WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama referenced historic gay-rights riots in his inaugural address, naming them as a civil rights watershed along with key moments in the struggles for blacks and women.

The president said the truth that all are created equal guides us today "just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall."

The Stonewall riots happened in New York City in 1969 when patrons at a gay bar reacted to police harassment. The events helped found the modern gay-rights movement.

Obama has become increasingly outspoken in favour of gay rights and same-sex marriage. He also said the nation's journey is not complete "until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law."

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