Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2014

Proclamation 9136 of May 30, 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--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.