But will he walk the walk.
Hey I like oral as much as the next guy but it takes more than lip-service to really get me off. Is this all we have to expect from the prez? Is it what we are willing to settle for? We keep being told to wait-now is not the time. Let me tell you that as we get closer and closer to mid term elections the chances of any meaningful governmental action in regards to equalizing the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered get slimmer and slimmer. If you care click on the link and Email your president. Tell him that now is the time to deliver on his promises. That the discrimination against the glbt community have gone on long enough and that in his position choosing not to act is immoral.
While it is nice to be recognized by the president as temporal as his proclamation may be, this pat on the back is not enough at a time when our people are being denied the right to be with our loved ones on their deah bed, becoming impoverished for lack of equal rights at the death of our partners, and being denied access to the children we raised because of anti gay attitudes. Until meaningful actions are taken such proclimations are like using backrubs to heal quadriplegia in that it does the care giver a hell of a lot more good than it does the ailing party. Not to mention the fact that men only want one thing after they rub your back and we're tired of putting out for politicians who get off and get going all on the downlow.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release June 1, 2009
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH,
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.
LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic.
Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.
The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.
My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.
These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA
...or is it?
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto SAT ON MY HANDS this
first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA
FingerLakesWandere has pointed me to Frank Rich's Op ed which is much more articulate than I. Check it out. Thanks FLW.
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Steve Katz
Homer Langley
myopia
princessy
alexis james
Gypsy Island Girly
Salon.com
Comments
I was thinking of similar things this evening. Just posted on it. I will follow your directions, and thank you for calling attention to this on the 40th anniversary weekend of Stonewall.
Not trying to steal your thunder because any and all of the above applies to Americans regardless of their sexual orientation. Yes, all people should be permitted to enter into marriage/civil unions fully legal and recognized not by just the state they were joined but throughout the whole country. States rights my ass, it becomes absurd this state's rights, new driver licenses, new car registrations, different rules in each state, for crying out loud it is time to standardize that too. I am breathing deeply now, smoke is still wafting from my aural orifices but it is dissipating.
Gays? Straights? Marriage? If two people of any sex can fall in love and want to commit to each other for the rest of their lives all the citizens of the town should celebrate this miracle. And support and encourage them to help it be a successful union. I don't care what sex you are, or even if you're non-sexual, a successful union/marriage is work, but it is a building block of successful communities, and within a successful community we have a much better chance of being successful as individuals. Embrace each other, revel in our differences and capitalize on our commonalities.
How does that sound?
OWL- I need more than a nudge most days. I really never intended to be a capitol G gay mouthpiece here just wanting to be Tijo whoever that is.
ABlonde- I'm not sure what your point is. It seems supportive but also seems to say yeah yeah but it is just one of many injustices so... and that's where I am not sure what you mean. I'll take the last two paragraphs at face value and agree with your first in the context of Obama's lack of action on them. And our need to keep shining a light on them. Don't take this response as disapproval just confusion. I'm glad you stopped by and commented.
http://open.salon.com/blog/sally_swift/2008/07/29/the_dark_night_-_a_personal_story_about_gays_and_murder
Ariana thanks for stopping by. How's Texas treating you? It's hot here in Illinois. I thought of you as I was out weeding the garden today.
That was my point.
I say hitch the wagon to the total reform train.
Sorry. Didn't mean to hijack your blog. I do truly believe that these causes are all linked together. And I feel very strongly about both of them.
Is that really asking too much.
"I might fight for healthcare just to be denied it because my spouse and I cannot marry," you are discriminating too. Against who you ask? How about the all the single people out there who don't have health insurance or a spouse who has it whose company that provides it will let us piggyback on the coverage. And that is what it is , piggybacking.
The system has all these old bits that are leftovers from the 50s when the "wife/spouse" stayed at home, did not have a job (maybe volunteered or worked part time) and so it was standard procedure to insure the spouse and progeny. Times have changed since then.
Lots, maybe most of us, aren't offered health coverage for ourselves let alone our spouses or dependents, and if we are the costs are so high that many workers are paying more than half of their wages toward this corporate sponsored health care program.
Soon the issue of whether spouses, gay or not, are covered by a company's health insurance program will become moot because none of them will.
Theo- Thanks for coming by you crazy tipsy thing.
HyJulie- Glad to see you here. And always much appreciation to Owl. We have to stand together not just on marriage but on all of our rights. BTW I still wonder where Chicagoish is. Is that on Google maps?
