AN OPEN CALL TO GIVE BARACK OBAMA MORE TIME TO WORK FOR LGBT EQUALITY!

June 19, 2009
President Barack Obama embarked on a well-orchestrated endeavor yesterday to thwart a Democratic fund-raising boycott and blunt growing calls by LGBT equality organizations across the country to protest recent Administration blunders and lack of positive action.

Photo of President Obama signing Presidential Memorandum on LGBT Benefits and Non-Discrimination

Still, President Barack Obama is being jeered by certain circles in the gay community because the federal benefits he just made mandatory (which were previously optional) for same sex spouses are mainly “relocation remunerations” that don’t include health insurance or retirement benefits or include people employed by the military, a practice prohibited under DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Yet, he did take the opportunity during the televised signing to restate his opposition to DOMA and once again called on Congress to act against it.

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conneticut) working for gay rights photo

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He also asked for the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act (notably sponsored by Independent Senator Joe Lieberman and Republican Senator Susan Collins) to be passed by the Legislature so that benefits for federal employees can be fully equalized. He acknowledged this is only “one step” and pledged to “work tirelessly on these issues.” Here’s a link to the always informative Rod 2.0, where you can access the full CNN video of the President’s statement, links to the transcript texts, and reactions from various LGBT rights groups.

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Photo of John Berry, highest ranking gay member of the Obama White House

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Also, the White House’s Office of Personnel Management Director, openly gay John Berry, announced that gender identity will now be protected in federal hiring and promotion practices in a way that “does not limit itself to the term of an administration.”

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Photo of President Obama talking to gay Representative Barney Frank after signing memo

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Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) told the Boston Herald the ill-advised Department of Justice’s wording to dismiss a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act was a mistake and he believes “the president will make clear these were not his views." The gay representative said he will still attend the Democratic National Committee's LGBT Leadership Council money raising event scheduled for June 25, despite a boycott by several “powerful” gay fundraisers, including activist David Mixner and blogger Andy Towle .

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CNN.com noted in an article titled “Too Little Too Late” that “Obama received 70 percent of the vote (in the presidential election) from those who identified themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual” and quoted Richard Kim, senior editor of The Nation magazine as saying, “I think there is an overwhelming feeling that he has not lived up to expectations on these matters.”

Meanwhile, Yahoo News alluded to John Aravosis, a Washington gay activist on his disappointment with Obama: "When a president tells you he's going to be different, you believe him. It's not that he didn't follow through on his promises, he stabbed us in the back."

"People feel they're owed an apology," said Richard Socarides, a New York lawyer. "Many in the gay community feel he over-promised and under-delivered. Now, with over 250 discharges from the military on his watch . . . the grace period is over."

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Nonetheless, Obama said he hopes his memo will "pave the way for long-overdue progress in our nation's pursuit of equality." He added, "Many of our government's hardworking and dedicated, patriotic public servants have been denied basic rights that their colleagues enjoy, for one simple reason: The people that they love are of the same sex. We've got more work to do to ensure that government treats all its citizens equally, to fight injustice and intolerance in all its forms, and to bring about that more perfect union."

A Los Angeles Times article on the signing noted, "Those disappointed by the substance of Obama's act were at least heartened by the symbolism of the Oval Office ceremony. ‘For the first time, we've seen a president recognizing and acknowledging in an affirmative way same-sex couples,’ said Eric Bauman, a gay activist and vice chairman of the California Democratic Party. ‘That sends a message all across America.’”
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Joe Solmonese, President of the HRC. and San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom photo

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Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, "There's an enormous amount to be done. The real measure for me is not so much what happens today as what happens tomorrow."

John Berry, the most highly ranked gay in the Obama Administration, called on the LGBT community to be patient. "This is a first step," he said. "Not a final step."

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I, for one, will grant them that opportunity and the benefit of the doubt, for the President has a tremendously full plate and, after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I believe yesterday's actions by the Obama Administration signal that he does intend to keep his promises. He just needs more time.

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Brian Baumgardner and Michael Anderson apply for San Diego marriage license 5-27-09 photo

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Additional Note: While doing research for today's column subject, I came across an ireport.com video documenting two young men, Brian Baumgardner and Michael Anderson, holding a sit-in at the San Diego California Clerk’s Office after being denied a marriage license. Here’s a link to a www.lastblogonearth.com story about the action.
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Three same sex couples conduct a sit-in after being denied San Diego marriage licenses 5-27-09 photo

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It reminded me of a sit-in my comrades and I held in the San Francisco mayor’s office in 1969 protesting police brutality after being beaten bloody by the TAC Squad during a San Francisco Examiner demonstration. A short clip of our arrival was included at the beginning of the classic movie, The Cockettes, where I’m shown saying, “We want the mayor to take notice of police brutality against homosexuals and to end it. That’s why we’re here.”

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Although it may at first seem like nothing ever really changes, upon closer examination, it’s clear that we have indeed come a long way from that iconic period forty years ago when homosexuality was still a dirty word and merely being gay was worthy of violence by those in positions of power. I say thank God for Barack Obama!

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==copyright 2009==