ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) In his weekly address, President Obama celebrated progress on LGBT rights, but says more needs to be done for "equality,
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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) In his weekly address, President Obama celebrated progress on LGBT rights, but says more needs to be done for "equality, acceptance, and tolerance" of the gay community.
On Friday, Obama designated the site around the Stonewall Inn in New York City as a national monument, the first to honor the contributions of gay Americans.
The Stonewallin Manhattan's Greenwich Village was the scene of a police raid that triggered riots and ignited a long struggle to bring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people into the American mainstream and guarantee their rights.
LGBT rights advocacy groups hailed the national recognition, saying it will help highlight the gay communities' continued struggles, especially in the aftermath of the June 12 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida that killed 49 people.
"As we saw two weeks ago in Orlando, the LGBT community still faces real discrimination, real violence, real hate.
So we can't rest.
We've got to keep pushing for equality and acceptance and tolerance," said Obama.
"But the arc of our history is clear.
It's an arc of progress and a lot of that progress can be traced back to Stonewall.
So this week I'm designating the Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America's National Park system."
