California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at DNC

by Sarah Boone
Journalism Intern

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom spoke at the Democratic National Convention today and included points about LGBT people and their rights.

Referring to California, Lt. Gov. Newsom said, "It’s a jet propelled engine of job creation and a home court for creativity. We've done it not just by innovation, but inclusion.

"We're pro-immigrant, pro-environment, pro-women, pro-workers and, proudly, pro-gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans. At our best, we don’t tolerate our diversities, we celebrate them. Those values of liberty diversity and opportunity, those are fundamentally American values.

"And those values are at attack, not just by enemies abroad but by a GOP who has moved its fear mongering fringe to center stage and malice towards different views and different hues," Newsom said, reffering to Mike Pence.

"Pence has supported overt discrimination. He has even advocated to diverting tax payer dollars to so called 'conversion therapy.'"

Newson continued, "Make no mistake, conversion therapy is not about 'praying' away the gay, it’s an emotional torture against our most innocent citizens - our children.

"Telling them that to live they must lie - Lie about who they are and lie about who they love. That is fundamentally un-American."

Newsom said that "we can live our fears or we can live our dreams," once it comes to the next president of the United States.

"Hillary Clinton has dedicated her entire life to putting the American dream within reach. She believes in diversity over division." 

Speaking as a father, Newsom said he wanted to tell the children of America, "When you hear people say you and your family don’t matter because of who you are or where you came from or what you look like or who you love, I want you to know 1 thing: that the people in this room, all across this country, believe that you matter. Hillary Clinton believes you matter.

"We believe you belong here. We need you here. We believe you can be whoever you are and be whoever you want to be and we're going to fight for you."

He ended he speech with, "That’s what makes America great."

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The Gayly - 7/27/2016 @ 6:34 p.m. CDT