ambassador jim hornel is here. oregon secretary of state kate brown is here. [applause] all of you are here. welcome to your wife house. -- welcome to your white house. [cheers and applause] somebody asked for the lincoln bedroom. [laughter] it is good to see so many friends and familiar faces. i appreciate the support that i have received from so many of you. michelle appreciates it. i want you to know that you have our support as well. [applause] you have my thanks for the work that you do every day in pursuit of quality on behalf of the millions of people in this country that work hard and care about their communities, and that are gay, bisexual, or transgender. [applause] this struggle, i don't need to tell you, is incredibly difficult. although i think it is important to consider the progress that we have made. there are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop. although we have made progress, there are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors or even family members who still hold fast to warn arguments and attitudes who fail to see your famil