Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis has
thanked President Barack Obama for his contributions to the gay
rights movement.
During an address Friday at the
National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce's annual fundraiser in
Washington D.C., Solis praised the Obama administration’s record of
“firsts.”
“[T]hink about all the 'firsts' that
this president and our administration have delivered,” Solis said
during her keynote
speech. “For the first time in American history, gays and
lesbians can now serve openly in the United States military. For the
first time, our laws affirm that you don't have to be straight to
shoot straight. And now, when we defend America, we're finally
defending the right of our soldiers to love openly – without fear,
without persecution and without shame.”
“For the first time, we've sent a
message across this country that hate crimes will not be tolerated.”
“Barack Obama is the first president
to look into the camera and tell millions of LGBT and questioning
youth not to give up, not to give in and to speak up if they are
being bullied,” she said, referring to the
president's It Gets Better video.
“For the first time, we've told our
hospitals that if you want Medicare and Medicaid funds, you will not
separate same-sex couples when they need each other the most.”
“For the first time, we have a
president who says the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is
discriminatory, runs counter to our laws and should be repealed,”
she added.