[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 124, 111th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8529--MAY 28, 2010

Proclamation 8529 of May 28, 2010
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2010
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and
deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities. Since our
earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that
promise. An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the
movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This month, as we recognize
the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our
commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to
ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.
LGBT Americans have enriched and strengthened the fabric of our national
life. From business leaders and professors to athletes and first
responders, LGBT individuals have achieved success and prominence in
every discipline. They are our mothers and fathers, our sons and
daughters, and our friends and neighbors. Across my Administration,
openly LGBT employees are serving at every level. Thanks to those

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who came before us--the brave men and women who marched, stood up to
injustice, and brought change through acts of compassion or defiance--we
have made enormous progress and continue to strive for a more perfect
union.
My Administration has advanced our journey by signing into law the
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which
strengthens Federal protections against crimes based on gender identity
or sexual orientation. We renewed the Ryan White CARE Act, which
provides life-saving medical services and support to Americans living
with HIV/AIDS, and finally eliminated the HIV entry ban. I also signed a
Presidential Memorandum directing hospitals receiving Medicare and
Medicaid funds to give LGBT patients the compassion and security they
deserve in their time of need, including the ability to choose someone
other than an immediate family member to visit them and make medical
decisions.
In other areas, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
announced a series of proposals to ensure core housing programs are open
to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. HUD
also announced the first-ever national study of discrimination against
members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services has created a
National Resource Center for LGBT Elders.
Much work remains to fulfill our Nation's promise of equal justice under
law for LGBT Americans. That is why we must give committed gay couples
the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and
repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. We must protect the rights of LGBT
families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment
discrimination against LGBT Americans, and ensuring Federal employees
receive equal benefits. We must create safer schools so all our children
may learn in a supportive environment. I am also committed to ending
``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly
in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military
leadership to accomplish that goal.
As we honor the LGBT Americans who have given so much to our Nation, let
us remember that if one of us is unable to realize full equality, we all
fall short of our founding principles. Our Nation draws its strength
from our diversity, with each of us contributing to the greater whole.
By affirming these rights and values, each American benefits from the
further advancement of liberty and justice for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2010 as Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon all Americans to
observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own
lives and everywhere it exists.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day
of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fourth.
BARACK OBAMA