U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai observed June as Pride Month by pledging that the Biden administration will champion the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals everywhere.

Tai called the month-long observation "an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQI+ community and re-commit to the fight for the rights and dignity for all" in a statement released June 1, the beginning of Pride Month. Tai noted in the statement that the U.S. asserts all people are equal and have inalienable human rights, but "(w)e have not always lived up to this promise and have more work to do to eradicate the prejudice, bigotry, and violence against our fellow citizens."

Tai highlighted the "historic progress" made by the Biden-Harris administration to ensure full equality for all, such as prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in the federal workforce and supporting measures to protect the privacy and sensitive data of Americans from exploitation, the statement reports. 

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has a "collective duty to recognize the worth and advance the well-being of all human beings," Tai said in the statement, including by "supporting efforts to enhance the scope, availability, and quality of [SOGI] data, ensuring that trade policy serves as a positive force for LGBTQI+ workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs."

USTR is studying how trade policy impacts all people, particularly historically underserved communities, and how to use SOGI data "to ensure that trade policy is a positive, uplifting force for LGBTQI+ workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs," Tai said in the statement. 

Tai said the Biden administration's promise to support LGBTQI+ rights in the U.S. and around the world "requires a whole-of-government effort to drive lasting change that makes a difference in the lives of real people."

"This work demands persistent action from all of us to create a world where love knows no boundaries and people can live freely without fear," Tai said in the statement.  "We will continue this journey until all stand on equal footing.”