hello everybody
happy Pride
[Applause]
um I was gonna apologize for keeping you
and I am sorry to keep you but I have to
say it's pretty nice to be out here
I wish I could stay a little longer to
be outside a huge thank you to Jerry and
huge thank you to Matt fan for all you
guys do
organize organizing today's event and
commerce pride and keeping us all
together and keeping us focused on the
right things here at Team Commerce
uh I'd say last year I did this event
and the flag came out and in the weeks
following that several people that I met
commented on the pride flag at Commerce
and how it made them like they noticed
it they recognized it they felt included
they felt heard they felt proud that the
Department of Commerce would recognize
them in that way and so today I'm just
so thrilled to be doing this again and
to be proudly putting our flag out on
the Department of Commerce when I was
the governor my favorite parade by the
way when you're the governor you do a
lot of parades
like a lot of parades uh my favorite by
far was the pride parade by far was
Pride weekend Rhode Island loves our
pride parade if you've never been you
get to go it's the best in New England
I know you're sick of hearing me brag
about Rhode Island but it's true
um and of course it still happens at
night
which was always such a reminder
of you know it wasn't that long ago
that the lgbtq community had to gather
at night had to live in the shadows had
to
you know live their life at work or in
their family
as someone who they weren't
and today we say not in America not in
the Biden Administration not in the
Commerce family
we want you
we want you to show up every day as your
authentic self
to be who you are all that you are and
to bring that to work
everywhere you go but I want you to
bring it to work
and I want you to bring it to work
because we will be better if you do that
we will be worse off if you feel you
have to pretend you're somebody you're
not in order to show up at work and be
respected
we will be better off if you can show up
as you are
with dignity and respect and be
respected for who you are authentically
and that's what this is all about that's
why we show up I think it's important to
show up I think it's important to put
the flag up I think it's important to
talk about this and I love our theme for
this year's Commerce Pride a spectrum of
color
the more diversity we have the more
vibrant we'll be the more the quite
frankly the fewer mistakes we'll make
because we'll Embrace different
viewpoints
more mistakes will be made if we have a
small lens and the same old same old
conventional wisdom that we bring to
every problem we try to solve
now as exciting as this is and I do I
really think this is exciting and I'm

the mother of two teenagers and I tell
them the same thing I tell you guys be
who you are know who you are be who you
are and never be ashamed of that never
be ashamed of that and by the way if you
see any smidgen
of discrimination in the Department of
Commerce call it out
call it out discrimination and hate
thrive in the darkness and so I want you
to call it out wherever you are because
it's not okay
but anyway though as excited as I am and
as happy as I am look here's the reality
and you don't need me to tell you this
you really don't need me to tell you
this but it is a reality and it's a
scary reality
not everybody can go to work in a place
where they're accepted for who they are
people are still getting fired for who
they love and who they are
in some states you can't even if you're
a kid be taught in school about sexual
orientation
it is a sad day in America when we are
burning books
for views
that talk about sexual orientation
so it's more important than ever I was
actually just in a meeting in the skiff
obviously I can't tell you what I was
talking about but it was some pretty
heavy stuff related to our national
security and I said I gotta go I'll be
back because this is just as important
as that I really believe that I actually
really believe that this is just as
important as that because if we're going
to be a free country a beacon of freedom
and democracy and tolerance that leads
the world then we have to start at home
with events like this so let's celebrate
this pride month the best way to
celebrate is to recommit ourselves to
staying in the fight as you know I
reference some of the Grim things
happening around the country stay in the
fight for equality inclusion and respect
let's be proud
happy pride and let's raise this flag
over the doc
should we do it in Spanish
Cinco
cuatro
Trace does Uno