Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a video on Tuesday commemorating LGBT Pride Month and the effort to advance equal rights.
"I am honored to join you to celebrate the fundamental freedoms that all human beings deserve –- no matter who they are or whom they love," she says. "This month, and every month, we proudly reaffirm our commitment to making sure that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."
Clinton's statement follows a similar one released by President Barack Obama late last month, officially proclaiming the month of June "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month."
In her statement, Clinton praises the progress being made to further LGBT rights, but says the fight is far from over.
"We will not rest until full and equal rights are a reality for everyone," she says. "History proves that the march toward equality and justice will overcome barriers of intolerance and discrimination. But it requires a concerted effort from all of us. No matter how long the road ahead, I’m confident that we will travel it successfully together."
Clinton has been a strong Obama administration ally for the LGBT community. For the past three years, she has delivered statements or remarks to celebrate Pride Month.
Late last year, she also delivered a high-profile speech in Geneva in observance of Human Rights Day in which she memorably declared that "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights."
The full text of Clinton's statement in honor of LGBT Pride Month is below:
I am honored to join you to celebrate the fundamental freedoms that all human beings deserve –- no matter who they are or whom they love. This month, and every month, we proudly reaffirm our commitment to making sure that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
In the United States and around the world, progress is being made. The tireless advocacy of generations is bending the arc of history. Barriers are being torn down, discriminatory laws repealed, and millions are now able to live more freely and participate in the future of their communities and countries.
But there is still much more to be done. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender men and women continue to be persecuted and attacked. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, and even executed.
United States Embassies and Missions throughout the world are working to defend the rights of LGBT people of all races, religions, and nationalities as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy. From Riga, where two U.S. Ambassadors and a Deputy Assistant Secretary marched in solidarity with Baltic Pride; to Nassau, where the Embassy joined together with civil society to screen a film about LGBT issues in Caribbean societies; to Albania, where our Embassy is coordinating the first-ever regional Pride conference for diplomats and activists to discuss human rights and shared experiences. And through the Global Equality Fund that I launched last December, we have strengthened our support for civil society and programs to protect and promote human rights.
We will not rest until full and equal rights are a reality for everyone. History proves that the march toward equality and justice will overcome barriers of intolerance and discrimination. But it requires a concerted effort from all of us. No matter how long the road ahead, I’m confident that we will travel it successfully together.
Wherever you are celebrating this month, I wish you a happy Pride.
Below, 18 interesting facts about LGBT Pride:
