Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has
recorded a video recognizing June as Gay Pride Month.
“I want to personally thank all of
our gay and lesbian service members, LGBT civilians and their
families for their dedicated service to our country,” Panetta says
in his 2-minute video released Friday.
“Before the repeal of 'Don't Ask,
Don't Tell' you faithfully served your country with professionalism
and courage. And just like your fellow service members, you put your
country before yourself. And now after repeal, you can be proud of
serving your country and be proud of who you are when in uniform.”
(The video is embedded in the right panel of this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
The video comes a day after the AP
reported that the Pentagon
is preparing to hold its first ever Gay Pride celebration later
this month.
Panetta's statement follows a
proclamation
by President Barack Obama declaring June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgender Pride Month.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also
released a
similar video wishing the gay community a happy Pride Month.
Neither Panetta nor Clinton mentioned
Obama's endorsement of gay marriage in their videos.