President Barack Obama said he is proud that his "administration has made
advancing the human rights of LGBT individuals a specific focus of our engagement around the world," emphasizing "the great strides that our nation has made at home in recent years."
In a statement marking the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, Obama said it is important to reaffirm "the dignity and inherent worth of all people, regardless of who they love or their gender identity."
The president added that despite the advances, "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 stressed that the goal must be to remember "the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights."
The president's remarks come just a few days after his administration issued a directive to schools nationwide that transgender students should be permitted to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
When asked in an
interview with BuzzFeed News about Republican governors who are ignoring the directive, Obama said "it is part of our obligation as a society to make sure everybody is treated fairly, with dignity and to be protected," and that these young people should not be left at the mercy of bullying just because they are a minority."
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