Barack Obama Will Officiate White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard’s Wedding (April Fool’s)
It’s been a little over a month since President Obama finally declared he believes (part of) the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. But today he’s announcing he’s going a step further: he’s agreed to officiate the wedding of his newly installed social secretary Jeremy Bernard. UPDATE: Yes, this was our April Fool’s prank.
Bernard was named to the post in February and becomes the first man (and first out gay person) to hold the position. But Bernard and his partner Rufus Gifford (pictured R-L) — who helped raised serious cash for Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign — are unmarried. Obama has offered his services to fix that.
As you might’ve heard, Washington D.C. has legalized same-sex marriage and, despite House Republicans’ best efforts, it remains the law of the land. Which is where Bernard and Gifford plan to wed in spring 2012. (You thought they’d get in the way of Kate and William?) And Bernard — who served as a senior adviser to America’s French ambassador after his two-year gig as the White House liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities — will supposedly plan just a smidge of his own ceremony, being the anal type-A that he is. Maybe just the invitations and desserts?
Obama, meanwhile, is still hedging somewhat on his support for gay marriage; he has yet to say he thinks it should be legal across the land, but he clearly supports the right of gays to get married where it’s legal. (Evidently, Obama’s views have truly evolved.) That he’s agreed to be the one to marry two gay men, meanwhile, will be the most visible signal yet of his pendulum swing. And I mean visible literally: There are going to be photos of this published all over the world.
The only thing that has yet to be determined, then, is whether Obama will lend Bernard and Gifford his home at 1600 Pennsylvania for the big event. He might as well: There are going to be lots of Hollywood and political egos to fit somewhere. And even bigger checkbooks.
UPDATE: As plenty of you have concluded by now, none of this is true. (Well, aside from Bernard being a type-A.) Hope you had a wonderful April 1st!
Can anyone say, “Publicity stunt to help his plummeting approval ratings?” This “evolution” is a direct result of backlash from the Left who thought Obama was all things good and kind, but have been steadily disappointed in his lack of action—on anything.
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@SaxAndViolins: Of course this is a political move, he’s doing it in an election year for God’s sake, but at least it’s a political move for our side, and its a very potent one at that. The American president officiating a gay wedding? That would have been the ravings of a lunatic even a year ago. Hell, it would have been the ravings of a lunatic yesterday.
I can’t wait to see how the Right strikes back at this.
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It’s a bril April Fools joke, but not very sticky. You got me at first, but it wasn’t on AmericaBlog so that gave it away. Next year Queerty, AmericaBlog, Slog@TheStanger, and AfterElton have to team up if you want to really punk people!
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This is going to travel through the humor and irony-free right-wing blogosphere like wildfire in 3….2….1….
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This lefty believed it. If this indeed is a joke, it is not funny. It is cruel and heartless and shows that Queerty has NO respect for its audience. And I am not a humorless person in the least. If this is a joke, Queerty has lost this reader.
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in other news, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was spotted last Sunday strolling through the cherry blossoms in the Washington Mall wearing a printed Jason Wu sleeveless frock from the “Resort 2011″ collection, accessorized with an Alexis Bittar pin at the shoulder.
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@DiscoLives: LOL, you forgot the part about “During her outing, Clinton was accompanied by none other than Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, predessor Condoleeza Rice, and Lisa Ramekin-Taylor-Jones, noted professor of Women’s Studies at Smith College. The women enjoyed a brief game of softball, followed by an impromptu recital of their favorite Indigo Girls’ songs.”
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This is a perfect example why we love Queerty. Their style on telling a story…… FUN!
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April Fool’s!
Obama and his administration are not for GLBT rights even if they want to claim that they are. Even DADT is repealed in name yet the Obama administration edited out the non-discrimination clause rendering the entire bill useless! Now GLBT military personnel will still be kicked out of the military.
Even most Democrats who claim that they are really are not when it comes down to the brass tacks. At least the Conservatives will flat out tell it and be honest.
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I don’t like pranks, I can be really gullible. But this one is sorta funny.
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Fuck you Queerty if this is you idea of a joke! I am beyond upset and disgusted that you would pull something like this! Gay Marriage is a SERIOUS issue in which MANY including myself are fighting for the right to Marry our partners. I’ve been with my fiancé for 8 years, yet I see my family and friends eloping with someone they’ve met online or a few months ago, etc. The Defense of Marriage Act is total bullshit and the lies that is thrown out there so the ignorant people believe those lies and think what they are being told is the truth that gay sex will be taught to elementary students, churches will be forced to Marry Gay couples, and MANY more disgusting lies! The fucking Audacity you assholes have! No wonder the Gay Community isn’t being taken seriously, the ignorant people in the world think were all a bunch of HIV/AIDS ridden faggots who can not be in a mongonomous relationship fucking everything in site even the kiddies all the while we use the hardest forms of narcotic drugs and poppers! If anything it’s pieces if shits like you whom set the Gay Community back ten steps when were hardly moving forward! It’s OUR responsibility to educate people about the TRUTH on the Gay Community and to get rid of it’s “Taboo” it’s up to the newer generations to continue to keep educating people. How dare you take on of our hardest issues to complete and make a mockery of it over some man made bullshit “April Fools Day” so for that FUCK YOU!
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So, Queerty, do you also deliver fake winning lotto tickets to people in homeless shelters, then point and laugh hysterically when they get to the fine print at the bottom that says they can pick up their $10,000 prize “at yo’ mama’s house”?
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@Ernest: Welcome to this new thing called “a blog”! I’m not sure how 4/1 is celebrated in your country, but in the US it’s a day to play pranks. Also, if you had some knowledge of US politics, you’d realize Pres. Obama has yet to come out in favor of marriage equality, and that he is unable to officiate at any wedding.
Science has made great strides in treating deprèssion, but humorlessness and cluelessness are still beyond our ken.
A quick trip to Wikïpedia might help you understand such customs.
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April Fools??!! Good one – almost had me.