Of course, Hillary Clinton is not new to this issue. As I wam wont to say, she has marched in more Pride Parades than I have. During the campaign, Hillary Clinton met with a number of GLBT media outlets, including Logo, the television channel. Here she is from February, 2008:
And her lovely daughter, Chelsea, clearly learned a lot from her mother on the importance of equal rights for all people:
In recognition of LGBT Pride Month, Secretary Clinton released these remarks:
In Recognition of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month 2009
Forty years ago this month, the gay rights movement began with the Stonewall riots in New York City, as gays and lesbians demanded an end to the persecution they had long endured. Now, after decades of hard work, the fight has grown into a global movement to achieve a world in which all people live free from violence and fear, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
In honor of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and on behalf of the State Department, I extend our appreciation to the global LGBT community for its courage and determination during the past 40 years, and I offer our support for the significant work that still lies ahead.
At the State Department and throughout the Administration, we are grateful for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees in Washington and around the world. They and their families make many sacrifices to serve our nation. Their contributions are vital to our efforts to establish stability, prosperity and peace worldwide.
Human rights are at the heart of those efforts. Gays and lesbians in many parts of the world live under constant threat of arrest, violence, even torture. The persecution of gays and lesbians is a violation of human rights and an affront to human decency, and it must end. As Secretary of State, I will advance a comprehensive human rights agenda that includes the elimination of violence and discrimination against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Though the road to full equality for LGBT Americans is long, the example set by those fighting for equal rights in the United States gives hope to men and women around the world who yearn for a better future for themselves and their loved ones.
This June, let us recommit ourselves to achieving a world in which all people can live in safety and freedom, no matter who they are or whom they love.
Amen, sister - couldn't have said it better myself.
If you wish to read Obama's Proclamation, you can click HERE. Suffice it to say, he said more "words" about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which will actually MEAN something to me when he actually works to DO something about it (and I know it's a law, but he does have a pretty big bully pulpit, and a Democratic Congress, so enough with the excuses already). But he also misleads - again - about LGBT appointments he made, as Jake Tapper reported HERE in his Update (H/T to Ani for this article). So, take it all with a grain of salt, is what I'm saying...
I've said it before, and no doubt, will say it a bunch more, the LGBT Community truly has a friend in Secretary Clinton. She has proven it not just with WORDS, but with DEEDS throughout the course of her life, most recently making sure ALL State Department diplomats all have the same rights, including the GLBT diplomats who for years have suffered a major disparity related to their partners and their moves as diplomats. Secretary Clinton has ended that now, thank heavens. Like I said, she is a woman of her word, and one of action. Thank heavens for her.
And Happy Pride Month.
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