A video of the Obama transition team meeting with 10 LGBT leaders showed up on the official Obama YouTube channel last week with Obama transition leader John Podesta saying, “You have all built the [LGBT] movement and we join you in that, and we have a president now who I think can lead a movement of openness and inclusion across the country.” While the full meeting was not posted, on the agenda were discussions about LGBT politicians within the administration and policy concerns about federal legislation, the upcoming U.S. Census, and HIV/AIDS policy, according to reports. See it yourself:
Obama Transition Site Posts Video of Meeting With LGBT Leaders
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John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
Oh dear the Queerty commenters won’t like this…
Alex
MWAAAA! Obama’s been in office for 20 hours and he hasn’t even overturned DOMA! MWAAAAA! He’s worse then George Bush! You were stupid for voting for him!
silverkjk
As I understand it, the meeting was held prior to the Cabinet choices and prior to the Warren debacle. Obviously, it was truly effective in representing our community’s interests.
GJR
@John from England(used to be just John but there are other John’s):
Hogwash. It’s good news. But just like the posting on whitehouse.gov, it’s just words until the stuff actually gets done. On the first day of his second term, Bush also said, “I’ll govern from the middle..” which, of course, he threw out the window on day 2. No one disputes that Obama has made some great promises. My question is: Will he follow through when there is massive resistance and right-wing pressure? Fred Phelps and his folks threatened to protest the inauguration, there was widespread right-wing outrage about Gene Robinson. And what do you know, by amazing coincidence, he was the only invited guest not shown on HBO and the only speaker who many could not hear. If a preacher gives an invocation, but he is not shown on TV and many of the people there can’t hear him, is it really significant? Yes, people can read the transcript now – usually at blogs for the super-politically aware. His message to the masses was generally lost.
So if something like that happened, if Obama felt he had to invite a homophobe to curry favor, am I confident he won’t fold under pressure when it comes to huge things like civil union legislation? I’m not.
I will apologize if he proves me wrong.
Matt
I was not aware the gay community had leaders.
GJR
@Alex:
More strawman bullshit. No one expected him to overturn DOMA in 24 hours. Nobody.
Problem is, he has a history of giving in to political pressure. Clinton had great ambitions about the GLBT community too. Didn’t come through
Obama was for gay marriage in 1996 (link provided if you like) – then he flip flopped. The Washington Post has already said DADT has been pushed back to 2010, too politically risky. If Obama actually enacts what he promised, he will have done an amazing thing. At present, I question if he can pull it off when the pressure is on.
Read up on Clinton. They too made great promises to the GLBT community (in terms of what was possible in 1992)but then the Clinton team grew more and more hostile to GLBT leaders over time.
Sure, he made great promises on day 1. I won’t be giving him a dime or any support until he starts meeting those promises.
That was the cost of having McClurkin and Warren speak, treating Rev. Robinson in such an appalling way.
GJR
@Matt:
Yeah hard to know that. When we’ve got sucky orgs like HRC defending us, we don’t get very far. And Melissa “He likes my album!” Etheridge doesn’t help things when she gushes over that pig Warren.
blake
Let the denunciations begin!!
Oh, BTW, did any of you see the reaction by the jerks on World Nut Daily to Obama’s Civil Rights Agenda?
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=86633
GJR
@silverkjk:
Yeah, you’d think they’d get the point: it’s kind of offensive to have a Gay Bishop speak, yet have only him and Elmo excluded from the broadcast. Maybe we should make sure his microphone worked as it did for every other performer?
So we are wrong or racist for feeling this rude and disrespectful behavior should be tolerated?
GJR
@blake:
Which is the crux of the matter. In an ideal world, of COURSE Obama would enact all of this stuff. But when things get ugly, I’m not so sure he won’t fold.
He’s folded on his stance on gay marriage, he’s featured homophobes to promote his political agenda, he’s retreated on DADT until 2010 according to the Washington Post.
Maybe people have more faith than I do. We will see if he actually accomplishes these things. Getting a huge stimulus package is a cake walk compared to the visciousness/opposition that will come if he tries to go for civil unions.
konrad
“…And what do you know, by amazing coincidence, [Robinson] was the only invited guest not shown on HBO”
Probably had more to do with the fact the cultural left considers prayer “boring” and inappropriate for broadcast.
blake
@GJR:
The MAJORITY of GLBT Americans are not in the military. Enacting ENDA and anti-hate crimes legislation would be more beneficial to the majority of gays and lesbians. Why must all discussions always fall back on DADT as if it’s the most important federal legislation that could benefit GLBT Americans?
