Obama Administration and Gay Rights
An Outspoken Champion of Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the U.S. Senate
Published October 17, 2009 @ 04:20AM PT
There are plenty of U.S. Senators that oppose "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the discriminatory military policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the Armed Services, and fires those soldiers that do come out of the closet.
Senators from Harry Reid to Kirsten Gillibrand have blasted the policy as a relic from the 1990s that hurts our national security and undermines military credibility. Joining them this week was Sen. Mark Udall, the freshman Senator out of Colorado, who not only forcefully condemned "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but said that if Obama wanted him to, he'd be willing to be an outspoken champion for repealing the failed military policy.
Sen. Udall fired off a letter to President Obama this week that said, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell is antiquated and no longer reflects the reality of our society."
That's good...but is there more? Yup, and it hits even harder.
"As we fight in two wars, it's counter-productive - and frankly, expensive - to discharge men and women who have critical skills we need to win those wars, just because they're gay," Udall wrote. "[It is] past time to repeal this failed policy. We need to take steps now so we can replace 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' with a policy that prevents discrimination against service members based on their sexual orientation."
The White House also met with Sen. Joe Lieberman this week to see how far he'd be willing to go in championing the cause of a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. So while it may be slow, it FINALLY looks like the White House and Congress are turning the wheels toward an eventual repeal of this bad policy. Now it's just our job to make sure they do it faster than the pace at which Democrats and Republicans usually get things done in Washington.
(Photo courtesy of the National Guard's photostream on Flickr.)
Obama and the First Openly Lesbian U.S. Marshal
Published October 14, 2009 @ 07:29AM PT
Obama's relationship with LGBT activists may be complicated, but this administration does deserve credit for creating quite possibly the most diverse federal government we've seen in regards to hiring openly LGBT people. Another example comes this week, with Obama nominating openly lesbian Policewoman Sharon Lubinski to become a U.S. Marshal.
The nomination is historic because there's never been an openly LGBT U.S. Marshal. But it's not her sexual orientation that gets her this job. It's the depth and breadth of her experience as an Assistant Minneapolis Police Chief that makes her well qualified.
"Assistant Chief Lubinski has dedicated her career to the noble cause of protecting her fellow Americans. She has displayed exceptional courage in the pursuit of justice, and I am honored to nominate her today to continue her selfless work as a U.S. Marshal for the District of Minnesota," said President Obama.
An official White House press release also championed, "She has served in the Minneapolis Police Department for 20 years, 10 of those years in command positions. Prior to joining the Minneapolis Police Department, she spent eight years with the Dane County Sheriff’s Department in Madison, Wisconsin."
Sounds like someone completely qualified for this position. Can't wait to see Fox News and Glenn Beck fail in vain to take her down.
A Moneybomb For Marriage Equality in Maine
Published October 13, 2009 @ 05:00AM PT
Well, it turns out that the Ron Paul presidential campaign was good for something -- it gave us the term moneybomb. And now LGBT activists are seeking to take the word and use it for marriage equality in Maine.
Before 11:59pm on October 15, activists are hoping to raise as much money as possible to support the No on 1 campaign and their efforts to beat back a ballot measure that will repeal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples in Maine. With the National Equality March now over, all eyes can literally turn toward the two states that are fighting ballot initiatives -- Maine, and Washington (which has Referendum 71 it must pass to retain full domestic partnership benefits).
MoveOn has helped raise money for No on 1. Thousands of other people have already given, too. But October 15 is a critical date that we can't afford to miss. It's the first day of early-voting in Maine, and also the last day for which campaigns have to report fundraising numbers. Imagine the momentum we'll have going into the full blast Get-Out-The-Vote efforts if we've got the kind of money that winning campaigns need.
As Joe Sudbay at Americablog writes, "The netroots and online community have been extremely generous...Let's wrap this one up big." He's right. We deserve to close strongly in Maine, so that we can take a victory there to every state in the country. If you can, donate through Americablog's ActBlue page, OpenLeft's ActBlue page, or Pam's House Blends ActBlue page now. Or better yet, hit up all three :)
And lastly, if you want to see the No on 1 campaign's latest ad, here it is:
Hillary Clinton and Homophobia in Russia
Published October 12, 2009 @ 07:59PM PT
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to commemorate the establishment of a monument in Russia memorializing American poet Walt Whitman. That's a pretty ironic news blip, because Walt Whitman was gay. And when it comes to the gays, the Russian government has a track record that's as oppressive as it gets.
