By 365gay Newswire
10.12.2009 3:35am EDT
From the White House:
REMARKS BY THE
PRESIDENT
AT HUMAN RIGHTS
CAMPAIGN DINNER
Walter E. Convention Center
8:10 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:
Thank you, everybody. Please, you’re making me blush. (Laughter.) AUDIENCE MEMBER:
We love you, Barack! THE PRESIDENT: I
love you back. (Applause.) To Joe Solmonese,
who’s doing an outstanding job on behalf of HRC. (Applause.) To my
great friend and supporter, Terry Bean, co-founder of HRC.
(Applause.) Representative Patrick Kennedy. (Applause.) David
Huebner, the Ambassador-designee to New Zealand and Samoa.
(Applause.) John Berry, our Director of OPM, who’s doing a great
job. (Applause.) Nancy Sutley, Chairman of Council on Environmental
Quality. (Applause.) Fred Hochberg, Chairman of Export-Import
Bank. (Applause.) And my dear friend, Tipper Gore, who’s in
the house. (Applause.) Thank you so much, all
of you. It is a privilege to be here tonight to open for Lady GaGa.
(Applause.) I’ve made it. (Laughter.) I want to thank the
Human Rights Campaign for inviting me to speak and for the work you do every
day in pursuit of equality on behalf of the millions of people in this country
who work hard in their jobs and care deeply about their families — and who are
gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. (Applause.) For nearly 30 years,
you’ve advocated on behalf of those without a voice. That’s not
easy. For despite the real gains that we’ve made, there’s still laws to
change and there’s still hearts to open. There are still fellow citizens,
perhaps neighbors, even loved ones — good and decent people — who hold fast to
outworn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their
families; who would deny you the rights most Americans take for granted.
And that’s painful and it’s heartbreaking. (Applause.) And yet you
continue, leading by the force of the arguments you make, and by the power of
the example that you set in your own lives — as parents and friends, as PTA
members and church members, as advocates and leaders in your communities.
And you’re making a difference. That’s the story of
the movement for fairness and equality, and not just for those who are gay, but
for all those in our history who’ve been denied the rights and responsibilities
of citizenship — (applause) — for all who’ve been told that the full blessings
and opportunities of this country were closed to them. It’s the story of
progress sought by those with little influence or power; by men and women who
brought about change through quiet, personal acts of compassion — and defiance
— wherever and whenever they could. It’s the story of the
Stonewall protests, when a group of citizens — (applause) — when a group of
citizens with few options, and fewer supporters stood up against discrimination
and helped to inspire a movement. It’s the story of an epidemic that
decimated a community — and the gay men and women who came to support one
another and save one another; who continue to fight this scourge; and who have
demonstrated before the world that different kinds of families can show the
same compassion in a time of need. (Applause.) And it’s the story
of the Human Rights Campaign and the fights you’ve fought for nearly 30 years:
helping to elect candidates who share your values; standing against those who
would enshrine discrimination into our Constitution; advocating on behalf of
those living with HIV/AIDS; and fighting for progress in our capital and across
America. (Applause.) This story, this fight
continue now. And I’m here with a simple message: I’m here with you
in that fight. (Applause.) For even as we face extraordinary
challenges as a nation, we cannot — and we will not — put aside issues of basic
equality. I greatly appreciate the support I’ve received from many in this
room. I also appreciate that many of you don’t believe progress has come
fast enough. I want to be honest about that, because it’s important to be
honest among friends. Now, I’ve said this
before, I’ll repeat it again — it’s not for me to tell you to be patient, any
more than it was for others to counsel patience to African Americans
petitioning for equal rights half a century ago. (Applause.) But I
will say this: We have made progress and we will make more. And I
think it’s important to remember that there is not a single issue that my
administration deals with on a daily basis that does not touch on the lives of
the LGBT community. (Applause.) We all have a stake in reviving
this economy. We all have a stake in putting people back to work.
We all have a stake in improving our schools and achieving quality, affordable
health care. We all have a stake in meeting the difficult challenges we
face in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Applause.) For while some may
wish to define you solely by your sexual orientation or gender identity alone,
you know — and I know — that none of us wants to be defined by just one part of
what makes us whole. (Applause.) You’re also parents worried about
your children’s futures. You’re spouses who fear that you or the person
you love will lose a job. You’re workers worried about the rising cost of
health insurance. You’re soldiers. You are neighbors. You are
friends. And, most importantly, you are Americans who care deeply about
this country and its future. (Applause.) So I know you want me
working on jobs and the economy and all the other issues that we’re dealing
with. But my commitment to you is unwavering even as we wrestle with
these enormous problems. And while progress may be taking longer than
you’d like as a result of all that we face — and that’s the truth — do not
doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach.
(Applause.) My expectation is that
when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop
to discrimination against gays and lesbians — whether in the office or on the
battlefield. (Applause.) You will see a time in which we as a
nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as
real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.
(Applause.) You will see a nation that’s valuing and cherishing these
families as we build a more perfect union — a union in which gay Americans are
an important part. I am committed to these goals. And my
administration will continue fighting to achieve them. And there’s no more
poignant or painful reminder of how important it is that we do so than the loss
experienced by Dennis and Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew was stolen in a
terrible act of violence 11 years ago. In May, I met with Judy — who’s
here tonight with her husband — I met her in the Oval Office, and I promised
her that we were going to pass an inclusive hate crimes bill — a bill named for
her son. (Applause.) This struggle has been
long. Time and again we faced opposition. Time and again, the measure
was defeated or delayed. But the Shepards never gave up.
(Applause.) They turned tragedy into an unshakeable commitment.
(Applause.) Countless activists and organizers never gave up. You
held vigils, you spoke out, year after year, Congress after Congress. The
House passed the bill again this week. (Applause.) And I can
announce that after more than a decade, this bill is set to pass and I will
sign it into law. (Applause.) It’s a testament to
the decade-long struggle of Judy and Dennis, who tonight will receive a tribute
named for somebody who inspired so many of us — named for Senator Ted Kennedy,
who fought tirelessly for this legislation. (Applause.) And it’s a
testament to the Human Rights Campaign and those who organized and advocated.
And it’s a testament to Matthew and to others who’ve been the victims of
attacks not just meant to break bones, but to break spirits — not meant just to
inflict harm, but to instill fear. Together, we will have moved closer to
that day when no one has to be afraid to be gay in America. (Applause.)
When no one has to fear walking down the street holding the hand of the person
they love. (Applause.) But we know there’s
far more work to do. We’re pushing hard to pass an inclusive employee
non-discrimination bill. (Applause.) For the first time ever, an
administration official testified in Congress in favor of this law.
Nobody in America should be fired because they’re gay, despite doing a great
job and meeting their responsibilities. It’s not fair. It’s not
right. We’re going to put a stop to it. (Applause.) And it’s
for this reason that if any of my nominees are attacked not for what they
believe but for who they are, I will not waver in my support, because I will
not waver in my commitment to ending discrimination in all its forms.
(Applause.) We are reinvigorating
our response to HIV/AIDS here at home and around the world.
(Applause.) We’re working closely with the Congress to renew the Ryan
White program and I look forward to signing it into law in the very near
future. (Applause.) We are rescinding the discriminatory ban on
entry to the United States based on HIV status. (Applause.) The
regulatory process to enact this important change is already underway. And
we also know that HIV/AIDS continues to be a public health threat in many
communities, including right here in the District of Columbia. Jeffrey
Crowley, the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, recently held a
forum in Washington, D.C., and is holding forums across the country, to seek
input as we craft a national strategy to address this crisis. We are moving ahead on
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. (Applause.) We should not be punishing
patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve this country. We
should be celebrating their willingness to show such courage and selflessness
on behalf of their fellow citizens, especially when we’re fighting two
wars. (Applause.) We cannot afford to
cut from our ranks people with the critical skills we need to fight any more
than we can afford — for our military’s integrity — to force those willing to
do so into careers encumbered and compromised by having to live a lie. So I’m
working with the Pentagon, its leadership, and the members of the House and
Senate on ending this policy. Legislation has been introduced in the
House to make this happen. I will end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That’s
my commitment to you. (Applause.) It is no secret that
issues of great concern to gays and lesbians are ones that raise a great deal
of emotion in this country. And it’s no secret that progress has been
incredibly difficult — we can see that with the time and dedication it took to
pass hate crimes legislation. But these issues also go to the heart of
who we are as a people. Are we a nation that can transcend old attitudes
and worn divides? Can we embrace our differences and look to the hopes
and dreams that we share? Will we uphold the ideals on which this nation
was founded: that all of us are equal, that all of us deserve the same
opportunity to live our lives freely and pursue our chance at happiness?
I believe we can; I believe we will. (Applause.) And that is why —
that’s why I support ensuring that committed gay couples have the same rights
and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country.
(Applause.) I believe strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights
away and passing laws that extend equal rights to gay couples. I’ve
required all agencies in the federal government to extend as many federal benefits
as possible to LGBT families as the current law allows. And I’ve called
on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and to pass the
Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act. (Applause.) And we
must all stand together against divisive and deceptive efforts to feed people’s
lingering fears for political and ideological gain. For the struggle waged
by the Human Rights Campaign is about more than any policy we can enshrine into
law. It’s about our capacity to love and commit to one another. It’s
about whether or not we value as a society that love and commitment. It’s
about our common humanity and our willingness to walk in someone else’s
shoes: to imagine losing a job not because of your performance at work
but because of your relationship at home; to imagine worrying about a spouse in
the hospital, with the added fear that you’ll have to produce a legal document
just to comfort the person you love — (applause) — to imagine the pain of
losing a partner of decades and then discovering that the law treats you like a
stranger. (Applause.) If we are honest with
ourselves we’ll admit that there are too many who do not yet know in their
lives or feel in their hearts the urgency of this struggle. That’s why I
continue to speak about the importance of equality for LGBT families — and not
just in front of gay audiences. That’s why Michelle and I have invited
LGBT families to the White House to participate in events like the Easter Egg
Roll — because we want to send a message. (Applause.) And that’s
why it’s so important that you continue to speak out, that you continue to set
an example, that you continue to pressure leaders — including me — and to make
the case all across America. (Applause.) So, tonight I’m
hopeful — because of the activism I see in this room, because of the compassion
I’ve seen all across America, and because of the progress we have made
throughout our history, including the history of the movement for LGBT
equality. Soon after the
protests at Stonewall 40 years ago, the phone rang in the home of a soft-spoken
elementary school teacher named Jeanne Manford. It was 1:00 in the
morning, and it was the police. Now, her son, Morty, had been at the
Stonewall the night of the raids. Ever since, he had felt within him a
new sense of purpose. So when the officer told Jeanne that her son had
been arrested, which was happening often to gay protesters, she was not
entirely caught off guard. And then the officer added one more thing,
“And you know, he’s homosexual.” (Laughter.) Well, that police
officer sure was surprised when Jeanne responded, “Yes, I know. Why are
you bothering him?” (Applause.) And not long after,
Jeanne would be marching side-by-side with her son through the streets of New
York. She carried a sign that stated her support. People
cheered. Young men and women ran up to her, kissed her, and asked her to
talk to their parents. And this gave Jeanne and Morty an idea. And so, after that
march on the anniversary of the Stonewall protests, amidst the violence and the
vitriol of a difficult time for our nation, Jeanne and her husband Jules — two
parents who loved their son deeply — formed a group to support other parents
and, in turn, to support their children, as well. At the first meeting
Jeanne held, in 1973, about 20 people showed up. But slowly, interest
grew. Morty’s life, tragically, was cut short by AIDS. But the
cause endured. Today, the organization they founded for parents,
families, and friends of lesbians and gays — (applause) — has more than
200,000 members and supporters, and has made a difference for countless
families across America. And Jeanne would later say, “I considered myself such
a traditional person. I didn’t even cross the street against the
light.” (Laughter.) “But I wasn’t going to let anybody walk over
Morty.” (Applause.) That’s the story of
America: of ordinary citizens organizing, agitating and advocating for
change; of hope stronger than hate; of love more powerful than any insult or
injury; of Americans fighting to build for themselves and their families a
nation in which no one is a second-class citizen, in which no one is denied
their basic rights, in which all of us are free to live and love as we see
fit. (Applause.) Tonight, somewhere in
America, a young person, let’s say a young man, will struggle to fall to sleep,
wrestling alone with a secret he’s held as long as he can remember. Soon,
perhaps, he will decide it’s time to let that secret out. What happens
next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends and his teachers and
his community. But it also depends on us — on the kind of society we
engender, the kind of future we build. I believe the future
is bright for that young person. For while there will be setbacks and
bumps along the road, the truth is that our common ideals are a force far
stronger than any division that some might sow. These ideals, when voiced
by generations of citizens, are what made it possible for me to stand here
today. (Applause.) These ideals are what made it possible for the
people in this room to live freely and openly when for most of history that
would have been inconceivable. That’s the promise of America, HRC.
That’s the promise we’re called to fulfill. (Applause.) Day by day,
law by law, changing mind by mind, that is the promise we are fulfilling. Thank you for the work
you’re doing. God bless you. God bless America. (Applause.)