President, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau says silence is the biggest enemy in the fight for equal rights and it forces lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people to live in fear.

He says shame thrives on silence and he has called on everyone to break this together by standing up and speaking out.

While speaking at the launch of the United Nations Free & Equal Campaign in the Pacific, Nailatikau says he is a proud ally of the cause for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex equality and of the free & equal campaign.

Nailatikau says he will refuse to be silent in the face of prejudice of any kind.

The President says he stands for the rights of all Fijians, and of all Pacific Islanders, no matter who they are or whom they love.

Nailatikau has also appealed to his fellow heads of state and colleagues in government across the Pacific region to hear this call and to see how they can join the fight for equality.