Obama commends Robbie Rogers for ‘inspiring a whole lot of people around the world’
President Barack Obama has commended out gay footballer Robbie Rogers for “inspiring a whole lot of folks around the world.”
He later reversed his decision to quit the game and signed for US team LA Galaxy, and has now joined other sports figures to condemn the fact that Russia and Qatar have been allowed to host the World Cup.
Speaking at a ceremony at the White House this week, President Obama congratulated Rogers and his teammates for winning the Western Conference and the MLS Cup last season.
He said: “I want to recognise what Robbie Rogers of the Galaxy has done for a lot of people by blazing a trail as one of professional sports’ first openly gay players,
“My guess is that as an athlete Robbie wants to win first and foremost, that’s what competition is all about. But Robbie, you’ve also inspired a whole lot of folks here and around the world, and we are very proud of you.”
A bill was introduced last Thursday in the US houses of Congress which seeks to promote the rights of LGBT people around the globe.
The International Human Rights Defense Act was introduced by Democrats Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Representative Alan Lowenthal of California.
“When President Obama addressed the nation and committed to defending the human rights of the LGBT community, we made that commitment to the world,” Markey said in a statement, referring to theState of the Union address earlier this month.
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