Statement by the President
Michelle
and I join our fellow Americans and others around the world in
commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia tomorrow, May 17.
We take
this opportunity to reaffirm that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) rights are human rights, to celebrate the dignity of
every person, and to underscore that all people deserve to live free
from fear, violence, and discrimination, regardless of
who they are or whom they love.
We
work toward this goal every day. Here at home, we are working to end
bias-motivated violence, combat discrimination in the workplace, and
address the specific needs of
transgender persons. Overseas, I am proud of the steps that the United
States has taken to prioritize the protection and promotion of LGBT
rights in our diplomacy and global outreach.
There
is much more to do, and this fight for equality will not be won in a
day. But we will keep working, at home and abroad, and we will keep
fighting, for however long
it takes until we are all able to live free and equal in dignity and
rights.
Susan Rice, National Security Advisor, Said....
Tomorrow,
the international community will mark the International Day Against
Homophobia and Transphobia. This day and every day, the United States
stands in solidarity
with members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
community and all those around the world who work to advance the
unassailable principle that LGBT rights are human rights.
The recent unconscionable comments by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh underscore why we must continue to seek a world in which no one lives in fear of violence or persecution because of who they are or whom they love. We condemn his comments, and note these threats come amid an alarming deterioration of the broader human rights situation in The Gambia. We are deeply concerned about credible reports of torture, suspicious disappearances – including of two American citizens - and arbitrary detention at the government's hands.
The United States in late 2014 acted on The Gambia’s crackdown against its LGBT community and wider human rights violations by ending trade preferences, and we are reviewing what additional actions are appropriate to respond to this worsening situation.
We repeat our call for the Gambian government, and all governments, to lead inclusively, repudiate intolerance, and promote respect for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms of all people.
The recent unconscionable comments by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh underscore why we must continue to seek a world in which no one lives in fear of violence or persecution because of who they are or whom they love. We condemn his comments, and note these threats come amid an alarming deterioration of the broader human rights situation in The Gambia. We are deeply concerned about credible reports of torture, suspicious disappearances – including of two American citizens - and arbitrary detention at the government's hands.
The United States in late 2014 acted on The Gambia’s crackdown against its LGBT community and wider human rights violations by ending trade preferences, and we are reviewing what additional actions are appropriate to respond to this worsening situation.
We repeat our call for the Gambian government, and all governments, to lead inclusively, repudiate intolerance, and promote respect for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms of all people.
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