Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton's remarks at Center Dinner

I'm starting over with someone new They told you I was a moving on But over it I'd come back I'd come back swinging You tried to break me but you see What doesn't kill you makes you stronger Stand a little taller Doesn't mean I won't leave when I'm alone What doesn't kill you makes you fight even harder Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone What doesn't kill you makes you trust me the best I had a real dilemma tonight. You see, I was also invited for the opening night to see Bette Midler in Hello Dolly. So, I really struggled. The center, Bette. I think I did. Actually, I struck a compromise. I put on my Sunday clothes and here I am. Besides, being with all of you is a little bit like a very stylish family reunion. And of course, it is such a treat for me to follow Marc Jacobs who, I have to tell you, years ago, more than ten he was a really young man. All of a sudden, out of nowhere he began producing t-shirts with my face on it. I didn't even know he was doing it until a friend of mine called and said, you know, Marc Jacobs has a t-shirt with your face on it. Well, I was pretty flattered but of course, you know I'm the fashion icon of all time. So, then, to top it off, in the campaign last year he designed another t-shirt and he wore it at one of his shows. And I have to publicly thank Marc Jacobs for a million things. For saying, as he did once again on this stage tonight there is nothing wrong with being different. And so, thank you, Marc, for your talent, your kindness and congratulations for tonight. And I want to thank Arianna for her introduction and really, what an amazing mission she has taken on to encourage us all to be more present and focused in our own lives and to get more sleep. This is one of those discoveries. Sleep is good. I highly recommend it. When I wasn't walking in the woods, I was catching up on my sleep. So, I just have to cut to the chase here and tell you how really honored I am to receive this award. And thank you because it means a lot to me especially coming from the center. But it also means a lot because I can't see you the lights are in my eyes, but I know out there are a lot of my friends, my supporters a lot of the wonderful people who were part of the campaign we waged for all the right reasons and all the best values of our country. I have to say that it is a real joy because so many of the people in this room and those who support the center who aren't here tonight have been incredibly supportive of me. Many of you, not just my great team that's here but many of you worked your hearts out during this campaign and I know that a lot of you are just beginning to make your marks on the world. Now, last spring, nearly a year ago I guess now I visited the center with Glenda who gave me a great tour along with my good friend Chris Quinn. And, you know, walking through those doors and into that beautiful welcoming space was such a great delight. I want to say tonight what I said that day. For every one of you who has supported the center maybe for years, maybe tonight is the first time thank you. Thank you for making the center a hub for LGBT life in New York City but more than that, a beacon of hope a refuge for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in every corner of our country. A couple of weeks ago I was in Texas at an event and a young man came up to me and he said I'll see you in New York. We were in Houston. I said, oh. You know, and using my exquisite political skills and timing I said, well what will bring you to New York? And he goes, well the center, the event for the center. And he told me that as a young man who found himself in New York some years earlier the center had been a lifeline standing up for the values that not just New Yorkers but Americans believe in. And after the election, when the Trans Hotline and the Trevor Project were seeing a spike in calls from people in crisis the center was there to provide support. And as reports of bias-related violence and discrimination have gone up in the months since so has the need for the center's services especially among young people of color, immigrants and the transgender community. And we've learned something important that the progress that we fought for that many of you were on the front lines of and that we've celebrated and maybe even taken for granted may not be as secure as we once expected. More and more these days I find myself thinking of the people that I've met the stories that I've heard. When this administration rescinded protections for transgender students my heart broke for all the parents who are advocating so fiercely for their child's right to live, learn, and go to school just like anybody else. When I learned about the proposed cuts in funding for HIV and AIDS research I thought of all of our efforts to try to achieve an AIDS-free generation. And we were on the way. We can, if we stay on that path finally realize that dream but not if we are forced off. And each time this administration elevates an outspoken opponent of LGBT equality sometimes in particularly cruel ways like replacing the first openly gay Secretary of the Army with someone who called being transgender a disease I picture all of the joyful, beaming couples that I've met across our country on rope lines, backstage at rallies, at the center who were so excited to get married start a family, and begin their lives together. I'm especially pleased that my longtime friend Congressman Sean Maloney and his husband Randy are here tonight. So yes, some of the changes we're seeing may seem small but they matter a great deal if you're the person affected. Like, for example, whether or not you're counted in the census. Others carry historic significance like the future of the Supreme Court. And it is not just here in our country that we're seeing clouds gathering on the horizon. In recent weeks, we've heard terrifying accounts from Chechnya of gay and bisexual men being taken from their homes and families tortured, even killed. And when government authorities were confronted with these reports their response was chilling. They said you cannot arrest or repress people who do not exist. The United States government, yes, this government should demand an end to the persecution of innocent people across the world. Bill, I will say again what I said in 2011. Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights once and for all. But I think we have to face the fact that we may not ever be able to count on this administration to lead on LGBT issues. Let's remember 2018, the midterm elections. We can never stop fighting. We need to dedicate these next years the next two years, the next four years and beyond to supporting people and organizations that are advocating for the best of American values around the world, here at home. And we also have to win elections to make it clear where our country stands. This is a little bit like preaching to the choir. But that's okay, I love standing ovations. And what I also really appreciate is that after the election, you came together and decided unanimously to invest in advocacy and organizing. This is the right step. This is absolutely essential that you do this. I know the election hit a lot of us hard. But I can tell you this, even when it feels tempting to pull the covers over your heads, please keep going. Please, remember those who came before. Remember how we got to this huge banquet hall because of activists at Stonewall, advocates like Larry Kramer and Peter Staley who founded ACT UP at the center. Parents like Judy and Dennis Shepard and Christine Leinonen, the mother of a young man killed at Pulse. Role models who provided to a generation of young people that, yes, it gets better. Trailblazers, faith leaders, people who spoke out over and over again, who stood by the sides of those who were most oppressed, never letting anybody forget that, you know what? We all are entitled to our rights and our dignity. Champions like Edie Windsor and Jim Obergefell who fought for their families. They never lost faith that justice would prevail. All the people who risked their jobs, their homes, even their lives to fight for the fundamental rights and dignity of all people. Because you marched, you organized, you brought lawsuits, you ran for office. We made progress. And that progress continues every time another person comes to the center and finds acceptance and community. And let's not forget, even now we're seeing glimmers of hope in the courts and an outpouring of grassroots activism across our country. Now, I've had a new mantra these last few weeks, the kind of thing that does pop into your head when you're out in the woods. But I really believe it's a good way to remind ourselves when you feel a little down, when a good friend or a loved one says, quit yelling at the television set. Just remember, we need to resist, insist, persist, and enlist and make sure our voices and our votes count. So we're going to keep together, side by side for equal rights. And we're going to make sure that nobody turns the clock back on what we have achieved as Americans. That is a promise. And with your help, let's make sure we keep it. Thank you all very much.