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WATCH: President Obama's Message at Logo's Trailblazer Honors

WATCH: President Obama's Message at Logo's Trailblazer Honors

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On the network's 10th anniversary, the president highlights progress in LGBT rights.

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The day after hosting an LGBT Pride Month reception at the White House, President Obama spoke via video today at the taping of the Logo TV network's Trailblazer Honors.

Obama noted that it's the network's 10th anniversary and that there has been great progress in LGBT rights over that period.

"When this network aired its first show, gay marriage was a wedge issue used to divide us," the president said. "Today the majority of Americans live in states where they can get married, no matter who they love. Today 'don't ask, don't tell' is history. We passed the hate-crime law that bears Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.' name. And all you have to do is look at this month's cover of Vanity Fair to see how America is more accepting of people for who they truly are."

He noted that there is still work to be done, but added, "When everybody does their part, when every voice is hear, change is not just possible, change is inevitable."

Orange Is the New Black star Samira Wiley and retired NBA player Jason Collins introduced the president's message and lauded the Obama administration's efforts on behalf of LGBT rights.

Having the president take part in the ceremony was most appropriate, said Stephen Friedman, president of MTV and Logo. "Throughout his tenure, President Obama and his administration have provided the political leadership, will, and muscle necessary for the LGBT equality movement to realize so many of its highest aims," Friedman said in a press release. "As the LGBT community pushes ahead into a new era, we are proud to recognize the Obama administration for its commitment to LGBT equality and its role in accelerating the monumental progress of the last decade."

The Trailblazer Honors will air Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific on Logo. Miley Cyrus will open the one-hour program with a special video message.

During the ceremony, Martin Luther King III and Raven Symone will pay tribute to the late gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, whose surviving partner, Walter Naegle, will accept the honor. Additional honorees include Judy and Dennis Shepard, Iranian LGBT activist Arsham Parsi, and, along with PFLAG National, a group of "Trailblazing Parents."

The program will feature performances by Adam Lambert and Bleachers. Presenters include Kelly Osbourne, Laura Jane Grace, Tituss Burgess, Michael J. Willett, Violet Chachki, and Frankie Grande. There will also be appearances by Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sir Ian McKellen, Nate Ruess, Judith Light, Billy Porter, and Geena Rocero, among others. The venue is the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, one of the first religious institutions in New York City to champion LGBT causes.

Watch President Obama's message below.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.