President Barack Obama on Friday issued
a proclamation recognizing June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender (LGBT) Pride month.
Obama noted recent victories on the
marriage front but added that more needs to be done.
“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,” Obama
said. “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.”
He added that he supports passage of
the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit
workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity: “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.”
“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,” the president added.
(Read
the full proclamation.)
President Bill Clinton was the first
president to recognize Gay Pride month in 1999.