[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 24 (Monday, June 21, 1999)]
[Pages 1089-1090]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7203--Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, 1999

June 11, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Thirty years ago this month, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, 
a courageous group of citizens resisted harassment and mistreatment, 
setting in motion a chain of events that would become known as the 
Stonewall Uprising and the birth of the modern gay and lesbian civil 
rights movement. Gays and lesbians, their families and friends, 
celebrate the anniversary of Stonewall every June in America as Gay and 
Lesbian Pride Month; and, earlier this month, the National Park Service 
added the Stonewall Inn, as well as the nearby park and neighborhood 
streets surrounding it, to the National Register of Historic Places.
    I am proud of the measures my Administration has taken to end 
discrimination against gays and lesbians and ensure that they have the 
same rights guaranteed to their fellow Americans. Last year, I signed an 
Executive order that amends Federal equal employment opportunity policy 
to prohibit discrimination in the Federal civilian work force based on 
sexual orientation. We have also banned discrimination based on sexual 
orientation in the granting of security clearances. As a result of these 
and other policies, gay and lesbian Americans serve openly and proudly 
throughout the Federal Government. My Administration is also working 
with congressional leaders to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination 
Act, which would prohibit most private employers from firing workers 
solely because of their sexual orientation.
    America's diversity is our greatest strength. But, while we have 
come a long way on our journey toward tolerance, understanding, and 
mutual respect, we still have a long way to go in our efforts to end 
discrimination. During the past year, people across our country have 
been shaken by violent acts that

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struck at the heart of what it means to be an American and at the values 
that have always defined us as a Nation. In 1997, the most recent year 
for which we have statistics, there were more than 8,000 reported hate 
crimes in our country--almost one an hour. Now is the time for us to 
take strong and decisive action to end all hate crimes, and I reaffirm 
my pledge to work with the Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention 
Act.
    But we cannot achieve true tolerance merely through legislation; we 
must change hearts and minds as well. Our greatest hope for a just 
society is to teach our children to respect one another, to appreciate 
our differences, and to recognize the fundamental values that we hold in 
common. As part of our efforts to achieve this goal, earlier this 
spring, I announced that the Departments of Justice and Education will 
work in partnership with educational and other private sector 
organizations to reach out to students and teach them that our diversity 
is a gift. In addition, the Department of Education has issued landmark 
guidance that explains Federal standards against sexual harassment and 
prohibits sexual harassment of all students regardless of their sexual 
orientation; and I have ordered the Education Department's civil rights 
office to step up its enforcement of anti-discrimination and harassment 
rules. That effort has resulted in a groundbreaking guide that provides 
practical guidance to school administrators and teachers for developing 
a comprehensive approach to protecting all students, including gays and 
lesbians, from harassment and violence.
    Since our earliest days as a Nation, Americans have strived to make 
real the ideals of equality and freedom so eloquently expressed in our 
Declaration of Independence and Constitution. We now have a rare 
opportunity to enter a new century and a new millennium as one country, 
living those principles, recognizing our common values, and building on 
our shared strengths.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do thereby proclaim June 
1999 as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. I encourage all Americans to 
observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities 
that celebrate our diversity, and to remember throughout the year the 
gay and lesbian Americans whose many and varied contributions have 
enriched our national life.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of 
June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-third.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., June 15, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on June 
16. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.