In his farewell address this evening, President Barack Obama acknowledged the "very real struggles for justice" that various groups of people - including transgender people - face in the United States. He went on to say, "When [minority groups] wage peaceful protest, they're not demanding special treatment, but the equal treatment that our founders promised."
In response, Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said:
President Obama has consistently made clear that he understands that transgender people are a part of the American community, and that discrimination against transgender people is a very real problem. Tonight's speech just confirms that. His administration has worked hard over the last eight years to improve how transgender people are treated in this country, helping us get closer to the ideal of fairness and equal opportunity in all areas of life. His tenure has seen unprecedented progress for transgender people all across the nation. As the President said, nobody should have to feel unwelcome in the United States just because of who they are. We are so thankful to President Obama and his administration, and we will go forward working for progress and fighting against any attempts to undo the progress that has been made over the last eight years and against any attack on any group of people in this country.
