Editor’s Note: The LGBT Community Does NOT Represent Me
June 23, 2009 by James Hipps
OK, I’ve just about had it with the whining and crying. It’s bad enough we (the gay community) have people like Perez Hilton leading the example of what and how gay people are to the straight world, but now, even those who I thought may have a bit, just a bit of common sense have gone to the edge and apparently jumped.
I just read a post on Salon that was written by John Aravosis of AMERICABlog entitled, “President Obama betrays the gay community.” What a load of crap!
How has President Obama betrayed anyone? Oh, I’m sorry, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell hasn’t been repealed yet and neither has DOMA. I wonder if John Aravosis were in the White House if it would have been done yet either.
Whether people want to acknowledge it or not, these are laws. Laws can’t simply be repealed by one person. Last I knew, repealing a law took an act of congress. I would also venture to say that these laws should be changed by congress and not by mandate of the President. The Right Wing nuts have already set their ground on how Obama is trying to turn the U.S. into a socialist country, so let’s let our elected lawmakers, not the executive branch, do the work and keep it a democracy.
I am also very curious how can anyone expect laws that have been in affect for well over a decade to just disappear overnight? I would also like to ask again, exactly how has the president betrayed anyone? He said during his campaign he would work to repeal these laws and for all of those who don’t seem to understand, he has been working to do so…it simply can’t happen overnight. Wake up people, it’s time for a reality check.
Let’s put McCain & Palin in the White House…do you think for one moment any progress would have been made?
I personally would like to thank President Obama for his efforts. I am educated enough to know that all things take time. There is opposition to overcome and there is protocol to be followed. For the first time in history we have a President who actually addresses LGBT issues from a standpoint other than that of Pat Robertson.
I am frustrated and I am embarrassed. Embarrassed by the whining and crying. Embarrassed by the way these self proclaimed “longtime gay rights advocates” have made the LGBT community look. I am embarrassed by the impatience. I am embarrassed to be associated with those who are screaming that President Obama has betrayed the LGBT community. Why weren’t they screaming this loud when the Bush regime was in office? Here we have a president who is advocating for equality and inclusion for the LGBT community, and the LGBT community turns into a bunch of sorry @ss crybabies who have done nothing but ostracize the first man in the white house to even try to help us.
The posts I’ve read criticizing the president obviously come from the most self-indulged, selfish, self-centered people in the world. What makes anyone think the world revolves around them is beyond me. If LGBT issues were the only thing that was on Obama’s plate, then I may have a little more compassion for those who don’t seem to understand how politics work. But, since we are engaged in two wars, a severe financial crisis, a global AIDS pandemic, a national health care crisis, all of which was created by the previous administration, I don’t have any.
I’ve lost my patience, but not with President Obama. He has not betrayed me. I’ve been betrayed by my own community. The LGBT people who just don’t get it!
Well said.
I have elluded to this topic several times on my blog FOCUS and I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I’m tired with the likes of Perez Hilton and his whole flamming fag (and I make no apologies for using the word) act as well as I call them the LGBT Demigods.
you seem to be more aware of Obama’s actions to date on DADT since you state in your post the following
“He said during his campaign he would work to repeal these laws and for all of those who don’t seem to understand, he has been working to do so”
Now, your assertion of what Obama said on the campaign trail is a bit off as it relates to DADT. He actually promised to start working to repeal DADT on his FIRST day in office.
We’ve all read the reports where pentagon spokesmen have said that Obama has NOT given them any direction to do anything as it relates to preparing for the repeal of DADT.
So, since you contend that Obama has been working to do so, as your post states, can you provide any concrete examples of what Obama has done to date to work on the repeal of DADT or DOMA for that matter?
Let me ask you this. Can you provide any concrete evidence that he (President Obama specifically) hasn’t worked on repealing DOMA or DADT? Being the issues have been addressed by the president, I prefer to give the man the benefit of doubt and view him as a man of his word since it hasn’t yet been proven otherwise.
as i said, Obama’s promise was to begin the process of repealing DADT on his first day in office. The pentagon has reported that they have been given no direction to prepare for repeal. I quoted YOUR statement that “he has been working to do so”. You made an affirmative statement. You didn’t say that you thought he might be working or that you had no evidence that he isn’t working. You made the affirmative statement that you know “he has been working”. Now when you have been asked to tell what you know, you act as though you didn’t make the claim. Now it is just that you prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Are you also aware that today the Obama admin decided to suspend enforcement of an immigration law for two years in order to give congress the time to repeal it? Does this upset you? This is a law, that according to you, the admin shouldn’t be messing with. Congress should act on these laws.
