President Obama mentions LGBTI people in inauguration speech
US President Barack Obama was inaugurated as the President of the United States for the second time on this day in 2013.
During his speech the President spoke to the need to respect the civil rights of LGBT people, the first time any reference had been made to same sex attracted people in the history making speech.
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall.” President Obama said on the steps of the Capitol building, drawing a connecting line between racial discrimination and sex and gender discrimination.
“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.” President Obama said.
The President’s first term had seen the repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy in the US military, but the President’s non-committal on marriage equality had been disappointing for many supporters. During his second term he would publicly voice his support, ahead of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision.
Also on this day in history
In 1903 New York police conduct the first recorded raid on a gay bathhouse. Police stormed the Ariston Hotel Baths. Twenty-six men were arrested and 12 brought to trial on charges of sodomy. Seven men received sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison.
OIP Staff, this post was first published on 21st January 2020.
