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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Berlin, Germany)
For Immediate Release June 2, 2000
GAY AND LESBIAN PRIDE MONTH, 2000
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Gay and lesbian Americans have made important and lasting
contributions to our Nation in every field of endeavor. Too often,
however, gays and lesbians face prejudice and discrimination; too many
have had to hide or deny their sexual orientation in order to keep their
jobs or to live safely in their communities.
In recent years, we have made some progress righting these wrongs.
Since the Stonewall uprising in New York City more than 30 years ago,
the gay and lesbian rights movement has united gays and lesbians, their
families and friends, and all those committed to justice and equality in
a crusade to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices and to protect
gays and lesbians from prejudice and persecution.
I am proud of the part that my Administration has played to achieve
these goals. Today, more openly gay and lesbian individuals serve in
senior posts throughout the Federal Government than during any other
Administration. To build on our progress, in 1998 I issued an Executive
Order to prohibit discrimination in the Federal civilian workforce based
on sexual orientation, and my Administration continues to fight for the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would outlaw discrimination in
the workplace based on sexual orientation.
Yet many challenges still lie before us. As we have learned from
recent tragedies, prejudice against gays and lesbians can still erupt
into acts of hatred and violence. I continue to call upon the Congress to
pass meaningful hate crimes legislation to strengthen the Department
of Justice's ability to prosecute hate crimes committed due to the
victim's sexual orientation.
With each passing year the American people become more receptive to
diversity and more open to those who are different from themselves. Our
Nation is at last realizing that gays and lesbians must no longer be
"strangers among friends," as the civil rights pioneer David Mixner once
noted. Rather, we must finally recognize these Americans for what they
are: our colleagues and neighbors, daughters and sons, sisters and
brothers, friends and partners.
This June, recognizing the joys and sorrows that the gay and
lesbian movement has witnessed and the work that remains to be done, we
observe Gay and Lesbian Pride Month and celebrate the progress we have
made in creating a society more inclusive and accepting of gays and
lesbians. I hope that in this new millennium we will continue to
break down the walls of fear and prejudice and work to build a bridge
to understanding and tolerance, until gays and lesbians are afforded
the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans.
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 hereby proclaim June
2000 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 recognize 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 second
day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-fourth.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
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