Obama also addressed the LGBTQ community: "Whether we're fighting to protect a patient from discrimination in the healthcare system, or to combat violence against the LGBTQ community, particularly trans women of color, or to link arms with the causes of racial and justice that have been sweeping the country, I hope you know that your voice can make an enormous difference. "I hope you all understand what Edie Windsor and Harvey Milk and Bayard Rustin all knew: that progress doesn't happen on its own," the former president stated. "It happens because we stand up, speak out, and demand change.