The purpose of Clinton's trip goes far beyond just a monument dedication. She'll be meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss a wide range of issues, from a nuclear Iran to climate change. But her stop at Moscow State University to dedicate the Walt Whitman monument is beyond curious. Adding more intrigue is the fact that she'll be joined at the Whitman dedication by the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzkhov. Mayor Luzkhov has become famous in recent years for banning demonstrations by LGBT rights activists in Moscow, threatening violence toward demonstrators.
Luzkhov has also dropped such rhetorical bombshells as calling gay pride a "Satanic gathering," and saying that gay people are "weapons of mass destruction." Mayor Luzkhov has also blamed gay people for HIV/AIDS, and has said that condoms are silly. So the fact that Mayor Luzkhov will be dedicating a monument to gay poet Walt Whitman is pretty damn weird. It would be like John Ashcroft dedicating a monument to naked breasts, or Glenn Beck dedicating a statue of Van Jones.
But weirdness aside, this might be an excellent opportunity for Secretary of State Clinton to practice a little quiet diplomacy and nudge Russia on the issue of LGBT rights. This past September 11, Clinton herself said that the U.S. must condemn global violence toward LGBT people.
"(We) must condemn violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In country after country after country, young men and women are persecuted, are singled out, even murdered in cold blood, because of who they love or just based on claims that they are gay," said Clinton.
What better place to start condemning global homophobia than in Russia, at a dedication of one of America's biggest gay historical figures?
Barney Frank is Wrong About the National Equality March. Here are Five Reasons Why.
Published October 11, 2009 @ 07:22AM PT
Rep. Barney Frank may want to consider changing his name to Debbie Downer. Frank has become one of the most vocal critics of today's National Equality March, a gay rights demonstration in the nation's capital bringing thousands of activists around the country to rally for equal rights. For Frank, he'd rather see people stay home and work local connections on LGBT rights, instead of trying to nationalize the debate about LGBT equality.
"The only thing they're going to be putting pressure on is the grass," Frank told the AP in reference to the gay rights activists in D.C. He then challenged gay rights activists to think more like the AARP or the National Rifle Association (NRA).
But Frank misses the entire point of the National Equality March. The march certainly deserves to have its merits debated. I support it; many others do not. But to pre-label the march ineffective and cast doubt on the activism of the thousands of people in DC today is destructive, and frankly, Frank should no better (pun intended).
Here are our five reasons why Barney Frank is wrong about the National Equality March.
1. "It's been so long since the last national LGBT gathering that I wasn't even out of the closet then." That's a generic quote, but it can be attributed to thousands of people, especially younger folks, who weren't out of the closet in 2000 -- the year of the last national LGBT gathering. For these folks, there has never been a nationwide call for activism. Most of the folks that fit in this category just lived through one of the most homophobic presidencies of our time, and many want to see a sea change in gay rights now that the Bush administration has retired to Texas.
2. The point of the National Equality March is to motivate people to be active locally. Barney Frank wants people to stir change in their home communities, lobbying their own legislators on bills like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." That's exactly what the National Equality March hopes to achieve to -- bring people together for a weekend, and then send them home to capitalize on the momentum and passion from this weekend. As National Equality March organizer Kip Williams said, "We hear Congressman Frank when he says this is about getting back into your district and doing the work there. [This march] is about building community and building a network who will go back and do that work."
3. The possible extra momentum it might add for gay marriage in D.C. While many argue that the National Equality March takes away from efforts in Maine to fight back against an anti-gay ballot initiative to repeal same-sex marriage, the fact that thousands of activists are gathering in D.C. also has some significance for marriage equality. D.C. could be the next place in the country to recognize same-sex marriage. Having thousands of activists championing marriage equality in the city can only serve to promote that cause, and keep the issue alive and well and in the front pages of the traditional media.
4. Barney Frank is thinking about politics as if this were 1989. No offense to Barney Frank, who is the longest serving LGBT politician in Congress, but his mode of thinking about the National Equality March is out-dated. This march is a vision fueled by the netroots. The bulk of the organizing for this event seemed to take place online, from Facebook to Twitter, and it has engaged a new generation of activists who aren't tuned in to the organizational politics or activism of groups like the Human Rights Campaign or the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. While those groups are critical, so too is the ability to organize young people and activists new to the cause. Join the Impact touched on this in the aftermath of Prop 8's passage, when they stepped up to organize nationwide demonstrations for equal rights, but there really is no nationwide grassroots group that can pour people out into the streets to fight for change. The National Equality March (and the continued work of Join the Impact) takes us closer to having that capability.
