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GAY AND LESBIAN PRIDE CELEBRATION, 1998
Warm greetings to everyone taking part in the 1998 Gay and
Lesbian Pride Celebration.
As Americans, we can be proud of our diversity. Striving
together, people of different ethnicities, backgrounds, races, beliefs, and sexual
orientation have contributed to the success of our nation, reflecting the profound truth
that this rich diversity is one of our greatest strengths. But we must face the reality
that sometimes our differences divide us; sometimes the voices of hatred and prejudice
drown out the harmony in our national life. Events like the Pride Celebration help us to
recognize anew that working in a spirit of community is not a hope but a necessity, and
that our individual dreams can only be realized by our shared efforts.
Our ideals and our history hold that the rights guaranteed
us as Americans are inalienable. They are embedded in our Constitution and amplified over
time by our courts and legislature, and I am bound by oath of office and the burden of
history to reaffirm them. Our nation stands to lose if we let prejudice and discrimination
stifle the hopes or deny the potential of a single American. And we stand to lose when any
person is denied or forced out of a job because of sexual orientation.
I commend each of you for your dedication to working for
an America that celebrates our diversity, builds on our strengths, and fulfills our
fundamental values of mutual respect and compassion. Working together, I am confident that
we can enter the 21st century as One America.
Best wishes for a wonderful celebration.
Bill Clinton
President, United States of America
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