WASHINGTON – In response to today’s news of the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, honors his legacy as a leader and his statements in recent years in support of LGBTQ+ equality.

The former Nobel Peace Prize winner died at his home today at the age of 100. 

“All of us at the Human Rights Campaign feel an immense loss with the passing of former President Jimmy Carter,” said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign.  “In recent years he became a prominent voice in support of LGBTQ+ rights, speaking out for marriage equality at a time when most national leaders in the U.S. still opposed it. For decades after he left the White House, he continued to make public service his enduring priority through his work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Presidential Center, cementing his reputation as a champion for human rights and as one of the all time great former presidents. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and all who mourn him.”

Serving as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, Carter during his term launched the White House Initiative on HBCUs, which gave additional federal support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 1977, he became the first president to have staff members meet at the White House with gay and lesbian rights activists.

The former president became a supporter of marriage equality in his later years, speaking out in favor of same-sex marriage starting in 2011, prior to the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that made it the law of the land in 2015. “I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else and I don’t see that gay marriage damages anyone else,” he later said during an interview in 2018. 

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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