SOUNDBITES — “Congress has not passed a single piece of legislation in the four decades since Stonewall to ensure that Americans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are treated equally under the law. So, millions of Americans remain denied this American Promise. In these same four decades, Congress has passed two pieces of legislation that do the exact opposite and that actually openly discriminate against those Americans. As I said in my campaign, I support repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell legislation, as well as the repeal of the entire Defense of Marriage Act. I am here to tell you that yes, we can end discrimination. And that yes, the time for this is now. Many will argue that while equality is a worthwhile goal, civil rights have been given incrementally. They will also tell you that we have other important priorities. But I ask: Where is our moral compass when we knowingly continue to allow members of our society to be unequal under the law? Where is our moral compass when we have laws that openly discriminate against some members of our society?” —Barack Obama‘s speech on GLBT rights, as imagined by Chris Crain [Citizen Chris]
barack obama*
‘I am here to tell you that yes, we can end discrimination. And that yes, the time for this is now’
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galefan2004
The problem is that, rather people want to admit it or not, DADT was gay rights legislation. Before DADT you could be kicked out the military after a lengthy probe to prove that you are gay which ended up outing you to the entire country.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
Applause, respect all around for the good-intentions, but how can we expect HIM to get it right if even WE can’t get it right.
1. Where’s our “institutional memory”? Recycling his FALSE “the first” claim about gay appointments in the first 100 days is inexcusable ignorance, and Alzheimer’s no excuse. That the White House called lesbian leader Roberta Achtenberg the morning after this was first issued to “profusely apologize” for forgetting her 1993 appointment to HUD was reported by MSM. Pathetic.
2. “Of course, behavioral problems will continue to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.” Why the hell is ANY gay person publicly reinforcing even in this parlor game the idea that gay men and women are EVER such a “behavioral problem” in the military that WE need to resurrect Sam Nunn’s and Rectum Powell’s fag fear baiting?
Why not insert, “Of course, gay child molestors will continue to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted” in the ENDA and Education sections?
3. Imagining words from Obama’s mouth calling for Congress to pass a bill that still only exists in one chamber is ludicrous. Look up, “cart before the horse” and then go back to writing NON-political fiction.
At that point I had to stop reading so I could clean off the oatmeal I’d just spewed on my monitor.
We’re at a tipping point folks! The best one we’ve ever had; the one which lost might not come again for years. Lord Obama’s inexplicable betrayals and the incompetence in Congress have pushed us the wrong way but there’s some leverage still there and we can’t afford to weaken it even through shoddy, self-defeating rhetorical fantasies when Santa has left the building.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
After replinishing my bowl of oatmeal, I would like to add that the foregoing is not to imply that I don’t SINCERELY appreciate the tireless work of the authors Juan and Ken Ahonen-Jover to advance LGBT equality.
Onward!
Alex
@galefan2004: It was meant to be, but in fact there is a good amount of evidence that it is in fact worse. I won’t do the argument justice, but if you read Unfriendly Fire, he goes a pretty good job explaining it.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
@galefan2004:
Uh, sorry, but NO “gay rights legislation” DADT was unequivocably NOT.
It came after an attempt to advance gay rights by Bill Clinton in the form of dumping the existing gay ban policy and letting gays serve openly [if they wanted…most don’t even in countries where it’s legal]. Clinton unfortunately caved to overwhelming forces and DADT was created by homohaters in Congress, chiefly Sen. Sam Nunn and the Pentagon to DENY gay equality [and get even with Clinton who’d stolen Nunn’s dream of running for President then refused to make him Secretary of Defense].
One can STILL be “kicked out the military after a lengthy probe to prove that you are gay” or a short one, for that matter, given that once your commander believes you are gay the burden is on you to prove you’re either not or would remain celibate which, most, understandably don’t try to do.
Finally, no one was ever outed “to the entire country” by the military except in extremely rare cases involving sodomy charges that found their way into the press. 99.9999999% of those cases that the country has found out about have been the result of the gay person publicizing his/her discharge…which happens among less than 1% of those who are discharged.
hyhybt
I hate to complain, but the “articles” about comments on other articles were bad enough. Do we really need articles about imaginary quotes as well?