President Obama said Tuesday he is proud of his administration’s record on advancing the human rights of the LGBT community.
“Advancing the goal has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and I am proud that my administration has made advancing the human rights of LGBT individuals a specific focus of our engagement around the world,” Obama said in a statement, honoring a day dedicated to fighting discrimination against gays and transgender people.
He also said he was proud of the “great strides” on the issue the United States has made in recent years, including the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to uphold gay marriages across the country.
Despite these advances, Obama said all nations and communities “can, and must, do better.”
“In too many places, LGBT individuals grow up forced to conceal or deny who they truly are for fear of persecution, discrimination and violence,” he said. “Fortunately, human rights champions and good citizens around the world continue to strive towards this goal every day by lifting up the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights.
“The United States honors their work and will continue to support them in their struggle for human dignity,” he said.
The president made the statement just days after his administration issued a directive to schools across the country allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice and providing federal guidelines aimed at preventing discrimination against transgender students.
LGBT activists in countries around the world chose May 17 as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia because that day commemorates a decision on the same date in 1990 to remove homosexuality from an international classification of diseases of the World Health Organization.
