Presidential Proclamation--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month

[Shana A]

Presidential Proclamation--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 28, 2010

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-pride-month

As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities.  Since our earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that promise.  An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.  This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.

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.  Thanks to those who came before us    the brave men and women who marched, stood up to injustice, and brought change through acts of compassion or defiance    we have made enormous progress and continue to strive for a more perfect union.

[LordKAT]

I hear the words....wait and see.

[FairyGirl]

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2010 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.  I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.

Wow, the same month as I'm having my gender confirmation surgery. Kinda significant to me on one level, but giving someone a "month" isn't the same as giving them equal rights under the law. Still, it's something. Like Kat says, we'll see if anything more comes of it.

[kyril]

I smile a little bit every time a President says the word "gay" in a positive context. Add "transgender" and "pride" and I start tearing up bad.

It doesn't replace real policy change and I'm still mad that the WH forced the compromise on DADT, but I can see and appreciate the symbolic stuff separate from my anger on policy.

[LordKAT]

I've always wondered why they can't just proclaim equality across the board. Why not just say that you can't be fired for non job related issues? That would cover all classes of people. Reasonable accommodations are a bit subjective so that language don't work well but if bathroom language is needed, let the one offended find another solution.

[kyril]

I've always wondered why they can't just proclaim equality across the board. Why not just say that you can't be fired for non job related issues? That would cover all classes of people. Reasonable accommodations are a bit subjective so that language don't work well but if bathroom language is needed, let the one offended find another solution.

That doesn't work because someone who wants to discriminate can always find a way to argue that your membership in a particular class of people is "job related." For instance, if you're trans and presenting as your preferred gender, you can be said to not be conforming to the dress code. That sort of nonspecific language is what's used by government entities (e.g. Virginia this year) that want to look like they're fighting discrimination without actually protecting anyone.

It's hard enough, when the language of the law lists specific protected classes, to prove that your treatment was related to your membership in a protected class. If they take away the list of classes and force you to prove that your treatment was due to something not "job related"...you can't.

[Jasmine.m]

Another major step towards mainstream acceptance!

[LordKAT]

That doesn't work because someone who wants to discriminate can always find a way to argue that your membership in a particular class of people is "job related." For instance, if you're trans and presenting as your preferred gender, you can be said to not be conforming to the dress code. That sort of nonspecific language is what's used by government entities (e.g. Virginia this year) that want to look like they're fighting discrimination without actually protecting anyone.

It's hard enough, when the language of the law lists specific protected classes, to prove that your treatment was related to your membership in a protected class. If they take away the list of classes and force you to prove that your treatment was due to something not "job related"...you can't.

That is not job related. In no way is it job related. Clothing deals with neatness not ability. If there is no discrimination based on being trans then the dress code doesn't matter. This is especially true when harrassment is seen from the eyes of the harrassed. Discrimination can be seen the same way when you have the language of perceived class. A list does not have to exist in writing for you to be protected from it as well as if it were in writing. Written words saying not to discriminate for being trans makes no more difference than if there is not words written to that exact effect. As Tekla says, even with the written law, if someone wants to not hire or fire you, they will.