Good morning everyone. On behalf of everyone who has served on our Pride month planning committee
this year, I'd like to welcome you all and say happy Pride! We're here today not to just see
a rainbow painted over our logo for a month and then back to business as usual. We're working to
build real, lasting change here for our co-workers and for the American people we serve, and to make
it our new business as usual. I'm standing here today because in 2009, what was then called the
GLBT Special Emphasis Program was created here at USDA. That day I saw someone at USDA had my back.
Secretary Vilsack was willing to go to bat for me and all the LGBTQI-plus employees and customers
and it was time I did the same for myself. So I came out at work.
My confidence and talents grew and I knew I had to do the same for others.
I spent the last 13 years working to make USDA a welcoming workplace. To Secretary Vilsack,
we listened that day back in 2009 when you told us your story and when you told us it gets better.
Thank you. Without further ado, I'd like to welcome Deputy Secretary Bronaugh. (applause)
Good morning everyone. What a beautiful day it is today to come together and celebrate. It's moments
like these that we show what it is to make our country an inclusive, welcoming and a healthy one.
To the LGBTQI- plus community, know that you are welcomed. Know that your contributions to the
workplace matter, your voice and your efforts matter, and your continued commitment to truly
advancing equality for all makes a difference not just here at USDA, but all across the country and
for all the people that we serve. And so the Secretary and I, we stand here today as allies.
You have our commitment that we will do everything that we can to ensure that USDA is the best place
to work for you and for your community. So thank you so much for the opportunity to
gather here today, and it is my honor to now turn it over to Secretary Vilsack. (applause)
When we look at this flag we need to remember the folks who sacrificed.
We need to remember the folks who gave everything to this effort
and then we need to celebrate the folks who are here - the community.
The community of believers, the community of people with great courage, great strength
who understand the significance and importance of recognizing who they are.
We have a tremendous LGBTQI-plus community here in the USDA and I'm incredibly proud of
it. I'm incredibly proud of every single one of the individuals that makes up that community.
And candidly, I want to be part of that community. There's still work to be done.
There's a lot of work to be done. There are still folks who just don't quite understand,
don't fully appreciate, don't recognize the significance of us coming together in community.
So we have work to do. But today is a day of celebration. Monica, thank you for what you
do and what your team does at Civil Rights to remind us every single day of the importance of
incorporating all of this in what we do in the programs we provide and the people we help.
Because if we can do this then we move one step closer to that more perfect union. So let's raise
the flag with tremendous pride and let's celebrate this month and all that it stands for. (applause)
I am honored today to give closing remarks for this ceremony and the kickoff to the 20th annual
LGBTQI-plus Pride month at USDA. First, thank you Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Bronaugh
for those powerful words and your leadership. Thank you, Jeremy Wood . Your story serves as an
inspiration for us all. Thank you OSEC, my staff at OASCR, the Pride committee hosted by FPAC,
NIFA, Equality USDA for putting together a phenomenal series of events for this month.
We are advancing true equality for all by fostering inclusivity and belonging with
stakeholders, developing civil rights policies that protect the civil rights of all people
and amplifying communication to give voice to underrepresented employees and customers.
So as we raise the Pride flag and look forward to a month of pride, I encourage all of our employees
to take part and take pride in the bounty of the fruits of our labor. Thank you. (applause)