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Different legal system as well.

Are some of their constitutionally protect rights suspended ?  (i.e. can they be fired for public statements ? )

MSNBC just began to report that the WH will extend benefits to gay people and will announce it tomorrow at 5:45pm.

Well thanks Barry, I take back everything I said.

btw, before you get too cynical, last month Howard Berman (D-CA) pulled a provision that would have given these benefits to foreign service workers, and he did so because he had learned that the WH was moving on this issue on their own.  In fact, they are exceeding what his provision would have done so though it looks otherwise, and definitely may have factored in the exact timing, this may not reek of as much pandering as it seems.

They still could avoid a lot of misunderstanding by communication to gay groups about things more, or at least more than what it's appearing.

Aaron_R wrote:

bedstuy wrote:

MSNBC just began to report that the WH will extend benefits to gay people and will announce it tomorrow at 5:45pm.

It sounds more fruitful than what it is, the administration is hoping this will calm the storm. Pfft. All he is signing is a memorandum to allow same sex partners of Federal employees heath care benefits. In all actuality this is tied to his healthcare reform.

He's also openly defying the DOMA.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/1/7.html

In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word “marriage” means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word “spouse” refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.

DOMA prevents the federal gov't from defining a spouse as anything but a husband or wife. He is expanding that definition to include same-sex couples.

Its a step in the right direction. Hopefully, we will also see a repeal of DADT soon.

Document the atrocities:

Obama's history of peeving the GLBT community really dates back to the South Carolina primaries and the incident with Donnie McClurkin in Oct 2007. He's a run down of what Obama has done and hasn't done for the GLBT community since:

• Inviting ex-gay homobigot Donnie McClurkin to perform and emcee a concert for South Carolina black evangelicals and ignoring the warnings and protestations of several GLBT advocacy groups choosing to try convincing people McClurkin isn't homophobic and that even if he is, that Obama didn't agree with his views.

• In attempt to balance McClurkin, Obama adds a gay preacher to give the invocation at the concert but refuses the offers of several openly gay African-American ministers in favor of a openly gay white minister, Rev. Andy Sidden. (And we all know whites, especially gay whites, preaching to blacks goes over so well in the AA community.)

• At the concert, Sidden's invocation was delivered to an almost empty venue well before the concert began while McClurkin had the prominence of emceeing and performing and used his access to the mic to proclaim his ex-gay bullsmurf on how "God delivered me from homosexuality." It should be noted that ex-gays are viewed by most in the GLBT community to be radioactive and even more deplorable than Log Cabin Republicans because of the profoundly negative impact "reparative therapy" can have on people. (See Surviving Childhood)

• After the concert, Obama's campaign issued a condescending press release that mimicked one before the concert but included the offense statement, in all caps: "MCCLURKIN DOES NOT WANT TO CHANGE GAYS AND LESBIANS WHO ARE HAPPY WITH THEIR LIVES." So its OK to target unhappy gays with "reparative therapy" when such "therapy" is condemned by medical authorities including the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Amercian Psychiatric Association?

• When asked by a DKos member about his association with McClurkin in New Hampshire, the member reported that "he seemed ticked off that I brought it up. He did not apologize or say anything that would make me think he understood how offensive the incident was to LGBT folks. His answer was to repeat over and over 'It was just one concert.'" That's just goes to show he really didn't get that he had done something wrong. It was highly dismissive of something that is very important to the general mental health of the GLBT community and to the very lives of GLBT youth who are often forced into these "reparative therapy" programs against their will. (See eg. Zach Stark)

• Obama shows his position on McClurkin is a double standard when he not only denounced the anti-Semitism of the Rev. Louis Farrakhan, but famously at a debate with Hillary Clinton had to both reject and denounce a nonexistent offer of support from Farrakhan since such would sour Obama with the Jewish community, but it was OK to throw the GLBT community under the bus with McClurkin.

• Obama appointed Pepperdine University law professor Doug Kmiec to be a "faith surrogate" for the Obama campaign in the state of California at the same time that Kmiec was actively serving as one of the biggest cheerleaders for Proposition 8.

• Obama went to Rick Warren's church for a forum with Republican John McCain. At the forum, Obama used the common right wing language to talk about marriage, abbreviated in the GLBT community as IBMIBAMAAW: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman." Obama's exact statement was event worse that that stating "I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian -- for me -- for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God's in the mix." He went on to reiterate his call for a return to segregation by creating a separate but "equal" institution for us fags.

• Just prior to the election, Obama released a toothless statement opposing Prop 8 in California, a statement so utterly weak, proponents of Prop 8 were able to chop off the first sentence of the statement and use the rest of the statement in robocalls advocating the passage of Prop 8. Obama didn't condemn the move or make a clear message that he definitively opposed Prop 8.
He chose Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the Inaugural ceremonies on January 20th while gays and Lesbians were still seething and protesting in the streets over the passage of Prop 8.

