June Is LGBT Pride Month

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June Is LGBT Pride Month

Special Report - June 3, 2010
President Barack Obama has once again declared June “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.” The annual event for homosexual activists and their allies commemorates the June 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City, an event that many activists consider to be the launch of the homosexual rights movement. The event is typically marked with “LGTB Pride” parades, festivals, and marches nationwide. President Obama issued a similar proclamation in 2009, which was the first time that a U.S. president had officially recognized “LGBT Pride Month” since President Bill Clinton became the first to do so in 2000.

In this year’s proclamation issued May 28, President Obama wrote that, “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.”

The proclamation details the Obama administration’s successful efforts to implement various aspects of the homosexual agenda, including signing into law the “Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act,” which expanded the definition of federal hate crimes to include crimes motivated by actual or perceived “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” He also mentioned his April 2010 memorandum, directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to expand patient visitation rights at most of the nation’s hospitals beyond immediate family members—including to gay, lesbian, and trangendered partners. As we previously reported, the president referred in the memo to North Carolina’s policy as an example of a state with expanded hospital visitation rights, although it is important to note that North Carolina’s policy does not mention sexual orientation or gender identity. Additionally, the president noted that under his administration, the DHHS created a National Resource Center for LGBT Elders.

President Obama also restated his commitment to support efforts to redefine the institution of marriage, expand adoption rights for homosexuals, and implement the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA (see our previous story on ENDA), which is currently pending in Congress. The proclamation states, “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.”