Record number of LGBT staff in Obama administration

[Political Tiger]

President Obama has already appointed more openly LGBT staffers to his administration than the administrations of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton combined, according to Shin Inouye, director of specialty media in the White House communications office.

Inouye made the observation at a panel discussion about LGBT presidential appointees held last night at the National Press Club in Washington. The discussion was sponsored by the National Gay & Lesbian Journalists Association and the Washington Blade.

Other appointees on the panel included Elaine Kaplan (pictured), General Counsel at the Office of Personnel Management, and Matt Nosanchuk, Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

Kaplan, who also worked in the Clinton administration, noted a different atmosphere for LGBT appointees under President Obama. ”There are a lot more of us and at higher levels,” Kaplan said. Inouye and Nosanchuck agreed LGBT staff were fully integrated into the administration at all levels, and that their presence meant that policy decisions more often take into account the possible affects on LGBT people and their families.

http://www.gaypolitics.com/2010/06/11/record-number-of-lgbt-staff-in-obama-administration/

[Prism]

1. That's nice. Stop the discharges. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

13. K&R

Do a Truman. Stop the discharges.

:kick:

[boppers]

41. History:

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/desegregation/large/index.php?action=chronology

It's not like Truman signed a single document and suddenly everything changed.

[AtomicKitten]

2. K&R

[TheWraith]

3. Kicked and recommended. nt

[xchrom]

4. DADT looks even worse then in this light. Nt

[vaberella]

6. They've already got the clutch they need to have DADT ended with a signature.

We wait for the review from the Pentagon which seems to be close to clearing since Gates says he supports this. And then once the Pentagon review is done---Gates signs it and Obama signs and it's out. I'm waiting on DOMA now.

[Prism]

9. DOMA? They can't even do ENDA.

And ENDA was one of those "super easy things we can do that the administration and Congress will accomplish early!" Until they didn't.

DADT isn't repealed until DADT is repealed. Poultry-based mathematics during the continued destruction of people's lives and careers is in very poor taste at best.

[vaberella]

12. ~sigh~ True. n/t

[WCGreen]

35. all these gay acronyms confuse and frighten me...

For I am a caveman and know not of your ways...

[jenmito]

5. K&R.

[vaberella]

7. This is not news, but definitely worthy of a K&R. n/t

[Pisces]

8. Facts don't matter to some on this board.

[impik]

10. Or on any other "progressives" board. Some of those "progressives"

can't see progress if it hits them in the nose.

[IndianaGreen]

14. There is no freeze on LGBTs being kicked out of military

That's what is happening on the trenches while some of you expect us to toast the few LGBTs in high paying Schedule-C positions.

[Hekate]

11. knr

[Brickbat]

15. It's hard to cheer the fact that these LGBT staffers aren't being discriminated against when their

boss is allowing the discrimination of other LGBTers to continue.

[Blue-Jay]

17. No it isn't.

Hard to cheer the fact that this administration has hired more openly gay people than any previous administration. It's also easy to cheer the fact that the government has made healthcare available for their partners. Those facts are easy to cheer, I think.

But you're right that we need to keep the pressure on for full rights regarding DADT, a stoppage of discharges until DADT is gone, and a full repeal of DOMA.

It's easy to cheer one thing and be critical of another. Try it. It's really easy.

[dsc]

18. no he hasn't made health care available to gay partners

I am not claiming that isn't his fault (DOMA forbids it) but he hasn't done that.

[Blue-Jay]

20. To government employees, yes he has.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/06/president-obama-extends-additional-benefits-to-samesex-partners-of-federal-employees.html

[dsc]

25. from your very own link

Last year, you may recall, President Obama extended some benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, including -- for partners of foreign service members – health care abroad, eligibility for employment at posts, cost-of-living adjustments abroad and medical evacuation; and – for civil service employees -- long-term care insurance and expanded sick leave for civil service employees.

But, as Yunji de Nies reported at the time “many gay and lesbians are upset about what is not included: health care, retirement and survivor benefits. The actual benefits are widely viewed as small potatoes…. The White House says the president cannot extend health care and other benefits because of legal challenges under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which the president has said he wants to repeal.”


end of quote

Not only does your link not contradict me, it is says exactly and precisely what I said. That is that he didn't extend health care benefits and he didn't do so due to DOMA.

[Blue-Jay]

27. It doesn't cover all it should, certainly. No argument from me.

It does, however, cover more than any previous administration had the fortitude to order.

