President Barack Obama has used the
word “gay” more often than any of his predecessors.
to a report issued Thursday by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC),
the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, Obama has used the word in
a public speech, statement or proclamation at least 272 times in the
last 5 years.
President Bill Clinton comes in second,
having used “gay” 216 times during his two terms.
Neither George H.W. Bush nor Ronald
Reagan used the word in a presidential speech.
“Words matter an enormous amount, and
when President Obama uses his platform to declare that LGBT people
are just as American as anyone else, it has a huge and historic
effect,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “President Obama has
helped the American people get to know LGBT people on a personal
level, and evidence suggests that when people know us, they don't
want to discriminate against us. President Obama has worked
tirelessly to improve the lives of LGBT people, and the power of his
rhetoric has been an essential part of that legacy.”
Obama also used the word “transgender”
at least 33 times, “bisexual” at least 28 times and “lesbian”
at least 88 times.