5. Obama deserves to hear from us. This may be the most sympathetic President we've ever had toward LGBT rights. But even in his speech last night, Obama challenged the gay rights movement not to let him forget we're out there. Obama said, "I also appreciate that many of you don’t believe that progress has come fast enough. It’s important to be honest among friends." Today's march, if anything, is that nudge to Obama that we're out there, we're watching, and if he thinks we're frustrated with the slow progress of things like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act now, wait until he sees what we're like in six months or twelve months if there's still no action on these things. Barney Frank is right that we need to work our local legislators so that they hear from us. But we also can't forget that Obama needs to hear from us, too.
Obama's Big Gay Speech
Published October 10, 2009 @ 06:12PM PT
President Obama addressed the Human Rights Campaign this weekend, becoming only the second President to address the largest LGBT group in the country. While his speech deserves an A+ for passion, there were a few too many missed opportunities to walk away from this speech feeling completely satisfied with the direction the Obama administration is heading in the march for equal rights.
First, the good. Obama nailed a few lines, especially in his praise of the fight that Judy and Denis Shepard have led over the past ten years to fight for hate crimes legislation, after their son, Matthew Shepard, was killed because he was gay. Those hate crimes laws are due to be signed into law as early as this week by Obama, delivering a long-sought victory to advocates for gay rights.
The other point that Obama nailed is the interconnection of LGBT issues with all sorts of political battles, from health care to education.
"There is not a single issue that my administration deals with on a daily basis that doesn’t touch on the lives of the LGBT community," said Obama. "But our common ideals are a force far stronger than a division that some might sow."
Lastly, Obama dropped a few promises that he better be prepared to keep. He announced that he would be the President that dismantles "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and that his administration would work hard to make sure that nobody was fired from their job simply because of sexual orientation or gender identity. Powerful rhetorical points, indeed, but that's just it: they're rhetorical, not substantive.
The giant pink elephant in the room that Obama failed to address is the fact that in Maine, anti-gay activists are trying to steal rights away from gays and lesbians. Tonight would have been the prime opportunity for Obama to say before a national audience, "Maine should vote No on Question 1." He didn't do that, and he could have.
In fact, the closest Obama got to addressing the issue of marriage equality was this nugget:
We will see an America where we recognize relationships between two men and two women just as much as we admire relationships between a man and a woman.
No word on when that will happen. Only that one day we'll see it.
Failing to mention Maine royally stinks, especially after the debacle of Prop 8 last year where anti-gay activists all too easily used Obama to champion "traditional marriage." Obama could have put the kibash on those kinds of tactics with a simple nod to Maine. It's a shame he didn't.
Again, on style and passion, Obama deserves an A+. Nobody can give a speech like this President.
Now the question becomes when do we stop getting speeches, and start getting specifics. Better yet, when will we get a President who can say those two magical words: "marriage equality"?
Bill Maher on Scaring the Hell Out of Right-Wing Homophobes
Published October 10, 2009 @ 06:08AM PT
Today marks Day 1 of the National Equality March weekend, and in honor of the weekend of action, training and marching for equal rights, Bill Maher is out with a column that will likely provide fits for the anti-LGBT right-wing. His message for LGBT activists in D.C. this weekend is simple: scare the hell of out right-wing homophobes, and tell our President that everyone deserves equal rights.
Maher especially goes after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," calling on President Obama to sign an executive order -- much like President Harry Truman did in the late 1940s to integrate the U.S. military -- ending the discriminatory policy that keeps gays out of the military (or kicks them out when they're discovered). While the legality of such an executive order is questioned by some groups, Maher's point echoes what Rep. Joe Sestak wrote here yesterday. Rep. Sestak said that as a former Navy officer, he lost good soldiers because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and that hurt America's national security.
Maher doesn't put it quite so elegantly, but his comments are still pretty effective.
"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' has always been bad policy that was made out of a bullshit political compromise. You know, like [we're] doing now with health care. It never made sense to begin with," writes Maher. Ouch. Take that, moderate Democrats who slow progress down.
Will Obama touch on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" tonight in his Human Rights Campaign speech? A few leaks coming out of the White House suggest that maybe he will, albeit in a measured tone. He certainly owes it to the more than 200 soldiers discharged for being gay under his watch to say something.