This is related to LGBT issues in several ways.
1. Suspending a law while giving congress the time to repeal it is exactly what the LGBT community has been asking Obama to do with DADT. The admin is OK doing this with an immigration law that they feel treats married, heterosexuals unfairly. But, they won’t do it with DADT which Obama also feels is an unfair law.
2. The Obama admin claims that they were REQUIRED to write the DOJ DOMA brief because it is a law and they must defend a law. But, here is another law in immigration that they are not just not defending, but suspending. Besides, it has been reported widely that many legal experts have said that the DOJ is not required to defend a law in court if they feel it is unconstitutional. Obama has made statements that he feels DOMA is unconstitutional.
3. Obama claimed that he couldn’t extend ALL of the same federal benefits to same-sex partners of gay federal employees because the law, DOMA, precludes them from doing so. But, they had no problem paying no attentio nto this immigration law that hurt heterosexuals. And again, many legal experts said they had a way to get around DOMA in order to provide the full benefits to federal employees. All they had to do was offer the benefits to ALL domestic partners gay and straight and it wouldn’t violate DOMA. DOMA only stops the govt from recognizing same-sex marriage or civil unions, not domestic partnerships especially when you extend the benefits to both gay and straight domestic partners.
So, you tell me, why is Obama capable of thinking “outside the box” when it comes to an immigration law that is unfair to heterosexuals, but can’t apply the same thought process to LGBT issues?
“The pentagon has reported that they have been given no direction to prepare for repeal.”
When did the pentagon become the White House? In other words, just because the pentagon reports the president hasn’t given them any direction does not mean he hasn’t been addressing the issue. I can see where someone who is ready and willing to point fingers and judge could take that statement and run with it, but that by no means represents that nothing has been done.
As far as immigration, that’s a whole different topic. That will be handled differently and I won’t make comparisons. One should not expect the two issues would be addressed alike. Immigration and LGBT issues are NOT the same.
If you are bent on making President Obama the enemy, then in your eyes he will be, but you have not provided one point that would lead me to believe that he has not been working on LGBT issues. On the contrary, things he has said, and does, leads me to believe he has.
One more time. It was YOU who made the definitive statement “he has been working to do so” but have yet to provide concrete evidence of any “work”. In your comments you talk of words, not actions. Or, you talk of being “led to believe’
Now, if you want to change your original article to remove the certainty of your claim, then fine. But, until you do, I will continue to ask for your proof that any WORK has been done. A positive can be proven.
Instead, you ask me to prove a “negative”, which is impossible. What I did do is to explain what Obama’s promise of DADT was, to start WORKING to repeal it on his first day in office. All I can do is to check to see the veracity of his claim. And, tyhe pentagon has told us that no such work has begun.
Then you talk about things he has said. Here is a short list of things he has said:
To acknowledge our victory in Iowa, he chose to make gay marriage the butt of a joke at the Annual Correspondants Dinner.
To acknowledge the protestors outside his CA fundraiser the day the CA Supreme Court handed down their decision, he chose to make them the butt of a joke.
You will recall when Obama unintentionally made a joke about Special Olympics on Leno, he was forced to apologize immediately. But, when he intentionally made jokes og gays, there was no apology. When the president feels free to disrespect the community, so do others. Are we less deserving of respect than the Special Olympics organization?
His Pride Proclamation contained a “call to action” that specifically excluded the White House from any action. It called on the community and congress to work together to advance our rights. It should have called on the community and congress to WORK WITH HIM to advance our rights. But, again, President Fierce Advocate asked for others to do the work while he would sit on the sidelines.
You say things he has said or done lead you to believe. But, you provide no list of these “things he has done”. Talk is cheap.
