See Obama's message to the LGBTQ community from Logo's Stonewall celebration
As the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall uprising approaches on the heels of a landmark Supreme Court decision for LGBTQ rights, former President Barack Obama is delivering a powerful message to the community to keep fighting for progress.
In the exclusive clip above, part of Logo and advocacy organization Pride Live's third annual Stonewall Day to promote awareness and support for the continuing fight for LGBTQ equality, the 44th president advocates combining protest and policy to produce substantive change. The event commemorates the 1969 demonstrations at New York's Stonewall Inn, when the bar's gay patrons fought back against police violence and birthed the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
"Because of the movement they sparked and the decades of work that followed, marriage equality became the law of the land five years ago, and just this month the Supreme Court ruled that employers can no longer discriminate against LGBTQ workers," Obama says in the clip. "The struggle and triumph for LGBTQ rights shows how protests and politics go hand in hand, how we've got to both shine a light on injustice and translate those aspirations into specific laws and institutional practices."
This message is just one part of the celebration in store for Stonewall Day. On June 26, Logo will host a livestream on its YouTube and Facebook pages to raise funds for four LGBTQ+ organizations: Trans LifeLife, Brave Space Alliance, TransLatin@Coalition, and the Ally Coalition. Other guests and performers will include Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, Cynthia Erivo, and Katy Perry. The livestream will run from 12:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET.
"COVID-19, and the recent events that have placed a national and global spotlight on the need for fair and equal treatment for all people, has impacted so many around the world and the LGBTQ+ community has not been immune," Dr. Yvette C. Burton, president of the Pride Live board of directors, said in a statement. "This has resulted in vital and life-saving LGBTQ+ organizations having to severely amend their budgets and programs. Our hopes are Stonewall Day can assist our beneficiaries in continuing their work and service to the community."
Watch Obama's message above.
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