The president coming to the Human Rights Campaign Dinner was a major success for HRC and a major event in the long complicated road to the struggle of the LGBT community for freedom. His appearance alone was historic since he was only the second sitting president to attend any LGBT event. The jammed-packed room of over 3,000 was again a powerful testimony of the organization's ability (and the LGBT community's ability) to raise huge sums of money for our epic journey. No one should ever diminish the fact that we do indeed need an effective political and lobbying arm.
First let me deal with what the president did right. No other president in our history has ever talked about our relationships the way President Obama did Saturday night. He spoke directly of man to man and woman to woman love and that is serious business. The president promised to end DADT not as a campaign promise but as a public presidential promise. He gave Judy Shepard heart with his pledge to sign Hate Crimes legislation in the next week or two. Most importantly, the president with just his rhetoric tied himself closer and closer to the LGBT community. It was a major leap forward and a historic moment. After this speech, there will be very little he can do to appease the other side filled with right wing hate. He stood with us, offered his hand and spoke, as always, eloquently. He deserves praise for it.
However, we must not as a movement overlook the fact that his words reminded us how far we still have to go with this administration. The president urged us to keep his feet to the fire and I am going to take him at his word. His words were powerful but his substance was lacking. ,p>Let's look at the easy moves he could have made that night without any action from Congress. The president could have taken the opportunity to come out strongly on our side in the ballot measures in Maine and Washington. People already are voting in those states and his failure to do so could cost us some needed votes. The president could have announced a 'stop-loss' order for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and set an example for Congress and then with moral authority challenge them to repeal it. By now, that HIV Travel ban should have been implemented months ago. Remember in June he announced the very same thing and it is still a fact that HIV positive people can't travel to the United States. Over three months have passed and the Federal Employees still have no insurance or pensions. Why announce them as progress if you can't deliver?
While he made a presidential promise on DOMA which was thrilling to hear, again he said every word except marriage and civil unions. He described our love but failed to announce a way to make it legal. Let's face it, Mr. President, you can dance around this issue but it won't go away and the pressure to do the right thing will only grow. When President Bill Clinton admits he was wrong and Vice President Dick Cheney supports marriage equality, why don't you stop the silliness and come out for full equality?
The dinner was a success, the president was charming and charismatic and powerful in his words. But totally short on his deeds. We will soon see how quickly the hate crimes legislation and the HIV ban proceeds. If he fails to soon to take a stand on Maine and Washington, it will be a disgrace and a lack of moral leadership in a time of crisis. The proof is in the pudding.
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