As I stated earlier, I have no problem appreciating a step forward, and still fighting/criticizing the steps that are still missing. It seems like Obama did all he could within the provisions of the law as it currently stands, and he has pledged to do more to change the laws that stand in the way.

[dsc]

29. My specific point was that it didn't cover health care

in point of fact it doesn't (except for the very narrow case of health care abroad which I bet the partner has to pay for). Again, I am not saying Obama is totally at fault for that exception but it does exist as even you apparently are admitting.

[Blue-Jay]

31. Maybe I should have been more clear.

We're not in disagreement about this. Much needs to be done.

It's just that nerves are frazzled around here. There's so much of the "Damn you Obama" people vs the "Bless you Obama" people endless bullshit, that sometimes there are misunderstandings.

My original point stands. I find no difficulty in supporting the administration (when deserved), and criticizing the administration (when necessary). On some fronts, steps are being made in the right direction. On others, I have some very serious complaints. I expected that when I campaigned for Obama; neither angel nor demon.

[scheming daemons]

23. You are wrong... federal employees DO get this benefit now

[dsc]

26. No you are

From the link provided not by me but by the other poster who claimed I was wrong.

Last year, you may recall, President Obama extended some benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, including -- for partners of foreign service members – health care abroad, eligibility for employment at posts, cost-of-living adjustments abroad and medical evacuation; and – for civil service employees -- long-term care insurance and expanded sick leave for civil service employees.

But, as Yunji de Nies reported at the time “many gay and lesbians are upset about what is not included: health care, retirement and survivor benefits. The actual benefits are widely viewed as small potatoes…. The White House says the president cannot extend health care and other benefits because of legal challenges under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which the president has said he wants to repeal.”


end of quote

It doesn't get clearer than the text I bolded. Health care wasn't included and it wasn't included for the exact, precise reason I gave. The words you are looking for is I am sorry.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[uponit7771]

16. Obama has been the worst president in history for LGBT rights, he can't be worked with and there's

...no use in trying to get more progressives in congress to push him further left on this issue. /sarcasm

Yes, the /sarcasm tag is really really needed on DU

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. This is not what I hear from the activists at DU. It must not be true. (nt)

[VMI Dem]

22. Too bad he doesn't think they deserve equal rights.

[scheming daemons]

24. Doesn't matter.... "Rick Warren, Rick Warren, Rick Warren"

It simply does not matter that Obama's administration has been the most gay-friendly administration in this nation's history.


Simply does not matter.

[HillWilliam]

28. They'll work us in the halls and work us in the fields

they'll ask for our time, money, and votes. The instant we ask for equality in return, they never heard of us.

Funny, innit.

Edit: spelling.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

30. The only thing that's funny is your melodrama.

I suppose you prefer that gays not get paying jobs either until full equality is achieved, because that's exactly what you're saying here.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pisces]

34. I'm sure equality will come faster under Republican rule. Stay home in Nov. and I am sure you

will get closer to your goals. I am a staunch gay supporter, and I do not see how undermining the best chance for equality is working out for us. Putting the pressure on the administration is different
from tearing it down and refusing to support Obama.

[uponit7771]

37. How are you working to get more progessives in office to push Obama more to the left

[marshall]

36. And that's just counting the ones who are out

If you count all the LGBT appointees the numbers are much higher.

[dsc]

38. that actually works against your point

It is far, far, far more likely that an appointee of Clinton would have been in the closet as opposed to now.

[marshall]

39. Oh people are still in the closet, for whatever reason

Each makes their own choices.

[dsc]

40. but surely far more were back in 93 than now

I would imagine that Clinton's numbers should at least be doubled if you are going to count closeted gays.

[dsc]

42. Without numbers, and the article has none, it is boarderline worthless

To see that look at the following possible examples. It could be that Clinton appointed 7 gays, Bush 0, and Obama 9 and the article would be accurate. It also could be that Clinton appointed 100, Bush 50 and Obama 700 or 10,000. We don't know. I will say that given the fact that people were way more likely to be closeted back in 93 and in 2009 I would sincerely hope that Obama had considerably more openly gay appointees than Clinton did. Given Bush's horrid record on gay rights, I would equally hope that very few gays were willing to work for Bush. Thus the statistic should be true virtually no matter what. But some real numbers would have helped, as would examples for the other part that was quoted.