When twin sisters Zea and Luna Weiss-Wynne, both 9, wrote a letter to President Barack Obama last year, they asked for his attention on a few things.
Obama invited the sisters to join him at a reception at the White House to outline their requests in public. The girls, who asked for his support of marriage equality, spoke at the LGBT Pride Month reception Friday, which is part of the annual celebration dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. The president made sure to give the third graders a turn in front of the microphone.
“We told the president that we would like for him to make some changes this year,” the girls said to the crowd, which was composed of leaders in the LGBT community and supporters. Among the requests the girls outlined in their speech and their letter was to help “make it harder for bad guys to get guns,” more funding for schools and a commitment to gay marriage.
The issues are close to the girls’ hearts. They were touched by the tragedy of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, which they said in their letter made them “very sad.” The girls care about marriage equality because “we have two moms and they are just as good as other parents. They love us a lot.”
Zea, who loves to read, is hoping for more libraries in schools, and Luna wants more P.E. because she “thinks it’s healthy for kids and grown-ups.”
President Obama nodded his head and smiled as the sisters spoke to the crowd and outlined their requests. When they finished their speech, they introduced the president to the crowd in unison.
“I will not beat that act,” said Obama as he took the podium. “We could not be prouder of Zea and Luna.”
In his remarks at the event, Obama discussed various legislation he has passed that relates to the LGBT community, including a hate crimes bill, a national HIV/AIDS strategy and a policy that bans companies from denying medical care to LGBT Americans.
“But part of the reason we're here is because we know we’re not done yet,” Obama said. “When Zea and Luna wrote me last December, they told me they would have voted for me if they could have -- thanks, guys. They also laid out quite an agenda. I hope Congress is listening to them.”
Watch the full speech here: