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a president who says the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is discriminatory, runs counter to our laws and should be repealed,” she added.