We just read last week about a hotel worker being fired for being gay. The state in which he lives offers no protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Many posters on this site seem to be from liberal or more progressive areas of the country that have such protections. That is not the case for many, many gays and lesbians.
We have also seen brutal and vicious assaults and murders of GLBT Americans. Shouldn’t hate crimes legislation be a top priority?
Michael W.
@GJR: Barack Obama is no longer a legislator. The only thing he has to “follow through” on is his signature after the papers are brought to his desk. He has outlined what he wants to sign into law on that website not to get the gays happy but to tell our congressional leaders that the veto threat is dead and they can now move these bills through, like the hate crimes legislation recently reintroduced by Sheila Jackson-Lee.
When it comes to nearly everything outlined on the White House website, it’s up to us and our congressional representatives to bake the cake; Barack Obama will apply the icing and put it in a box to carry home.
GJR
@Michael W.:
I wish it were that simple. Beyond the Repub threat of fillibuster, which is not that big, there is still massive pressure from right wing organizations and the religious right. Sheila Jackson Lee is a very brave and courageous woman. But her seat is very safe. What happens when they start running ads against congress people, senators in much more red states? What happens when they spread horrible lies about gay people, bring forward someone who argues their son was raped by some homosexual in the military etc. That’s the issue.
Do I think that if it were just up to Obama he’d do this stuff in 5 minutes? I do. But political pressure is a big thing. Republicans will resort to the nastiest propaganda possible and those Dems much more conservative than SJL may not be so much on board.
GJR
@blake:
I agree 100% with that. My point is just that, so far, all we have is promises and 3 really bad event decisions that insulted the GLBT commununity. On all the issues listed, none are more than just words on paper. The most concrete thing, DADT, has been pushed back. I’m just saying there’s a big jump between posting on a web site and getting it done. I’d say go for hate crimes, civil unions, then DADT..whatever. But I’ll believe and trust Obama more when SOMETHING gets done.
GJR
@konrad:
Kinda doubt it. I’d wager right wing pressure had more to do with it. Or that someone didn’t want a gay preacher hurting DVD sales..
Leland Frances
PLEASE correct your headline which makes people think Obama HIMSELF met with gays as you have demonstrated you know all too well how much myth and misinformation about him has become a problem.
And Perag, the leader of the LGBT arm of the transition team is a great guy but, sadly, demonstrates at the end of the video the type of ignorance of our history that is almost as big an obstacle to our progress as the Antigay Industry itself. This was NOT the first “high level” meeting with a President’s representatives [technically, in this case, P-elect].
Pres. Carter Special Assistant Midge Costanza met with then gay leaders THIRTY-TWO YEARS AGO and IN THE WHITE HOUSE. And Pres. Clinton himself met with leaders there during his administration.
Do I really need to spell out how little came of those meetings as a cautionary tale to not make more of this meeting than meets the eye?
Aside from the gay band in the parade, the only thing actually unique that Obama Inc. has done is elevate their LGBT goals to the official White House site. For that I am cautiously hopeful, but, please, PLEASE, let us stop dining on promies and feasting on fantasies.
When the LAWS change, THEN we can celebrate and I’ll craft his laurel wreath myself.
PS: The significance of repealing DADT, beyond its benefit to the tens of thousands of gay servicemen and women, is that it is the ONE issue that is the most easy to demonstrate to the public. By one pen stroke, thousands already in the military would become “equal” versus, e.g., the thousands/millions more who MIGHT take advantage of legalized marriage, or countless others virtually invisible to the public as ENDA-protected employees across thousands of companys.
Ya don’t have to like it but you DO have to understand it if you’re serious about FULL gay equality. Those not getting how visceral mainstream America’s identification and respect for the military is need look no farther than how many times and how many ways they were visible in yesterday’s inaugural events. In short, once we’re “good enough for the military,” we will, for most Americans, be quickly “good enough” for other rights they take for granted. DADT is the biggest, baddest domino in our game PLAN to knock over injustice entirely.
Cole
Who are these “leaders”? I don’t recall voting for them. These insiders certainly don’t speak for me or the rest of the GLBT community.