What has he said or done, as you put it, around the DOJ DOMA issue? Both he and his press secretary have defended that action completely. Even wrongly insisting that they were legally required to defend DOMA, and apparently required to use the most vile language they could think of to do it.
If you are bent on protecting President Obama from criticism, you will be blinded to all of the negative actions he and his administration have taken toward the LGBT community. And, you will not recognize that all the “recent” positive actions that he has taken were only brought about by all the vocal criticism that has been thrown at him since the publication of that DOMA brief.
He has been working. You have no proof otherwise. He’s the only person in the history of the White House to even acknowledge LGBT issues and has done so prior to and since his first day in office. Again, the pentagon may not have released any official word from the White House, but that does not mean work hasn’t been done. The two are completely unrelated.
You obviously have a hard on for Obama and perhaps have had a sip of Rush Limbaugh’s Kool-Aid in wanting the President to fail.
Work takes time. How long it will take to repeal DOMA and DADT are unknown variables. You don’t know how long, neither does anyone in the U.S., hence no time frame has been set forth. That being said, you are wrong in your assertation that nothing has been done or that the president hasn’t been working towards the repeal of these laws since his first day in office.
Your impatience is unfounded, selfish and narrow.
I tried as best as I could to explain to you that a negative can’t be proved. But, a positive can. You are advocating the positive in this. It is your job to prove the positive. But, you refuse to do so. You have yet to provide proof of one example of any work Obama has done.
So again, you tell me i can’t prove he hasn’t been working. But, my not be able to prove a negative, doesn’t prove that he IS WORKING. It doesn’t work that way.
No one has asked for DOMA and DADT to be repealed immediately. But, we have asked to see positive movement. And, instead, Obama has given us negative movement. It was Obama’s DOJ DOMA brief that pushed this over the edge.
How much “time” does it take to not make us the butt of jokes?
How much time does it take to not fill a DOMA brief with unnecessary, vile, homophobic arguments?
To read a non shrill, non gay perspective on how Obama caused this rift and didn’t need to try this article:
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/97925/Obamas_two_pressing_problems
Is naming June LGBT Pride month not working towards softening the general public’s perception of the LGBT community and getting them ready for change? Is having a gay bishop read at his inauguration not working towards LGBT equality? Is having a lesbian speak at a White House correspondence dinner not working towards equality?
You act as though Obama should have just sashayed into the White House and announced immediately that DOMA and DADT were history. Nothing works that way. What about softening the opposition first?
Many criticized Obama during his campaign because he didn’t come out and say he supported same-sex marriage. If he had, he would have been committing political suicide and McCain would be sitting in the Oval Office right now doing NOTHING for the advancement of LGBT rights. We don’t need a martyr, we need a leader.
Now that Obama is in the White House, it doesn’t mean he’s off the anti-gay leash. There is still a great deal of anti-gay sentiment in this country and any step towards the advancement of LGBT rights has to be handled with kid gloves. If Obama just forced equality down the throats of our opposition, it would turn extremely ugly. He is doing the right thing by working from within to get those outside the White House to handle these issues in a democratic fashion.
To go in and mandate changes that over 50% of the country’s population still do NOT stand behind would be ludicrous at the very least.
Have you ever held a political office? Have you ever been a part of the political process? If you have, you certainly should understand there are so many facets here that they are not visible all at one time. Just because you haven’t seen the end result you are looking for doesn’t mean it’s not in the picture.
As far as the DOJ DOMA brief, key initials, D.O.J.! You can’t call that Obama’s. Obama did not write that.
Even if Obama did sit down and write it, why are you so willing to throw him under the bus for doing nothing when saying nothing has been done is a false statement?
Look, Obama needs time, time obviously you and many others aren’t willing to provide. From my perspective however, baby steps are better than no steps at all and proceeding with caution is not only necessary, but extremely smart.
You should read this post at Pam’s House Blend about Sally Kern and then tell me DOMA and DADT should already be repealed. This is the country you live in and there are MILLIONS of Sally Kerns out there!
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/11675/the-peter-and-sally-kern-share-twisted-knickers-over-obamas-radical-homosexualist-agenda
a Pride Proclamation is NOTHING NEW. Clinton issued Pride month proclamations. And, as I said, in tha proclamation he specifically left himself OUT of the call to action.
Is the Gay Bishop at the inauguration the one who was scheduled to speak 10 minutes BEFORE the TV coverage began?
I think i said in my post no one expected DADT and DOMA to be repealed immediately. But, in your response you accuse me of that anyway.
Please don’t confuse me with what “many people” did or said during the campaign.
Yes, Obama is responsible for setting the tone for HIS DOJ. And, he has made no effort to disavow the language in that brief. It would have gone a long way toward healing the rift if he had.
And, please don’t hold up wackos like Sally Kern as the average american. Support to repeal DADT is at 69%. It is even over 50% for both republicans and regular church goers. there would be no backlash at all for Obama to use his powere to suspend enforcement of DADT while congress works to repeal it.
I see yo uhave noted Pams House Blend in your post. I am aregular reader of her blog. Was it you last week who posted something here claiming that no lesbians were giving Obama a hard time about this? If you read Pam’s blog regularly, you will note that she is giving Obama as much grief as John Aravosis at AmericaBlog.
Why am I willing to sqy Obama has done nothing? because the actions you cite, I don’t consider to be anything that work toward ending DADT or DOMA.
Why are you so unwilling to be critical of the negative actions that Obama has taken? If he isn’t going to take positive action, at minimum he could be neutral.
You are right in saying we need a leader. It is what Obama promised on DADT. He said during the campaign that the country is ready to get rid of it and all that was needed was a leader to make it happen. That’s when he made the promise to start being that leader on day one. But, since day one, instead of leading he continually says, it has to be done by congress and done nothing to use the bully pulpit (his other promise) to FORCE congress to do anything.
OK, so you win, I throw up the white flag…Isn’t that what you want here? If you contend that Obama has done nothing for the LGBT community, then that is your view. That is not my view, and I am willing to be patient, and work with, not against the new White House administration. If you are not, then that is your right.
I don’t believe for one moment that President Obama is the enemy, nor do I believe for one moment he has done nothing.
I am well aware of Pam Spaulding’s accusations that President Obama hasn’t done enough either. I happen to not agree with her either.
“Was it you last week who posted something here claiming that no lesbians were giving Obama a hard time about this? ” – Wasn’t me.
I’ll go back to my original claim. Obama has been working towards LGBT equality and inclusion, obviously not at the pace that pleases many in the LGBT community, but I remain strong in my beliefs that given adequate time, we will see the promises fulfilled. I refuse to blame President Obama for my lack of equality and rights.
whatever. I guess we agree to disagree. I’m not asking you to put up the white flag. I’m asking you to be willing to se and admit to the negative things he has done to our community whie in office along with the things you argue as him working towards equality.
You seem to only want to see the positive and refuse to acknowledge the negative.
And, in my opinion only, you assign a lot more credit for the positives that you cite than I believe they deserve.
The pride proclamation was nothing new, been done before. and he chose to leave himself out of the call to action it contained.
Having a lesbian comedian at the corrspondants dinner, to my mind, does nothing to advance our issues. And, I don’t even know that it is the white house’s responsibility to select or approve which comic is selected.
Bishop Gene Robinson was totally disrespected at the inaugural function by being left out of the media coverage of the event. And, it was the pre inaugural event that was held over the weekend anywaIt was the bigotted Rev Rick Warren who was given the honor at the inaugural in an effort to please the conservative right.
I also don’t believe Obama is the “enemy” as you put it. He also isn’t the Fierce Advocate he promised to be. And, he is refusing to do what is well within his power to do.
I would still be willing to give him time myself if it hadn’t been for the DOMA brief and his total lack of any response to the complaints over the brief other than to send representative out to make the false claim that “we legally had to do it”.
I may be too critical. But, on the other hand you are too willing to apologize for him.
Maybe the proper tone is somewhere between the two stances that you and I take.
Well, as in most arguments, the truth lies somewhere in between the two sides I suppose.
I would like to say however, that Robinson’s lack of media coverage had nothing to do with any decision made by President Obama. That was the media.
