Obama: LGBT equality makes America strong

President Obama has told world leaders at the UN that America’s diversity and democracy – including allowing people to love who they love – makes it a great country.

“It’s not simply a matter of principle; it’s not an abstraction. Democracy — inclusive democracy — makes countries stronger,” Obama said in a rousing speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Monday.

“That is what I believe is America’s greatest strength. Not everybody in America agrees with me. That’s part of democracy,” explained the president.

“I believe that the fact that you can walk the streets of this city right now and pass churches and synagogues and temples and mosques, where people worship freely; the fact that our nation of immigrants mirrors the diversity of the world — you can find everybody from everywhere here in New York City; the fact that, in this country, everybody can contribute, everybody can participate no matter who they are, or what they look like, or who they love — that’s what makes us strong.”

Obama used the opportunity to attack Russia for its annexation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine and called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “a dictator” who “slaughters tens of thousands of his own people.”

Obama went on to say: “The people of our United Nations are not as different as they are told. They can be made to fear; they can be taught to hate — but they can also respond to hope.

“History is littered with the failure of false prophets and fallen empires who believed that might always makes right, and that will continue to be the case. You can count on that. But we are called upon to offer a different type of leadership — leadership strong enough to recognise that nations share common interests and people share a common humanity, and, yes, there are certain ideas and principles that are universal,” said Obama.