President Barack Obama delivered the commencement speech at Morehouse College on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia.
He looked at the 2013 graduating class and urged the men to, "Be the best husband to your wife, or your boyfriend, or your partner."
The crowd at the commencement ceremony buzzed and whispered loudly when Obama addressed the gay men in the audience directly.
He raised a finger for silence before he continued:
"Be the best father you can be to your children. Because nothing is more important."
He would later add:
As Morehouse Men, many of you know what it's like to be an outsider; know what it's like to be marginalized; know what it's like to feel the sting of discrimination. And that's an experience that a lot of Americans share. Hispanic Americans know that feeling when somebody asks them where they come from or tell them to go back. Gay and lesbian Americans feel it when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love that they share. Muslim Americans feel it when they're stared at with suspicion because of their faith. Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work -- she knows what it's like to be on the outside looking in.
Images from the commencement speech:
Full Video:
