President Clinton is the first President to be personally and publicly committed to the principle of
equality and acceptance for gays and lesbians.
The Clinton Administration has won breakthrough
victories for gays and lesbians and continues to fight on their side—against bigotry, hatred, and
the politics of division.
Because of President Clinton's commitment to fairness, his
Administration has promoted equality for gays and lesbians by:
 | Signing an Executive Order eliminating the barriers to gays and lesbians receiving security clearances in the entire executive branch, including the Departments of Defense,
Justice, and State and instructing the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to
direct cabinet agencies and departments to issue policy statements banning discrimination
based on sexual orientation;
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| Endorsing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would outlaw discrimination in hiring, firing, and promotion based on sexual orientation by private
employers—making President Clinton the first President to back civil rights legislation
for gays and lesbians; |
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| Fighting successfully to repeal the Dornan Amendment, which would have required the expulsion of all HIV-positive military service members, regardless of their ability; |
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| Signing the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act; |
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| Speaking out against and strongly opposing anti-gay referenda and ballot initiatives in various states;
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| Appointing the most inclusive Administration in history—over 100 openly gay and lesbian appointees, including former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Roberta Achtenberg, and Assistant Secretary of
Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Bruce Lehman, the first openly
gay individuals to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate; |
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| Naming the first Presidential Liaison to the gay and lesbian community, Marsha Scott, and the first openly gay liaison, Richard Socarides; |
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| Appointing openly gay physician Scott Hitt to head the President's Council on HIV/AIDS, along with several other openly gay Council members; |
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| Inviting openly lesbian health advocates to policy formulation meetings for the first time in history; and |
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| Supporting a national conference hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to examine the causes of and solutions to gay youth suicide. |
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Fighting HIV and AIDS
In 1992, Bill Clinton said he would "provide the leadership this country needs for a loud, clear,
and consistent war on AIDS." President Clinton has translated that pledge into action. He is
working to end discrimination within the health care system, to increase access to health care,
and to ensure more effective action to prevent and find a cure for diseases, such as AIDS and
breast cancer. President Clinton has:
| Increased public health spending for HIV/AIDS programs by nearly 43 percent, including a 132 percent increase for Ryan White CARE programs and a 34 percent increase for
AIDS-related research; |
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| Fought to protect Medicaid from proposed cuts by the Congress—cuts that would have been devastating to the 50 percent of people living with AIDS who rely on Medicaid; |
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| Directed the Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to vigorously prosecute those who discriminate against people living with AIDS, leading to
actions against health care providers and facilities that violate the Americans with
Disabilities Act; |
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| Convened the National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development, accelerated the approval of protease inhibitors, and removed dozens of bureaucratic obstacles to the effective and
dignified treatment of people living with AIDS; |
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| Established a permanent Office of AIDS Research at the National Institutes of Health,
created the Office of National AIDS Policy at the White House, and convened the first
White House conference on HIV/AIDS; |
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| Increased funding for Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) by 96 percent and created the first Office of AIDS Housing at HUD to specifically address the
issue; |
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| Created a permanent Office of Women's Health Research and increased funding for women's health issues, including a 65 percent increase in breast cancer-related funding; |
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| Doubled funding for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP), helping people with AIDS gain access to protease inhibitors and other AIDS drugs; and |
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| Signed a law requiring that women, including lesbians and minorities, are included in National Institutes of Health supported research.
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Because President Clinton strongly believes in the values of fairness, equality, and non-discrimination, he will:
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| Continue to oppose discrimination against lesbian and gay Americans and to fight for passage of ENDA; |
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| Continue to appoint men and women to his Administration who reflect the strength and diversity of the American people; |
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| Fight to protect Medicaid, the largest single source of medical assistance for people living with AIDS, including 90 percent of children with the disease; and |
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| Maintain his strong commitment to finding a cure for AIDS and to providing quality care for those living with HIV/AIDS. |
y Administration has taken more steps than any previous in bringing the gay and lesbian communities to the table. I am proud of my record, and it is a record to build on. I remain dedicated to ending discrimination and to protecting the civil rights of every citizen. In public life, I have worked relentlessly to empower people who historically have been discriminated against based on race, class, gender, disability, or sexual orientation. I remain committed to achieving that goal.”
Protecting Our Values