Remarks by President Obama at the
LGBT Pride Month White House Reception, June 29, 2009
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Hello,
hello, hello. (Applause.) Hey! Good to see you. (Applause.) I'm
waiting for FLOTUS here. FLOTUS always politics more than POTUS.
MRS. OBAMA: No, you move too slow.
(Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: It is great to see
everybody here today and they're just -- I've got a lot of friends in
the room, but there are some people I want to especially acknowledge.
First of all, somebody who helped ensure that we are in the White
House, Steve Hildebrand. Please give Steve a big round of applause.
(Applause.) Where's Steve? He's around here somewhere. (Applause.)
The new chair of the Export-Import
Bank, Fred Hochberg. (Applause.) Where's Fred? There's Fred. Good
to see you, Fred. Our Director of the Institute of Education
Sciences at DOE, John Easton. Where's John? (Applause.) A couple
of special friends -- Bishop Gene Robinson. Where's Gene?
(Applause.) Hey, Gene. Ambassador Michael Guest is here.
(Applause.) Ambassador Jim Hormel is here. (Applause.) Oregon
Secretary of State Kate Brown is here. (Applause.) All of you are
here. (Laughter and applause.) Welcome to your White House.
(Applause.) So.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
(Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Somebody asked from the
Lincoln Bedroom here. (Laughter.) You knew I was from Chicago too.
(Laughter.)
It's good to see so many friends and
familiar faces, and I deeply appreciate the support I've received
from so many of you. Michelle appreciates it and I want you to know
that you have our support as well. (Applause.) And you have my
thanks for the work you do every day in pursuit of … equality on
behalf of the millions of people in this country who work hard and
care about their communities -- and who are gay, lesbian, bisexual,
or transgender. (Applause.)
Now this struggle, I don't need to tell
you, is incredibly difficult, although I think it's important to
consider the extraordinary progress that we have made. There are
unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop. And though
we've made progress, there are still fellow citizens, perhaps
neighbors or even family members and loved ones, who still hold fast
to worn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families
like their families; and who would deny you the rights that most
Americans take for granted. And I know this is painful and I know it
can be heartbreaking.
And yet all of you continue, leading by
the force of the arguments you make but also by the power of the
example that you set in your own lives -- as parents and friends, as
PTA members and leaders in the community. And that's important, and
I'm glad that so many LGBT families could join us today. (Applause.)
For we know that progress depends not only on changing laws but also
changing hearts. And that real, transformative change never begins in
Washington (cellphone "quacks"). Whose duck is back there?
(Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: It's a duck.
THE PRESIDENT: There's a duck quacking
in there somewhere. (Laughter.) Where do you guys get these ring
tones, by the way? (Laughter.) I'm just curious. (Laughter.)
Indeed, that's the story of the
movement for fairness and equality -- not just for those who are gay,
but for all those in our history who've been denied the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship; who've been told that the full
blessings and opportunities of this country were closed to them. It's
the story of progress sought by those who started off with little
influence or power; by men and women who brought about change through
quiet, personal acts of compassion and courage and sometimes defiance
wherever and whenever they could.
That's the story of a civil rights
pioneer who's here today, Frank Kameny, who was fired -- (applause.)
Frank was fired from his job as an astronomer for the federal
government simply because he was gay. And in 1965, he led a protest
outside the White House, which was at the time both an act of
conscience but also an act of extraordinary courage. And so we are
proud of you, Frank, and we are grateful to you for your leadership.
(Applause.)
It's the story of the Stonewall
protests, which took place 40 years ago this week, when a group of
citizens -- with few options and fewer supporters -- decided they'd
had enough and refused to accept a policy of wanton discrimination.
And two men who were at those protests are here today. Imagine the
journey that they've traveled.
It's the story of an epidemic that
decimated a community -- and the gay men and women who came to
support one another and save one another; and who continue to fight
this scourge; and who demonstrated before the world that different
kinds of families can show the same compassion and support in a time
of need -- that we all share the capacity to love.
So this story, this struggle, continues
today -- for even as we face extraordinary challenges as a nation, we
cannot -- and will not -- put aside issues of basic equality.
(Applause.) We seek an America in which no one feels the pain of
discrimination based on who you are or who you love.
And I know that many in this room don't
believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that.
It's not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for
others to counsel patience to African Americans who were petitioning
for equal rights a half-century ago.
But I say this: We have made progress
and we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope
to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the
promises that my administration keeps. And by the time you receive --
(applause.) We've been in office six months now. I suspect that by
the time this administration is over, I think you guys will have
pretty good feelings about the Obama administration. (Applause.)
Now while there is much more work to
do, we can point to important changes we've already put in place
since coming into office. I've signed a memorandum requiring all
agencies to extend as many federal benefits as possible to LGBT
families as current law allows.
And these are benefits that will make a
real difference for federal employees and Foreign Service Officers,
who are so often treated as if their families don't exist. And I'd
like to note that one of the key voices in helping us develop this
policy is John Berry, our director of the Office of Personnel
Management, who is here today. And I want to thank John Berry.
(Applause.)
I've called on Congress to repeal the
so-called Defense of Marriage Act to help end discrimination --
(applause) -- to help end discrimination against same-sex couples in
this country. Now I want to add we have a duty to uphold existing
law, but I believe we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate
old divides. And fulfilling this duty in upholding the law in no way
lessens my commitment to reversing this law. I've made that clear.
