Mike Rogers at blogActive.com has an interesting post regarding what we must expect from Obama regarding equal rights for LGBT people.
Part of his June 14th post reads as follows:
How long we are expected to wait? To what end do we support the Administration without knowing anything of its plan (and worse, its lack of action)? Do we wait until after the 2010 midterms to 'protect our majority'? Do we wait until the end of 2012 after he is reelected? Or do we wait until the 2014 midterms to keep Congress? Perhaps we are expected to wait until year 7 of his administration (assuming he hasn't tossed aside so many supporters that he loses). Perhaps they will ask us to hold off until 2017, because, after all, we don't want to lose the White House.
John Aravosis of AmericaBlog states the following:
Relations are not going to get better between President Obama and the gay community - and in fact, they're going to keep deteriorating - until the White House does something real to move the agenda forward on DOMA, ENDA and DADT (and an openly gay cabinet appointee wouldn't hurt either). No more empty statements of "support." No more explanations as to how powerless you are to get anything done. We want action. You're the president of the free world. Act like it.
[For the full article, see here.]
Please also look at the comments to their posts, as they represent increasing disillusionment and anger at the betrayal of the Obama administration.
2 comments:
Sounds like Obama is fixin' to throw us some crumbs to diffuse the uproar over his DOMA brief. Will we run to lap up the crumbs like grateful pets, or will we stand up on our hind legs like fully entitled American citizens and demand our due?
Speaking of demands, Jerry, what do you think of the "Dallas Principles"?
Hi Don Charles: It might well be that passing Hate Crimes legislation might be considered by many, including Obama, to be Obama's "crowning achievement" for LGBT people, which is a tragedy on its face.
Repealing DADT and forcefully urging Congress to repeal DOMA would really show him to be a champion of full equality. However, I harbor no such illusion that he is in favor of full equality for LGBT people.
Regarding the Dallas Principles: I like these principles, but I think what needs to be discussed is meaningful coordinated activism to achieve these principles.
A mere statement of principles, as laudable as they may be, is useless unless there are tactics and strategies put in place, and acted upon, to achieve those principles.
I hope that with the betrayal shown by Obama in not repealing DADT, and in the way his Justice Department justified DOMA in federal court, increasing numbers of Gay people and allies will become angry enough to discuss and implement meaningful coordinated grassroots and organizational activism.
As I said with the affirmation of Prop. 8 by the California State Supreme Court earlier this month, Obama's betrayal of Gay people may well be a blessing in disguise, as it is sure to motivate increasing numbers of angry people to meaningfully work to institutionalize the Dallas Principles that advocate for full and equal civil rights, and see to it that LGBT people are no longer treated as second-class citizens.
Best wishes, Jerry.
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