I love this cover! Instantly iconic. Ally. Hero. Icon. That’s our Barry! 2015 has been a remarkable year of progress for the LGBT community, and while there is still so much work to be done, I think it’s great that Out Magazine wanted to honor President Obama as the cover story for their annual Out 100 (the 100 people influencing and advancing LGBT issues in the world). I love that Obama sat down for an in-depth interview/conversation about LGBT rights, the progress that has been made, and what else has to be done. Would Obama sit down for this kind of interview if he wasn’t a lame duck who was all out of f—ks? Maybe not. But still… he’s remarkably candid and lovely in this interview – you can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

The generational difference in how people view LGBT people: “To Malia and Sasha and their friends, discrimination in any form against anyone doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t dawn on them that friends who are gay or friends’ parents who are same-sex couples should be treated differently than anyone else. That’s powerful. My sense is that a lot of parents across the country aren’t going to want to sit around the dinner table and try to justify to their kids why a gay teacher or a transgender best friend isn’t quite as equal as someone else. That’s also why it’s so important to end harmful practices like conversion therapy for young people and allow them to be who they are. The next generation is spurring change not just for future generations, but for my generation, too. As president, and as a dad, that makes me proud. It makes me hopeful.”

An AIDS-free generation: “In Chicago in the 1980s, as was the case across the country, Americans living with HIV/AIDS were unfairly evicted from their homes, fired from their jobs, and forced to face social, economic, and personal atrocities — which is to say nothing of the health problems they were dealing with. That’s one of the reasons that my administration developed the first-ever comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. People living with HIV are benefiting from more effective collaboration across the federal government. By the way, they’re also benefiting from the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which allows for funding increases and groundbreaking new work towards an AIDS-free generation.”

Citing Stonewall in his 2013 inaugural speech: “Part of being American is having a responsibility to stand up for freedom — not just our own freedom, but for everybody’s freedom. Our individual stories come together to make one large American story. Just like Seneca Falls is part of the American story, and Selma is part of the American story, Stonewall is part of the American story, and I thought it was important to say so.

The SCOTUS decision in Obergefell v. Hodges: “Even before the decision came down, one thing was clear: There had been a remarkable attitude shift — in hearts and minds — across America. The ruling reflected that. It reflected our values as a nation founded on the principle that we are all created equal. And, by the way, it was decades of our brothers and sisters fighting for recognition and equality — and too frequently risking their lives or facing rejection from family, friends, and co-workers — that got us to that moment. So I wasn’t surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision, but, like millions of Americans, I was proud and happy that it came down the way it did — and I was honored to stand in the Rose Garden and reiterate for every American that we are strongest, that we are most free, when all of us are treated equally. I was proud to say that love is love.

His advice to the Kim Davises of the world: “I am a man of faith and believe deeply in religious freedom, but at the end of the day, nobody is above the rule of law — especially someone who voluntarily takes an oath to uphold that law. That’s something we’ve got to respect.

[From Out Magazine]

God, I wish he had gone hard on Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who went to jail rather than do her GD job and issue marriage licenses. I wish he had said, “nobody is above the rule of law — especially someone who voluntarily takes an oath to uphold that law. So BYE FELICIA.” Now that we’re in the final 14 months of Obama’s presidency, I’m starting to get that sad, nostalgic feeling. I’m really going to miss this guy.

Photos courtesy of Out Magazine.