President Obama Shows Support For Equal Rights

Last Night, President Barack Obama spoke at the 13th annual Human Rights Campaign dinner. The HRC is the United States' largest and most well-known LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) advocacy group. The campaign was founded in 1980, and it seeks to achieve equality for and diminish discrimination against the LGBT community in America. In response to Obama's speech, HRC President Joe Solmonese had this to say:

“Tonight, President Obama told LGBT Americans that his commitment to ending discrimination in the military, in the workplace and for loving couples and their families is ‘unwavering.’ He made it crystal clear that he is our strongest ally in this fight, that he understands and, in fact, encourages our activism and our voice even when we’re impatient with the pace of change. But these remarks weren’t just for us, they were directed to all Americans who share his dream and ours of a country where “no one is denied their basic rights, in which all of us are free to live and love as we see fit.”

“And we heard unequivocally about the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: ‘I am working with the Pentagon, its leadership and members of the House and Senate to end this policy. I will end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That is my commitment to you.’

“Finally, we heard something quite remarkable from the President: ‘You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.’

“This was a historic night when we felt the full embrace and commitment of the President of the United States. It’s simply unprecedented.”

In recent months, gay rights and the issue of marriage equality have taken a back seat to solving the global economic crisis. While this is understandable, the LGBT community has recently been questioning the solvency of Obama's commitment to create a more equal and tolerant America. Their frustrations are mapped out in this article from Advocate magazine. However, Obama's speech seems to have inspired some hope for greater change in the near future. You can watch the full speech below: