Hinsegin dagar í Reykjavík - Aug 2012, Page 50

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I am delighted to extend my greetings to all the par-
ticipants in Iceland’s Gay Pride Festival. As my U.S.
Embassy colleagues and I discovered last year when
we marched in the parade, this is a time of com-
munity, a time for families from across Iceland and
elsewhere in the world to gather and celebrate. The
U.S. Embassy will march in the Reykjavik Gay Pride
Parade again this year. We enjoy a great festival, but
our participation also underscores the fact that the
United States is standing up for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender rights around the world.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton famously
said that “gay rights are human rights, and human
rights are gay rights.” By definition, human rights are
universal and every human being should be allowed to
lead a productive and dignified life, free from discrimi-
nation, fear or violence.
Our commitment to advancing equality for LGBT
people begins at home. Under President Obama’s leadership, the U.S. has fought to secure justice for all under
the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a measure which expands the 1969 United
States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orienta-
tion, gender identity, or disability.
The U.S. has also taken action to end housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
and expanded hospital visitation rights for LGBT patients and their loved ones. The Affordable Care Act ensures
that insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to someone just because they are lesbian, gay,
bisexual, or transgender. In addition, the repeal of “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” means that LGBT Americans can serve
openly in the U.S. military.
The United States is a proud sponsor of Reykjavik’s
Gay Pride Festival and our participation reflects
America’s commitment to advance LGBT rights at home
and throughout the world.

The United States
Shares Iceland’s Commitment to
Supporting LGBT Rights
By Luis E. Arreaga,
U.S. Ambassador to Iceland
“Gay rights are human rights,
and human rights are gay rights.”
Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton, 27 June 2011
Embassy Website
http://iceland.usembassy.gov
Ambassador's blog
http://ambassadorblogiceland.blospot.com
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