I'm also urging Congress to pass the
Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act, which will guarantee
the full range of benefits, including healthcare, to LGBT couples and
their children. (Applause.) My administration is also working hard to
pass an employee nondiscrimination bill and hate-crimes bill, and
we're making progress on both fronts. (Applause.) Judy and Dennis
Shepard, as well as their son Logan, are here today. I met with Judy
in the Oval Office in May -- (applause) -- and I assured her and I
assured all of you that we are going to pass an inclusive hate-crimes
bill into law, a bill named for their son Matthew. (Applause.)
In addition, my administration is
committed to rescinding the discriminatory ban on entry to the United
States based on HIV status. (Applause.) The Office of Management and
Budget just concluded a review of a proposal to repeal this entry
ban, which is a first and very big step toward ending this policy.
And we all know that HIV/AIDS continues
to be a public health threat in many communities, including right
here in the District of Columbia. And that's why this past Saturday,
on National HIV Testing Day, I was proud once again to encourage all
Americans to know their status and get tested the way Michelle and I
know our status and got tested. (Applause.)
And finally, I want to say a word about
"don't ask, don't tell." As I said before -- I'll say it
again -- I believe "don't ask, don't tell" doesn't
contribute to our national security. (Applause.) In fact, I believe
preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our
national security. (Applause.)
Now, my administration is already
working with the Pentagon and members of the House and the Senate on
how we'll go about ending this policy, which will require an act of
Congress.
Someday, I'm confident, we'll look back
at this transition and ask why it generated such angst, but as
commander in chief, in a time of war, I do have a responsibility to
see that this change is administered in a practical way and a way
that takes over the long term. That's why I've asked the secretary of
Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop a
plan for how to thoroughly implement a repeal.
I know that every day that passes
without a resolution is a deep disappointment to those men and women
who continue to be discharged under this policy -- patriots who often
possess critical language skills and years of training and who've
served this country well. But what I hope is that these cases
underscore the urgency of reversing this policy not just because it's
the right thing to do, but because it is essential for our national
security.
Now even as we take these steps, we
must recognize that real progress depends not only on the laws we
change but, as I said before, on the hearts we open. For if we're
honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that there are good and
decent people in this country who don't yet fully embrace their gay
brothers and sisters -- not yet.
That's why I've spoken about these
issues not just in front of you, but in front of unlikely audiences
-- in front of African American church members, in front of other
audiences that have traditionally resisted these changes. And that's
what I'll continue to do so. That's how we'll shift attitudes. That's
how we'll honor the legacy of leaders like Frank and many others who
have refused to accept anything less than full and equal citizenship.
Now 40 years ago, in the heart of New
York City at a place called the Stonewall Inn, a group of citizens,
including a few who are here today, as I said, defied an unjust
policy and awakened a nascent movement.
It was the middle of the night. The
police stormed the bar, which was known for being one of the few
spots where it was safe to be gay in New York. Now raids like this
were entirely ordinary. Because it was considered obscene and illegal
to be gay, no establishments for gays and lesbians could get licenses
to operate. The nature of these businesses, combined with the
vulnerability of the gay community itself, meant places like
Stonewall, and the patrons inside, were often the victims of
corruption and blackmail.
Now ordinarily, the raid would come and
the customers would disperse. But on this night, something was
different. There are many accounts of what happened, and much has
been lost to history, but what we do know is this: People didn't
leave. They stood their ground. And over the course of several nights
they declared that they had seen enough injustice in their time.
This was an outpouring against not just
what they experienced that night, but what they had experienced their
whole lives. And as with so many movements, it was also something
more: It was at this defining moment that these folks who had been
marginalized rose up to challenge not just how the world saw them,
but also how they saw themselves.
As we've seen so many times in history,
once that spirit takes hold there is little that can stand in its
way. (Applause.) And the riots at Stonewall gave way to protests,
and protests gave way to a movement, and the movement gave way to a
transformation that continues to this day. It continues when a
partner fights for her right to sit at the hospital bedside of a
woman she loves. It continues when a teenager is called a name for
being different and says, "So what if I am?" It continues
in your work and in your activism, in your fight to freely live your
lives to the fullest.
In one year after the protests, a few
hundred gays and lesbians and their supporters gathered at the
Stonewall Inn to lead a historic march for equality. But when they
reached Central Park, the few hundred that began the march had
swelled to 5,000. Something had changed, and it would never change
back.
The truth is when these folks protested
at Stonewall 40 years ago no one could have imagined that you -- or,
for that matter, I (laughter) -- would be standing here today.
(Applause.) So we are all witnesses to monumental changes in this
country.
That should give us hope, but we cannot
rest. We must continue to do our part to make progress -- step by
step, law by law, mind by changing mind. And I want you to know that
in this task I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an
ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you.
Thanks very much, everybody. God bless
you. (Applause.) Thank you. It's a little stuffed in here. We're
going to open -- we opened up that door. We're going to walk this
way, and then we're going to come around and we'll see some of you
over there, all right? (Laughter.) But out there. (Laughter.)
But thank you very much, all, for being
here. Enjoy the White House. Thank you. (Applause.)