-Caveat Lector-
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 32379]]
Proclamation 7203 of June 11, 1999
Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, 1999
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Thirty years ago this month, at the Stonewall Inn in
New York City, a courageous group of citizens resisted
harassment and mistreatment, setting in motion a chain
of events that would become known as the Stonewall
Uprising and the birth of the modern gay and lesbian
civil rights movement. Gays and lesbians, their
families and friends, celebrate the anniversary of
Stonewall every June in America as Gay and Lesbian
Pride Month; and, earlier this month, the National Park
Service added the Stonewall Inn, as well as the nearby
park and neighborhood streets surrounding it, to the
National Register of Historic Places.
I am proud of the measures my Administration has taken
to end discrimination against gays and lesbians and
ensure that they have the same rights guaranteed to
their fellow Americans. Last year, I signed an
Executive order that amends Federal equal employment
opportunity policy to prohibit discrimination in the
Federal civilian work force based on sexual
orientation. We have also banned discrimination based
on sexual orientation in the granting of security
clearances. As a result of these and other policies,
gay and lesbian Americans serve openly and proudly
throughout the Federal Government. My Administration is
also working with congressional leaders to pass the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit
most private employers from firing workers solely
because of their sexual orientation.
America's diversity is our greatest strength. But,
while we have come a long way on our journey toward
tolerance, understanding, and mutual respect, we still
have a long way to go in our efforts to end
discrimination. During the past year, people across our
country have been shaken by violent acts that struck at
the heart of what it means to be an American and at the
values that have always defined us as a Nation. In
1997, the most recent year for which we have
statistics, there were more than 8,000 reported hate
crimes in our country--almost one an hour. Now is the
time for us to take strong and decisive action to end
all hate crimes, and I reaffirm my pledge to work with
the Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
But we cannot achieve true tolerance merely through
legislation; we must change hearts and minds as well.
Our greatest hope for a just society is to teach our
children to respect one another, to appreciate our
differences, and to recognize the fundamental values
that we hold in common. As part of our efforts to
achieve this goal, earlier this spring, I announced
that the Departments of Justice and Education will work
in partnership with educational and other private
sector organizations to reach out to students and teach
them that our diversity is a gift. In addition, the
Department of Education has issued landmark guidance
that explains Federal standards against sexual
harassment and prohibits sexual harassment of all
students regardless of their sexual orientation; and I
have ordered the Education Department's civil rights
office to step up its enforcement of anti-
discrimination and harassment rules. That effort has
resulted in a groundbreaking guide that provides
practical guidance to school administrators and
teachers
[[Page 32380]]
for developing a comprehensive approach to protecting
all students, including gays and lesbians, from
harassment and violence.
Since our earliest days as a Nation, Americans have
strived to make real the ideals of equality and freedom
so eloquently expressed in our Declaration of
Independence and Constitution. We now have a rare
opportunity to enter a new century and a new millennium
as one country, living those principles, recognizing
our common values, and building on our shared
strengths.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim June 1999 as Gay and Lesbian
Pride Month. I encourage all Americans to observe this
month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities that celebrate our diversity, and to
remember throughout the year the gay and lesbian
Americans whose many and varied contributions have
enriched our national life.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
third.
(Presidential Sig.)<Clinton1><Clinton2>
[FR Doc. 99-15489
Filed
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=1999_register&doci
d=99-15489-filed
lol
Bard
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