A transcript of the President's remarks are at the bottom
More information about HRC is here
More information about HRC is here
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S 15TH ANNUAL NATIONAL DINNER
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 1, 2011
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S 15TH ANNUAL NATIONAL DINNER
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. It is great to be back.
(Applause.) I see a lot of friends in the house. I appreciate the
chance to join you tonight. I also took a trip out to California last
week, where I held some productive bilateral talks with your leader,
Lady Gaga. (Laughter.) She was wearing 16-inch heels. (Laughter.)
She was eight feet tall. (Laughter.) It was a little intimidating.
Now,
I don’t want to give a long speech. Cyndi Lauper is in the house. I
can’t compete with that. (Applause.) But I wanted to come here
tonight, first of all, to personally thank Joe for his outstanding years
of leadership at HRC. (Applause.) What he has accomplished at the
helm of this organization has been remarkable, and I want to thank all
of you for the support that you’ve shown this organization and for your
commitment to a simple idea: Every single American -- gay, straight,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender -- every single American deserves to be
treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society.
It’s a pretty simple proposition. (Applause.)
Now, I
don’t have to tell you that we have a ways to go in that struggle. I
don’t have to tell you how many are still denied their basic rights --
Americans who are still made to feel like second-class citizens, who
have to live a lie to keep their jobs, or who are afraid to walk the
street, or down the hall at school. Many of you have devoted your lives
to the cause of equality. So you know what we have to do; we’ve got
more work ahead of us.
But
we can also be proud of the progress we’ve made these past two and a
half years. Think about it. (Applause.) Two years ago, I stood at
this podium, in this room, before many of you, and I made a pledge. I
said I would never counsel patience; that it wasn’t right to tell you to
be patient any more than it was right for others to tell African
Americans to be patient in the fight for equal rights a half century
ago. (Applause.) But what I also said, that while it might take time
–- more time than anyone would like -– we are going to make progress; we
are going to succeed; we are going to build a more perfect union.
And
so, let’s see what happened. I met with Judy Shepard. I promised her
we would pass a hate crimes bill named for her son, Matthew. And with
the help of my dear friend Ted Kennedy we got it done. Because it
should never be dangerous -- (applause) -- you should never have to look
over your shoulder -- to be gay in the United States of America.
That’s why we got it done. (Applause.)
I met with Janice
Langbehn, who was barred from the bedside of the woman she loved as she
lay dying. And I told her that we were going to put a stop to this
discrimination. And you know what? We got it done. I issued an order
so that any hospital in America that accepts Medicare or Medicaid -– and
that means just about every hospital -– has to treat gay partners just
as they do straight partners. Because nobody should have to produce a
legal contract to hold the hand of the person that they love. We got
that done. (Applause.)
I said that we would lift that
HIV travel ban -- we got that done. (Applause.) We put in place the
first comprehensive national strategy to fight HIV/AIDS. (Applause.)
Many
questioned whether we’d succeed in repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
And, yes, it took two years to get the repeal through Congress.
(Applause.) We had to hold a coalition together. We had to keep up the
pressure. We took some flak along the way. (Applause.) But with the
help of HRC, we got it done. And “don’t ask, don’t tell” is history.
(Applause.) And all over the world, there are men and women serving
this country just as they always have -- with honor and courage and
discipline and valor. We got it done. (Applause.) We got that done.
All around the world, you’ve got gays and lesbians who are serving, and
the only difference is now they can put up a family photo. (Laughter.)
No one has to live a lie to serve the country they love.
I
vowed to keep up the fight against the so-called Defense of Marriage
Act. There’s a bill to repeal this discriminatory law in Congress, and I
want to see that passed. But until we reach that day, my
administration is no longer defending DOMA in the courts. I believe the
law runs counter to the Constitution, and it’s time for it to end once
and for all. It should join “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the history
books. (Applause.)
So, yes, we have more work to do. And
after so many years -- even decades -- of inaction you’ve got every
right to push against the slow pace of change. But make no mistake -- I
want people to feel encouraged here -- we are making change. We’re
making real and lasting change. We can be proud of the progress we’ve
already made.
And I’m going to continue to fight alongside
you. And I don’t just mean in your role, by the way, as advocates for
equality. You’re also moms and dads who care about the schools your
children go to. (Applause.) You’re also students figuring out how to
pay for college. You’re also folks who are worried about the economy
and whether or not your partner or husband or wife will be able to find a
job. And you’re Americans who want this country to succeed and
prosper, and who are tired of the gridlock and the vicious partisanship,
and are sick of the Washington games. Those are your fights, too,
HRC. (Applause.)
So I’m going to need your help. I need
your help to fight for equality, to pass a repeal of DOMA, to pass an
inclusive employment non-discrimination bill so that being gay is never
again a fireable offense in America. (Applause.) And I don’t have to
tell you, there are those who don't want to just stand in our way but
want to turn the clock back; who want to return to the days when gay
people couldn’t serve their country openly; who reject the progress that
we’ve made; who, as we speak, are looking to enshrine discrimination
into state laws and constitutions -- efforts that we’ve got to work hard
to oppose, because that’s not what America should be about.
We’re
not about restricting rights and restricting opportunity. We’re about
opening up rights and opening up opportunity -- (applause) -- and
treating each other generously and with love and respect. (Applause.)
And
together, we also have to keep sending a message to every young person
in this country who might feel alone or afraid because they’re gay or
transgender -- who may be getting picked on or pushed around because
they’re different. We’ve got to make sure they know that there are
adults they can talk to; that they are never alone; that there is a
whole world waiting for them filled with possibility. That’s why we
held a summit at the White House on bullying. That’s why we’re going to
continue to focus on this issue. (Applause.) This isn’t just “kids
being kids.” It’s wrong. It’s destructive. It’s never acceptable.
And I want all those kids to know that the President and the First Lady
is standing right by them every inch of the way. (Applause.) I want
them to know that we love them and care about them, and they’re not by
themselves. That’s what I want them to know. (Applause.)
Now,
I also need your help in the broader fight to get this economy back on
track. You may have heard, I introduced a bill called the American Jobs
Act. (Applause.) It’s been almost three weeks since I sent it up to
Congress. That’s three weeks longer than it should have taken to pass
this common-sense bill. (Applause.) This is a bill filled with ideas
that both parties have supported -- tax breaks for companies that hire
veterans; road projects; school renovations; putting construction crews
back to work rebuilding America; tax cuts for middle-class families so
they can make ends meet and spend a little more at local stores and
restaurants that need the business.
Now, you may have
heard me say this a few times before -- I’ll say it again: Pass the
bill. (Applause.) Enough gridlock. Enough delay. Enough politics.
Pass this bill. Put this country back to work. (Applause.) HRC, you
know how Congress works. I’m counting on you to have my back. Go out
there and get them to pass this bill. (Applause.) Let’s put America
back to work.
Now, ultimately, these debates we’re having
are about more than just politics; they’re more about -- they’re about
more than the polls and the pundits, and who’s up and who’s down. This
is a contest of values. That’s what’s at stake here. This is a
fundamental debate about who we are as a nation.
I don’t
believe -- we don’t believe -- in a small America, where we let our
roads crumble, we let our schools fall apart, where we stand by while
teachers are laid off and science labs are shut down, and kids are
dropping out.
We believe in a big America, an America that
invests in the future -- that invests in schools and highways and
research and technology -- the things that have helped make our economy
the envy of the world.
We don’t believe in a small
America, where we meet our fiscal responsibilities by abdicating every
other responsibility we have, and where we just divvy up the government
as tax breaks for those who need them the least, where we abandon the
commitment we’ve made to seniors though Medicare and Social Security,
and we say to somebody looking for work, or a student who needs a
college loan, or a middle-class family with a child who’s disabled, that
“You’re on your own.” That’s not who we are.
We believe
in a big America, an America where everybody has got a fair shot, and
everyone pays their fair share. An America where we value success and
the idea that anyone can make it in this country. But also an America
that does -- in which everyone does their part -- including the
wealthiest Americans, including the biggest corporations -- to deal with
the deficits that threaten our future. (Applause.)
We
don’t believe in a small America. We don’t believe in the kind of
smallness that says it’s okay for a stage full of political leaders --
one of whom could end up being the President of the United States --
being silent when an American soldier is booed. (Applause.) We don’t
believe in that. We don’t believe in standing silent when that
happens. (Applause.) We don’t believe in them being silent since.
(Applause.) You want to be Commander-in-Chief? You can start by
standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United
States, even when it’s not politically convenient. (Applause.)
We
don’t believe in a small America. We believe in a big America -- a
tolerant America, a just America, an equal America -- that values the
service of every patriot. (Applause.) We believe in an America where
we’re all in it together, and we see the good in one another, and we
live up to a creed that is as old as our founding: E pluribus unum.
Out of many, one. And that includes everybody. That’s what we
believe. That’s what we’re going to be fighting for. (Applause.)
I
am confident that’s what the American people believe in. (Applause.)
I’m confident because of the changes we’ve achieved these past two and a
half years -– the progress that some folks said was impossible.
(Applause.) And I’m hopeful -- I am hopeful --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Fired up!
THE
PRESIDENT: I’m fired up, too. (Laughter.) I am hopeful -- (applause)
-- I am hopeful -- I am still hopeful, because of a deeper shift that
we’re seeing; a transformation not only written into our laws, but woven
into the fabric of our society.
It’s progress led not by
Washington but by ordinary citizens, who are propelled not just by
politics but by love and friendship and a sense of mutual regard.
(Applause.) It’s playing out in legislatures like New York, and
courtrooms and in the ballot box. But it’s also happening around water
coolers and at the Thanksgiving table, and on Facebook and Twitter, and
at PTA meetings and potluck dinners, and church socials and VFW Halls.
It
happens when a father realizes he doesn’t just love his daughter, but
also her wife. (Applause.) It happens when a soldier tells his unit
that he’s gay, and they tell him they knew it all along and they didn’t
care, because he was the toughest guy in the unit. (Applause.) It
happens when a video sparks a movement to let every single young person
know they’re not alone, and things will get better. It happens when
people look past their ultimately minor differences to see themselves in
the hopes and struggles of their fellow human beings. That’s where
change is happening. (Applause.)
And that’s not just the
story of the gay rights movement. That’s the story of America --
(applause) -- the slow, inexorable march towards a more perfect union.
(Applause.) You are contributing to that story, and I’m confident we
can continue to write another chapter together.
Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)
END 7:45 P.M. EDT
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