[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8989--MAY 31, 2013

Proclamation 8989 of May 31, 2013

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
For more than two centuries, our Nation has struggled to transform the
ideals of liberty and equality from founding promise into lasting
reality. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans and
their allies have been hard at work on the next great chapter of that
history--from the patrons of The Stonewall Inn who sparked a movement to
service members who can finally be honest about who they love to brave
young people who come out and speak out every day.




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This year, we celebrate LGBT Pride Month at a moment of great hope and
progress, recognizing that more needs to be done. Support for LGBT
equality is growing, led by a generation which understands that, in the
words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ``injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere.'' In the past year, for the first time, voters in
multiple States affirmed marriage equality for same-sex couples. State
and local governments have taken important steps to provide much-needed
protections for transgender Americans.
My Administration is a proud partner in the journey toward LGBT
equality. We extended hate crimes protections to include attacks based
on sexual orientation or gender identity and repealed ``Don't Ask, Don't
Tell.'' We lifted the HIV entry ban and ensured hospital visitation
rights for LGBT patients. Together, we have investigated and addressed
pervasive bullying faced by LGBT students, prohibited discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Federal housing, and
extended benefits for same-sex domestic partners. Earlier this year, I
signed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that
prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender
identity in the implementation of any VAWA-funded program. And because
LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration is implementing the
first-ever Federal strategy to advance equality for LGBT people around
the world.
We have witnessed real and lasting change, but our work is not complete.
I continue to support a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination
Act, as well as the Respect for Marriage Act. My Administration
continues to implement the Affordable Care Act, which beginning in 2014,
prohibits insurers from denying coverage to consumers based on their
sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as the National HIV/AIDS
Strategy, which addresses the disparate impact of the HIV epidemic among
certain LGBT sub-communities. We have a long way to go, but if we
continue on this path together, I am confident that one day soon, from
coast to coast, all of our young people will look to the future with the
same sense of promise and possibility. I am confident because I have
seen the talent, passion, and commitment of LGBT advocates and their
allies, and I know that when voices are joined in common purpose, they
cannot be stopped.
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 2013 as Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of
the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to
celebrate the great diversity of the American people.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
May, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA