The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) strongly praises President Barack Obama for including transgender people, bisexual people and lesbians in his 2015 State of the Union speech, marking the first time in history they have been mentioned in this address.

President Obama

President Obama stated:

“As Americans, we respect human dignity.… That’s why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We do these things not only because they are the right thing to do, but because ultimately they will make us safer.”

Statement from TLDEF Executive Director Michael Silverman

“This is a landmark moment for the LGBT community, and especially for transgender, lesbian and bisexual members of our community, who before now, had never been mentioned in a State of the Union address. We are grateful to President Obama for including the entire LGBT community in his speech, and for highlighting and condemning the persecution of LGBT people. Through his stirring and heartfelt words, the President has again demonstrated his commitment to a creating a world where people are treated equally regardless of who we are or who we love.”

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