Scanner- I believe it will be in my life time but I may be too old to consummate the ceremony :)
I would be more convinced of his strategy, however, if he were being more decisive about health care. Why not look upon this issue as an opportunity to show Americans queers do indeed care more than just about themselves by convincing three straight people each that you'll work for their health care benefits if they'll help you with gay marriage/immigration rights and let you be a warrior no matter who you slip the all kinds of stiffies with?
Urban legend is we ended up with Don't Ask, Don't Tell because Bill tried to move too fast (though, yes, he had a different Congress). I would like to think helping America to be fat and happy and assured of health care for their clogged arteries would make them more generous, but I can't say. And chances are, Obama can't either. I guess at this point, though, I need to believe he's obviously a smart man since he was wiley enough to beat the SmartGrrrl, so I'm hoping like hell he has a plan and isn't just turning IHOP into the International House of Waffle.
In short, as a dyke used to watching you boys throw your "how dare you?" fits first (welcome to women's world), I'm willing to give him a year or two until I get my butchy boxers in a wad. And then, yeah, no promises kept, no further need for the first half-black (and its guilt-ridden liberal vote) president, the first incumbent ousted by his own party, booyah! Tina Fey, 2012!
http://open.salon.com/blog/siobhann/2009/06/30/to_president_obama_about_dadt_love_is_worth_fighting_for
Check it out!
Maybe Ms. Clinton would have been better on the gay issues but I doubt it. The Clinton track record is spotty. I worry that you might have been voting with your dick on that one. :) I didn't mean that but couldn't pass up the line. Actually neither Bam Bam nor Pebbles was my first choice.
The uniting with others about health care idea is fine but if you read up on the earlier comments you'll find a bit of my feelings on that. The gay male community could do a better job of being involved but I don't think you can find a human rights movement that didn't have gays fighting along side of the disenfranchised and making significant contributions. Yet when we protested they bowed out afraid someone might think they were faggots or claimed "religious issues". Although it didn't bother them to have gays and lesbians beside them on their front lines. I'm not sure that we have much more to prove and if we did that there are any new converts to be made. I think after all this time we have waited too long to have straight people dangle what should have been ours in the first place in front of us and say just jump through one more hoop and we promise we won't pull it away at the last minute...Charlie Brown. I may be dogged but I'm no ones puppy.
BTW I really like long meaty comments like yours that bring about dialogue. I hope you come often and often come here.
ありがとうございました
So, fat shorty for now, I understand your impatience, I do. I didn't vote with my cock, but with my experiences as a woman and feeling I had every right to want a smart experienced woman over a black guy who looked to me then, and as you say, like just talk, talk, talk. I'm a rhetoric scholar. He won the talk prize, but talk I ain't seen no walk yet.
So the queers who bought it, the queers who worked harder on Obama than Prop 8, yeah, didn't help bring us any closer in CA, did it? I hear ya--why keep trying to prove we're good enough for reciprocity? As a feminist who has worked for abortion far more than queer rights, you don't have to tell me this story. But then it took a few fags dying in big dyke arms for you boys to get that lesson, too, didn't it?
Go for it! Rant away! What needs to change in my opinion is not the aftermath, but what happens before it. Which is a liberal probem in general, if you ask me. Liberals only come out in force when they get pissed off. We react. We expect the world to be utopian. And what we need is steady, weekly old time religion because that's what we we're up against. We need constant pushing, constant education, constant vigilance in our schools and communities and outreach 'cause I can gauran-damn-tee you fundamentalists don't take off for a Dinah Shore Weekend (unless it's to Argentina).
That's what's spotty. So I applaud your cause, but to me it's just another repeat, as you say, of another vicious cycle which is partly, yes, due to a fucked up political system something akin to "American Idol." People are angry now, but if Obama turns out to be one big brain fart, people will be apathetic again and here will come another Republican, and then, hell, I won't even have stem cell research to save my memory with.
It's sad but true, we don't spread our views religiously enough. Ya gotta think of it like savin' souls, son! I really think we need a new paradigm of how we go about this. So go blow your wad, but make sure you can blow it every day, too (and I'm sure you can). Yes, these conversations are fun. Thanks for pointing me back (it's that memory thing again) and feel free to nudge me from my Zen stupor (I work hard for mellow rights) anytime.