John Kerry Condemns Global Anti-Gay Violence

Secretary John Kerry has been a longtime proponent of LGBT rights so it's no surprise, in light of Gay Pride Month, that he applauded the progress LGBT activist have made since Stonewall.

In a new statement issued by the White House Tuesday, Kerry also condemned anti-gay global violence, saying, "we still have a long way to go."

"All over the world, people continue to be killed, arrested, and harassed simply because of who they are, or who they love," Kerry said. "There are LGBT people of all ages, all races and all faiths, citizens of every country on Earth. In too many places, LGBT people and their supporters are still attacked if they just attempt to stand up for their rights and participate in peaceful rallies or marches, or simply for being who they are."

He went on to say that members of the LGBT community in the United States "must be free to exercise their human rights -- including freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly and association -- without fear of reprisal."

Kerry concluded that the U.S. must continue to progress human rights for all people during Gay Pride month and throughout the year.

Kerry served as Massachusetts senator from 1985 to 2013 before becoming the current Sectary of State. In 2004, he was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 Presidential Election, but lost to incumbent George W. Bush.

He spoke out on the Senate floor against the Defense of Marriage Act and voted against in 1996. In 2004, when Massachusetts legalized gay marriage, Kerry was against it, favoring civil unions. He reversed his views, however, in July 2010 in an op-ed he penned for the Boston Globe, under the title "Kerry Acknowledges Gay Marriage Change."