LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2010
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

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.

My Administration has advanced our journey by signing into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which strengthens Federal protections against crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation. We renewed the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides life-saving medical services and support to Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and finally eliminated the HIV entry ban. I also signed a Presidential Memorandum directing hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds to give LGBT patients the compassion and security they deserve in their time of need, including the ability to choose someone other than an immediate family member to visit them and make medical decisions.

In other areas, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a series of proposals to ensure core housing programs are open to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. HUD also announced the first-ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services has created a National Resource Center for LGBT Elders.

Much work remains to fulfill our Nation's promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans. That is why 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. We must create safer schools so all our children may learn in a supportive environment. I am also committed to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military leadership to accomplish that goal.

As we honor the LGBT Americans who have given so much to our Nation, let us remember that if one of us is unable to realize full equality, we all fall short of our founding principles. Our Nation draws its strength from our diversity, with each of us contributing to the greater whole. By affirming these rights and values, each American benefits from the further advancement of liberty and justice for all.

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

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

President's Budget Includes Increases for
Sexual Assault Services and VAW Programs

The Presiden't budget, unveiled yesterday, includes exciting increases in sexual assault services and other violence against women programs. In her explanation of the President's budget proposals, Lynn Rosenthal, White House Violence Against Women Advisor, said that the Administration listened to advocates and understood the dire need to support and expand services for sexual assault victims. Specific provisions include:

*Recommendations to double appropriations for the Sexual Assault Services Progam from $15 million to $30 million for fiscal year 2011.

*A $100 million set-aside in VOCA to fund violence against women services including sexual assault services. This is in addition to general VOCA appropriations and is meant specifically to represent an increase in VOCA funding for violence against women programs. Little is known at this point about how this additional funding will be dispersed or administered.

*$9 million increase in the Legal Assistance to Victims program within VAWA.

*Increased funding for OVW to hire up to 40 new positions to assist with administering grant programs.

*$500,000 for OVW to create a Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault in Indian Country.

*$150 million to fund the Debbie Smith Act--level funding.

President Obama issues proclamation for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

On September 30, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation designating October 2009 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The proclamation notes that despite the significant impact of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, too many women and families remain affected by domestic violence. The proclamation asks all Americans to do their part to end domestic violence in this country by supporting their communities' efforts to assist victims to find the help and healing they need.

Read the proclamation Here

Biden Appoints Advisor on Violence Against Women

Vice President Biden, the author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, announced on June 26, 2009 the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the new White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. This is a newly created position at the White House, dedicated specifically to advising the President and Vice President on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.

To see the White House's official press release on this groundbreaking appointment, click here.

6/10/09 - As you may know, the US  Census Bureau is preparing for the 2010 US Census. NNEDV recently released important information about the Census that can be found by clicking here.