Alex
@GJR: Obviously I don’t think anyone holds those views. I was being hyperbolic in order to rib those I feel are prematurely denouncing Obama. Hence the exclamation points and nonsensical interjections. I tried to defuse the usually ugliness on these comments with a little humor. I sincerely apologize, and won’t do it again.
RichardR
@Leland Frances: Exactly, Leland, exactly. The present push for gay equality should have begun with, not merely included, gays serving openly in the military.
All else will follow. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” MLK, jr.
And I seem to recall that dubya met with “gay leaders” and even said something positive about the experience?
Mister C
UGH!!!!!!
Landon Bryce
“MWAAAA! Obama’s been in office for 20 hours and he hasn’t even overturned DOMA! MWAAAAA! He’s worse then George Bush! You were stupid for voting for him!”
“I tried to defuse the usually ugliness on these comments with a little humor. I sincerely apologize, and won’t do it again.”
Dude:
Nasty mockery IS ugliness. If you don’t get that, you really have no business commenting on anyone else’s behavior. So, yeah, don’t ever do it again. And maybe you’ll grow up enough some day to see that you really do need to apologize.
ceazer
The funny thing is that we were all maddd! at Obama recently because we thought Obama snubbed Bishop Gene. If Bishop Gene himself does not think he was snabbed, how would our other liberal supporters believe that he was snabbed. Bishop Gene was on John Stewart yesterday singing praises on Obama. He said he loves Obama and believes Obama is on our side. Infact he didn’t seem upset at all by Obama. Anyway…
Steve
I’m sure Barney Frank has several bills ready to go. I expect Rep. Frank to introduce some of those as stand-alone bills, and to tack the others onto “must pass” legislation as riders.
Mr. Obama and his team have lied to us enough times already, so that I frankly don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. I will believe his actions, when he signs Mr. Frank’s bills into law.
Until then, we need to continue making noise. Nothing motivates a politician more than noisy constituents.
sdandy
OMG! They talked to someone gay. I guess we do exist! Oh, wait, just more lip service.
lyssa
When fags politick, trans people suffer.
Many LGB businesses openly discriminate against trans folks, especially trans women.
Gay men openly bash trans women on blogs such as Towleroad, and occasionally this one.
And who can forget AMERICAblog?
LGBT leaders is a lie….It should read “Assimilationist Gay and lesbians eager to use transfolks as human shields to get theirs.”
And yes, Barney is using Diego as a shield against criticism, but he has promised revenge against trans supporters for protesting the ENDA mess.
Frank is a *proven* transphobe, who has openly bashed trans women, and gave the Americans for Truth the “penises in women’s bathrooms” argument that the right wingers are using nationwide.
LGBT leaders my fat ass…I thought I left anal rape behind when I transitioned….guess not, huh?
GJR
@ceazer:
Um, hello, Robinson is not going to come out saying, “That Obama is a real prick for what he did..” He knows that to have exposure to the president, to help get policies enacted, you have to make nice. If he went off in a huff or trashed Obama on all the news shows, that would be the end of his opening to try and get things done and the end to his being a voice that is listened to in the administration. Plus, Robinson is a class act. I’ve never heard him dissing anybody, even those who get in his own face and call him an abomination..
The whole HBO thing was very weird and suspicious. Having been involved in TV broadcasts myself, I can tell you, nothing is not perfectly timed. You do not send somebody out 5 minutes before broadcast time and hope it will all work out. Now whether the real decision was made by the Obama people or HBO, we will never know.
Having said that, we really all have to move on. Warren and Robinson are over. Warren’s speech was a boring piece of shit, no one was the least bit interested in it. He came off as a self-absorbed idiot. All we can do is look forward.
He put up promising things at whitehouse.gov, I have been told Congresswoman Tauscher is preparing legislation on ending DADT as we speak. I am not particularly confident Obama will actually follow through on these things but I just have to let the anger go, it doesn’t help.
We all have to look forward to what he will do. At very least we can know he won’t HARM us like McCain would have and without a hostile environment to the GLBT community, we can ourselves bring a lot forward in the next 8 years.
Leland Frances
Lyssa, you’re so full of crap you should carry a colostomy bag instead of a purse.
Josh
This is off topic, but the AFA has issued an action alert for their sheep to e-mail President Obama/White House to complain about his support for women’s rights and gay rights.
We should probably counter with positive e-mails to whitehouse.gov
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Stephen Weiss
@Matt: Seriously, dude! Who *are* these gay leaders everyone keeps talking about? I couldn’t even name one name. Would the real gay leadership please stand up?