Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was
honored with an American flag on Independence Day for her support of
gay rights.
The flag was commissioned by the
Kaleidoscope Trust, the official charity partner for World Pride in
London, and designed by American artist Sam Gassman.
Sewn into the artwork is the full text
of Clinton's speech on gay rights to the United Nations.
In her 2011 address, Clinton condemned
laws that discriminate against gay people as a violation of human
rights.
“It is a violation of human rights
when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation,
or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and
women should look or behave,” Clinton said.
“It is a violation of human rights
when governments declare it is illegal to be gay or allow those who
harm gay people to go unpunished.”
The flag was on display at the House of
Parliament on Wednesday.
A videotaped acceptance message from
Clinton will be shown at a pride gala dinner on Thursday.
Gassman explained that the flag
included 78 named stars “in shadow” representing the “remaining
countries having poor to terrible gay rights laws.”