With all due respect to those of you who are as frustrated as I am...I would like to point out that while the repugnicons and the bible thumpers oppose a lot of what obama would want to do...They clearly didnt mind the crap that wrong way bush wanted and I believe that thats the biggest difference...Plus the fact that obama hasnt even made it through his first year yet so while his justice department definatly pissed me off when they filed their first rebuttal in favor of doma...Im willing to wait a little longer to see what obama can pull out of his hat.

Sorry, Thomas, but I feel constrained to disagree. Obama has danced around every issue that is important to GLBTQ people because he so fears upsetting the bigots. If he was behind things like the repeal of DOMA and DADT, it would go a LONG ways towards getting these noxious things repealed. Instead, he has said or done NOTHING to indicate he has any intentions of trying to deliver on his campaign promises. So far as I know, he remained silent even as DOMA was defended and LGBTQ people were reviled as pedophiles and beastialists. My patience with the man is exhausted. With Obama it's "You have a fierce advocate when it comes to whatever gets  me the most votes in 2012."

Even if Obama does live up to his promises I see the veto on any legislative measure that gives us anything more than second class civil unions. Obama has made it painfully clear that he does not support allowing us LGBT to have the same rights as him and be be treated as normal, because of this countries time honored "tradition" that marriage should be "between one man and woman." He is nothing more than a segregationist and that will never change. He is no better than those who wave the confederate flag and say they do it out of heritage while its symbol is one of hate and their motives are entirely toxic. Back in the day it was heritage that was used to oppress people like obama and his family, now Obama uses "tradition" to oppress us and our families. Go figure eh?

As long as we continue to elect politicians that feel we are not normal, feel we are not equal, and feel that separate and unequal is ok, we will never get our full equal rights. It's time we stop voting for the right and right of center thinkers (democrats and republicans) and start voting for the left ones (independents, libertarians). And for those out there who think seperate but equal is a good start... well look at how the UK federal courts label gay people; "below human." We as a people and as a nation need to stop tolerating intolerance because it just happens to be someones "beliefs" and stamping it out one bigot at a time. Let us make Obama our first.

I really was annoyed when I heard Obama say, even before the election, that he was in favor of the rights afforded in civil unions to the LGBT community , but that he did support the "traditional" concept that marriage is between a man and a woman. I voted for him because of the many other things he stood for, and because I believed he was a thousand times better in so many ways than his opponents, especially McCain. But even taking the 'marriage' issue off the table does not excuse him for not repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', getting rid of DOMA, which should have never been allowed, not passing strong hate crimes legislation and a non discrimination bill. These issues do not require a lot of debate or compromise. Either you pass it or you don't. The ideas set forth in them are easy to understand. Why President Obama is dragging his feet is a mystery to me. These are civil rights issues. Equal marriage under the law is also a civil rights issue, but so many people, even the centrists don't seem to agree.

President Obama has to openly declare that all discriminations against LGBT persons must end, and that he will enact strong and EFFECTIVE legislation to support this; he must prove to the American people that he will stand by his promises, or he becomes a hypocrite. However, it is even more than that; he was elected because many, many people have put their faith and trust in him, and believed that he will aggressively move us into a new era of tolerance and human rights. This was the campaign that I firmly believed he was running on.

I can only think of one major reason for his ineffectiveness, and that is that this health care reform bill has gotten so complicated and distracting because of Congressional and lobbying opposition, that he is hesitating to even address any other 'radical' idea (let's face it, equal human rights for the LGBT community is, sadly, a radical idea for many people).  I think he was certain that all of Congress would be willing to reach some kind of GENUINE bi-partisan agreement as to health care reform, and that he believed it should have been a 'done deal' by now. But everyone can see how ugly this has gotten. I could understand why he has made this reform a priority. With that out of the way, he would be able to address the other issues that, obviously many Congressional Republicans and Blue Dogs will continue to fight him on, tooth and nail. It just seems like his entire presidency is going to be an uphill battle to keep the many promises he has made during his campaign.

Oh, one more thing. Did the Matthew Shepperd Act pass, or are we still waiting for it to become a law?