[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 107 (Monday, June 5, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36447-36449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12057]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 107 / Monday, June 5, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 36447]]


                Proclamation 10590 of May 31, 2023

                
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and 
                Intersex Pride Month, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In June 1969, a courageous group of Americans rose up 
                to protest the violence and marginalization they faced 
                in what became known as the Stonewall Uprising. Police 
                had raided the Stonewall Inn--a gay bar located in New 
                York City--and for the next six days they clashed with 
                LGBTQI+ protestors, who bravely stood their ground. 
                Their courage sparked a civil rights movement for the 
                liberation of the LGBTQI+ community and changed our 
                Nation forever.

                During Pride Month, we honor a movement that has grown 
                stronger, more vibrant, and more inclusive with every 
                passing year. Pride is a celebration of generations of 
                LGBTQI+ people, who have fought bravely to live openly 
                and authentically. And it is a reminder that we still 
                have generational work to do to ensure that everyone 
                enjoys the full promise of equity, dignity, protection, 
                and freedom.

                Today, our Nation faces another inflection point. In 
                2023 alone, State and local legislatures have already 
                introduced over 600 hateful laws targeting the LGBTQI+ 
                community. Books about LGBTQI+ people are being banned 
                from libraries. Transgender youth in over a dozen 
                States have had their medically necessary health care 
                banned. Homophobic and transphobic vitriol spewed 
                online has spilled over into real life, as armed hate 
                groups intimidate people at Pride marches and drag 
                performances, and threaten doctors' offices and 
                children's hospitals that offer care to the LGBTQI+ 
                community. Our hearts are heavy with grief for the 
                loved ones we have lost to anti-LGBTQI+ violence.

                Despite these attacks, the LGBTQI+ community remains 
                resilient. LGBTQI+ Americans are defiantly and 
                unapologetically proud. Youth leaders are organizing 
                walkouts at high schools and colleges across the 
                country to protest discriminatory laws. LGBTQI+ young 
                people and their parents are demonstrating unimaginable 
                courage by testifying in State capitols in defense of 
                their basic rights.

                They are not alone: My entire Administration stands 
                proudly with the LGBTQI+ community in the enduring 
                struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. And we are 
                making strides. On my first day in office, I signed a 
                historic Executive Order charging the entire Federal 
                Government with protecting LGBTQI+ people from 
                discrimination--from health care to housing, education, 
                employment, banking, and the criminal justice system. 
                Last December, surrounded by dozens of couples who have 
                fought for marriage equality in the courts for decades, 
                I had the great honor of signing into law the landmark 
                Respect for Marriage Act. This bipartisan law protects 
                the rights of same-sex and interracial couples--like 
                caring for one's sick partner and receiving spousal 
                benefits. Deciding who to marry is one of life's most 
                profound decisions, so we etched a simple truth into 
                law: Love is love.

[[Page 36448]]

                Meanwhile, I have taken unprecedented steps to support 
                LGBTQI+ youth. During Pride Month last year, I signed 
                an Executive Order charging Federal agencies with 
                combating the dangerous and discredited practice of so-
                called ``conversion therapy.'' I also directed agencies 
                to help end the crisis of homelessness among LGBTQI+ 
                youth and adults and to address discrimination that 
                LGBTQI+ kids face in foster care. The Department of 
                Justice is combating laws that target transgender 
                children, and the Departments of Education and Health 
                and Human Services have proposed new rules to protect 
                LGBTQI+ Americans from discrimination in health care, 
                at school, and in sports. I also established the White 
                House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse 
                to develop concrete actions to prevent and respond to 
                online harassment and abuse, which disproportionately 
                target LGBTQI+ people. Additionally, my Administration 
                made it easier for LGBTQI+ youth to access vital mental 
                health support. Now, by calling the 988 Suicide & 
                Crisis Lifeline and dialing the number 3, LGBTQI+ youth 
                can speak to counselors who have been specifically 
                trained to support them.

                This country is stronger and more just when America's 
                leaders reflect the full diversity of our Nation, so I 
                have appointed a historic number of highly qualified 
                openly LGBTQI+ judges and public servants at all levels 
                of the Federal Government. Our Armed Forces are most 
                capable when all patriots can serve their country, so I 
                protected the right of transgender people to once again 
                serve openly in the military.

                But there is more to do, like passing the bipartisan 
                Equality Act, which would strengthen civil rights 
                protections for LGBTQI+ people and families across 
                America. We must also address the disproportionate 
                levels of homelessness, poverty, and unemployment in 
                the LGBTQI+ community and end the crisis of violence 
                against transgender women and girls of color. We must 
                support LGBTQI+ activists around the globe who are 
                standing up for basic human rights and LGBTQI+ 
                survivors of gender-based violence. And we must end the 
                HIV/AIDS epidemic once and for all. Our collective 
                freedoms are inextricably linked: when one group's 
                dignity and equality are threatened, we all suffer. 
                This month and every month, let us celebrate the pride 
                that powers the movement for LGBTQI+ rights and commit 
                to doing our part to help realize the promise of 
                America, for all Americans.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2023 as 
                Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and 
                Intersex Pride Month. I call upon the people of the 
                United States to recognize the achievements of the 
                LGBTQI+ community, to celebrate the great diversity of 
                the American people, and to wave their flags of pride 
                high.

[[Page 36449]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-12057
Filed 6-2-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P