Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Deafening Silence
"It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike." – Barack Obama, February 2008
" " - President Barack Obama, May 26 2009
You want to know how big a pie-in-the-sky Pollyanna I really am? I believed this guy.
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6 comments:
I still believe him. I can't NOT believe him. I just don't think it's going to be as easy as he thought. It won't be as easy as if freaking SHOULD BE.
He won't even OPEN HIS MOUTH, much less use his "bully pulpit" as he promised to do. How easy would speaking be, for a man who is so well-spoken? The President has an astronomical approval rating right now. What better time would there be to cash in just a little of the political collateral he has in his hip pocket? Some spare change we can believe in?
Please. Not one fucking word.
And yet, the requests for donations to fund his various causes are STILL arriving in my e-mail box from Plouffe. WTF.
And I don't mean this in a bad way, although I'm afraid it might come out that way, but...that's because you've already got the full rights of citizenship. You can marry and divorce as you please, you can carry your spouse on your insurance policy, you can file a joint tax return.
You could enlist and not have to hide the most basic fundamental facts about who you are in order to keep your job.
Obama made some promises to the GLBT community when he needed something from us. Now we need something from him: we need him to carry through on those promises.
I appreciate the support of sympathetic straight folks who "get it", but I still lay awake worrying that if something ever happened to me, Lori would be financially devastated. She would not have access my Social Security retirement payments, nor would she have a right to my property without expensive and redundant legal hurdles that straight people have automatically when they marry.
But I DO appreciate your support, and please don't be offended by my rant. I know who the real villians are in all of this.
Since he's using the web and sending out all that stuff via Plouffe, why not do the same thing in reverse? Squeeky wheel, and all that. Truly Ev, I never thought about SS benefits, etc. for either you or Lori - as you said, it's not an issue I have to face in a relationship. Maybe Obama is in the same boat? Your "rant" was well-spoken, made me think and to-the-point. Aim some his way. And encourage all your straight and gay friends to do the same. Robin
Robin, I make liberal use of the "contact the White House" button at WhiteHouse.org. I write the President (or, more likely, some flunky if even that) quite often.
The Big Gay Underground is starting to buzz with plans for a march on Washington on October 10. I can virtually guarantee you that we'll be there, on that or any other day this community chooses.
Keep in mind that Friends and Loved Ones of Gays are also encouraged to attend and write and fuss.
Kwatch/Ev - I do, and will continue to do so. I meant what I said about being unaware (stupidly, or whatever), of some of the more fundamental issues of marriage. I think you guys talking to friends and neighbors about these issues would help spearhead more letters, support, etc. I think that kind of grass roots stuff got Civil Rights laws passed and ended the VN war. Keep up the educating, venting, or whatever you want to call it - I'll respond. R.
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