Obama woos LGBT leaders

[Beacool]

The president welcomes 300 prominent gays to the White House. But when will his rhetoric translate into action?

By Mike Madden

June 30, 2009 | WASHINGTON -- The last time the president of the United States marked gay pride month with anything official at the White House, it was June 2006. George W. Bush decided to throw the weight of his office behind a proposal to amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage. After all, the fate of Western civilization hung in the balance. "Our policies should aim to strengthen families, not undermine them," Bush said at the time. "And changing the definition of marriage would undermine the family structure."

On Monday, 40 years and a day after the Stonewall riots began to bring the gay rights movement into the mainstream, Barack Obama took a slightly different tack. The administration brought nearly 300 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered guests -- and, in some cases, their partners or children -- to the East Room for an open bar and some hors d'ouevres. "Welcome to your White House," the president said. "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. We've been in office six months now. I suspect that by the time this administration is over, I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration."

Of course, part of the reason he hosted the event at all is that it was starting to become clear that the gay and lesbian community may not have had such good feelings about the Obama administration so far. After winning broad support from gay voters last year, Obama had promised to push Congress to overturn the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which makes it possible for states to refuse to recognize gay marriages performed in the increasing number of places that allow them. He'd sworn he would end the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which has forced more than 13,000 people out of the military since 1993. But he followed up by inviting the Rev. Rick Warren -- a prominent supporter of California's ban on gay marriage -- to speak at his inauguration. And then his Justice Department filed a brief defending the DOMA, using language that some activists read as lumping homosexuality in with incest and child marriage (though that point has also been disputed). By Monday, Obama had some damage to repair.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/06/30/obama_lgbt/

[Baltoman991]

1. Oh goodie!!!

Yet another thread proclaiming actions are louder than words or that Obama knew he was losing support in the GLBT community and decided to throw them some crumbs.

This man doesn't stand a chance with some. Meanwhile, Congress gets to sit on their asses and let all the heat go Obama's way.

Oh well, it appears as though many more in the GLBT community are behind him then not.

[O is 44]

2. I concur...

I truly wonder how many people that continue to post about how horrible Obama is being on gay rights have actually used that anger to contact congress on a weekly and daily basis. It is one thing to complain and be angry but nothing is going to change if you just sit back and scream in anger. This is the very first time I have ever felt compelled to get involved in contacting congress. I hope the ones most disappointed will join in as well. He did however state repeatedly during the campaign change comes from the bottom up. We’re the bottom folks lets do our part. .

[Tektonik]

3. Actions ARE louder than words.

Trust me, when he actually does something, people will quiet down.

[Beacool]

6. And not just on gay issues.

;)

[Behind the Aegis]

4. The time for "wooing" is long past, it now time to start "wowing" us!

And to the other poster, ACTIONS do speak louder WORDS!

[Beacool]

5. Yes, they do.

Be it in politics or anything else in life. Pretty words are empty without an action being taken.

Time will only tell which of the two it'll be.....

:shrug: