for
the first time in our Nation's history. Our national
security will be strengthened and the heroic
contributions these Americans make to our military, and
have made throughout our history, will be fully
recognized.

My Administration has also taken steps to eliminate
discrimination against LGBT Americans in Federal
housing programs and to give LGBT Americans the right
to visit their loved ones in the hospital. We have made
clear through executive branch nondiscrimination
policies that discrimination on the basis of gender
identity in the Federal workplace will not be
tolerated. I have continued to nominate and appoint
highly qualified, openly LGBT individuals to executive
branch and judicial positions. Because we recognize
that LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration
stands with advocates of equality around the world in
leading the fight against pernicious laws targeting
LGBT persons and malicious attempts to exclude LGBT
organizations from full participation in the
international system. We led a global campaign to
ensure ``sexual orientation'' was included in the
United Nations resolution on extrajudicial execution--
the only United Nations resolution that specifically
mentions LGBT people--to send the unequivocal message
that no matter where it occurs, state-sanctioned
killing of gays and lesbians is indefensible. No one
should be harmed because of who they are or who they
love, and my Administration has mobilized unprecedented
public commitments from countries around the world to
join in the fight against hate and homophobia.

At home, we are working to address and eliminate
violence against LGBT individuals through our
enforcement and implementation of the Matthew Shepard
and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We are
also working to reduce the threat of bullying against
young people, including LGBT youth. My Administration
is actively engaged with educators and community
leaders across America to reduce violence and
discrimination in schools. To help dispel the myth that
bullying is a harmless or inevitable part of growing
up, the First Lady and I hosted the first White House
Conference on Bullying Prevention in March. Many senior
Administration officials have also joined

me in reaching out to LGBT youth who have been bullied
by recording ``It Gets Better'' video messages to
assure them they are not alone.

This month also marks the 30th anniversary of the
emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has had a
profound impact on the LGBT community. Though we have
made strides in combating this devastating disease,
more work remains to be done, and I am committed to
expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Last
year, I announced the first comprehensive National HIV/
AIDS Strategy for the United States. This strategy
focuses on combinations of evidence-based approaches to
decrease new HIV infections in high risk communities,
improve care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and
reduce health disparities. My Administration also
increased domestic HIV/AIDS funding to support the Ryan
White HIV/AIDS Program and HIV prevention, and to
invest in HIV/AIDS-related research. However,
government cannot take on this disease alone. This
landmark anniversary is an opportunity for the LGBT
community and allies to recommit to raising awareness
about HIV/AIDS and continuing the fight against this
deadly pandemic.

Every generation of Americans has brought our Nation
closer to fulfilling its promise of equality. While
progress has taken time, our achievements in advancing
the rights of LGBT Americans remind us that history is
on our side, and that the American people will never
stop striving toward liberty and justice for all.

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 2011 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
thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.