As far as admitting negative things he’s done, I just don’t see them. Perhaps I’m overly optimistic about what Obama will do for the LGBT community, but optimism isn’t a bad thing. We receive enough negativity already. I stand firm that nothing President Obama has done to this point has in anyway made my life as a gay man worse. As I’ve said, progress may be slow, but I do see it, and if in no other way, by knowing we have a president who is at least willing to entertain dialogue when it comes to issues that affect the LGBT community. That is huge in my view. Perhaps my expectations aren’t as high, or perhaps I tend to look beyond the immediate and know that unfortunately our rights and equality is a goal, one that has to be reached.
In my heart, and in my mind, I believe President Obama when he said that Lesbians and Gays have an ally in him. Again, even if you take out all other elements of our debate over the degree of his support, you must also see that a president who even addresses the LGBT community, is progress.
Oh, and one last point. President Obama has been a strong supporter of H.R.2981, a bill introduced by Rep Barney Frank that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I find this VERY important as it is still legal in 33 states to fire someone for being gay.
Howdy James,
I am a HUGE fan of President Obama and his administration. However I do not think he is taking the LGBT community seriously … he thinks it is way OK to make us wait just as lo0ng as he wants us to wait … probably until his second term. That is BS. Totasl BS. Our civil rights are just as important as anyone else’s …. god forbid – een as important as Black civil right!
How has he hurt us so far in his Presidency and how could he have prevented the injury?
1. Over 250 qualified and trained members of the armed forces have been fired from the military under DADT while Obama was Commander in Chief. He could have / should have ordered HIS officers NOT to waste money and manpower by enforcing that law until Congress had a chance to take another look at it … just like the Secretary did on immigration, NO DIFFERENCE! Except that DADT is wasting a LOT more money and resousres than the immigration law. That 250+ injured brothers and sisters.
2. IT IS OVER ONE YEAR SINCE CONGRESS AUTHORIZED THE SECRETARY OF DHSS TO CHANGE THE REG AND ALLOW HIV+ PEOPLE TO VISIT AND IMMIGRATE TO USA. THE REGULATION HAS STILL NOT BEEN CHANGED. Obama campaigned over and over and over that all it took was leadership. Are you prepared to tell me that the most powerful man in the world, given six months in office, and the lawful authority of the United States Congress, can NOT change ONE simple regulation? Are you really prepared to say Obama has NO control over the bureaurcrats? Go ahead and argue that if you dare. It scares the pants off me!! It is shame and a nightmare that this great man cannot get one regulation changed in six months. Horrible!
3. President Obama pleaded before the US Supremem Court that DOMA was A-OK with him because gay and lesbian marriages were equal to the relationships between an uncle and his neice – incest. President Obama argued before the Supremem Court that we needed DOMA so that Americans who wanted to discriminate against gays would not pay taxes to pay for Social Securioty benefits fo gay and lesbian families.
It is disingenuopus to suggest he did not know about that brief. His appointees wrote it and presented it. Men and women of mind like to his argued it. That brief put our cause back years and years. That brief is the official position of the Obama administration with the highest Court in the land. AND PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS NOT SAID HE DISAGREES WITH THAT BREIF AT ALL. NOT ONE WORD OF DISAGREEMENT.
4. President Obama’s Adminstration has argued before the Supreme Court that DADT is a great and glorious thing for the military. DADT is necessary for recruitmen and for unit cohesion (both are false by the way) But such is the OFICCIAL position of the Obama Administration before teh Supreme Court. AND PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS NOT SAID HE DISAGREES WITH THAT POSITION AT ALL … NOT ONE WORD OF DISAGREEMENT.
Yes, President Obama made us many promises. But I know of NO committee formed, or task force appointed, or Czar appointed to address ANY of our issues. I continue to see military personnel fired, DOMA supported, DADT supported, ZERO leadership in Congress for any of our bills … ZERO NADA< ZILCH from the White house
EXCEPT for a Memorandum (not an Executive Order) mandating that Federal employees get WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE!!!! FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ALREADY HAD EVERYTHING THAT OBAMA GAVE THEM!!!
So yes I remain a HUGE fan of Obama and Michelle. But do NOT pretend to me that he is rushing and bending over backward to comply wih his promises to the LGBT communjity. He is NOT. He forgets us until we raise hell.
BTW Howdy … love your website!
Richard