• Obama, apparently realizing he might have ticked off the gays with Rick Warren, invited Rev Gene Robinson to deliver the invocation at the We Are One concert that kicked off the Inaugural activities though adamently claimed that the slection had been made weeks before when that plainly was not the case or they would have used it to quiet the furor over Warren. Come concert time, Rev. Robinson's invocation was given before the TV broadcast began so the nationwide audience was denied viewing it and those at the concert didn't hear it either since a curious speaker malfunction just after a successful mic check prevented most of the overflow crowd at the Lincoln Memorial from hearing it.

• Obama did not appoint a single openly GLBT cabinet secretary, but made certain to appoint one from each of the other major constituencies of the Democratic Party.

• The Windy City Times revealed it had found a 1996 candidate questionnaire from Obama's run for the Illinois state Senate in which then Prof Obama stated his unequivocal support for same sex marriage meaning that his position on the issue has devolved from one of full equality to one of opposing equality opting for a segregationist institution instead.

• After the Iowa Supreme Court decision, the Obama White House released a statement on the ruling reiterating Obama's opposition to marriage equality and failed to even use the word "equal" at all. After a mini-blogosphere storm started to form, a "corrected" release was sent out changing the clause "he believes that committed gay and lesbian couples should receive protection under the law" to "he believes that committed gay and lesbian couples should receive equal rights under the law."

• After Vermont successfully overrode Gov Douglas' veto of the marriage equality bill and after Maine and New Hampshire's bills were signed into law, the White House's response was: "         <cricket churp>        <cricket churp>"

• The White House started deleting pro-GLBT language on the White House website. The outcry over the removal of the items prompted some of the material to be put back, but with much weaker, softer language forcing yet another revision of the language to placate the outrage.
While appoint some GLBT persons to his administration, none of the appointments have been very high positions, the highest being the Director of Personnel Management. Obama passed on selecting an openly GLBT nominee to the Supreme Court and none of his other judicial appointments have been GLBT meaning there is still but one GLBT judge out of approximately 860 federal judgeships (0.12%).

• Obama has passed up several high profile opportunities to suspend separations under Don't Ask, Don't Tell when the discharges of 2nd Lt. Sandy Tsao, Lt. Dan Choi and Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach became publicly notable. GLBT servicemembers continue to be discharged at a rate of approximately two per day.

• The Obama administration successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to deny a hearing on Lt. Col. Fehrehbach's challenge to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

• Obama's DOJ files an incendiary brief in a challenge to DOMA that relies on analogies to incest and pedophilia (or more correctly ebophilia) and goes well beyond what was necessary to secure that the petition in question is not granted a writ of certiorari.

Apparently that's because of the DOMA. He spoke strongly about repealing DOMA while he was signing the order, so we'll have to see if he actually goes through with that.

Last edited by Chickenhawk (2009-06-17 8:02 pm)

So ShnickyShnack is now in favor of a powerful Executive with Congress as a rubber stamp ?

Today he gave a little 20min audience to GLBT leaders in honour of Stonewalls 40th anniversary. Going on and saying

President Obama wrote:

I've called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act to help end discrimination to help end discrimination against same-sex couples in this country. Now, I want to add we have a duty to uphold existing law, but I believe we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate old divides. And fulfilling this duty in upholding the law in no way lessens my commitment to reversing this law. I've made that clear...

I'm also urging Congress to pass the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act, which will guarantee the full range of benefits, including health care, to LGBT couples and their children...

And finally, I want to say a word about "don't ask, don't tell." As I said before, I'll say it again, I believe "don't ask, don't tell" doesn't contribute to our national security. In fact, I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security. Now, my administration is already working with the Pentagon and members of the House and the Senate on how we'll go about ending this policy, which will require an act of Congress...

But I say this: We have made progress and we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps...I suspect that by the time this administration is over, I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration.

WE! What have you done for us that you believe you can use the term WE to try and include yourself in our struggle. Do you honestly think that by passing the buck to Congress and hoping they get it done allows you to lay a claim to our struggle you arrogant prat. If you want to be judged not by your words but promises you keep, you better quite the lip service and get acting. Because if you don't, thats exactly how you'll be judged! And you didn't issue an apology from your administrations defense of DOMA in regards to LGBT being equal to pedophiles and people who commit incest, saying it's your duty to uphold the law Mr. President let me share a quote with you

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birmingham Jail, 04/63 wrote:

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

Last edited by Aaron_R (2009-06-29 7:07 pm)

Surely taking up something that has 60%+ popular support would be political suicide at this juncture.

I think deep down, there are still people who think that you can be converted to being gay.

And that there aren't enough gays/lesbians who vote in a block.

Took his administration long enough to reissue that DOJ DOMA brief in more polite smurf You words. He added in his supposed stance against the law with the brief this time. But it still falls flat on it's face. Asked to claffify a statement was issued

White House issued Statement (17/08/09)  wrote:

"My Administration believes that the Act is discriminatory and should be repealed by Congress. I have long held that DOMA prevents LGBT couples from being granted equal rights and benefits. While we work with Congress to repeal DOMA, my Administration will continue to examine and implement measures that will help extend rights and benefits to LGBT couples under existing law."

Again with the passing the buck to Congress, unbelievable. And than the part at the end It's almost as if he said 'I know we have a law which strips you of your rights but I'll turn that law into a limbo bar by fighting for your rights as long as that bar doesn't get bumped.' Ass swine.