At the White House’s annual Easter Egg roll today, Jarrod Scarbrough and his partner of 18 years, Les Sewell, plan on asking President Obama to sign an executive order banning any firm that gets a federal contract from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Thomas Roberts invited them on the show earlier today to talk about why they’re going to “get political” with Obama at the holiday event.
“It’s definitely a political event,” said Scarbrough, who will be taking his eight-year-old daughter to the event. “As is anything that takes place in a place like the White House. We feel that, since this is a family event, it’s the perfect opportunity to talk about all of the thousands of families that could benefit from this action.”
Sewell, who was sporting rainbow-dyed hair, said he thinks Obama will sign the executive order eventually—he’s had it since 2009, and the Departments of Justice and Labor have both approved it. But he wants to exert pressure on Obama to sign it sooner than later.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Sewell said they plan on moving to Florida in June, where the protections are less solid than in their current New Mexico. “Without this administrative action,” said Sewell, “Jarrod could lose his job, and then where would our family be?”
The event is attended by a lot of people, perhaps who also have political motivations of their own, so it will be difficult for this gay couple to get any real time with the President. But at least they’re trying, and honestly the publicity they’re getting from this media coverage should be enough to give the Obama administration the message, Easter Egg Roll facetime or no.
Peter Fitz
I think Les is the wrong person to be out there talking about job discrimination
If I was hiring a person who would represent me to the public, I would not hire
Les Sewell,not because he’s GAY, but because he has rainbow hair
Rainbow hair would not instill confidence in performance, for many professional, other than a Circus Clown
But if the law was past, and he lost his job he would clain, sexual discrimination
For us to be taken seriously, we need to be serious
Drew
This is why they hate us. The Easter egg roll is not the time or place to tell Mr All talk and no action Obama about ENDA.
Daniel Cates
Peter Fitz, I am sorry that you are uncomfortable being represented by something as horrific as rainbow hair.. Image is everything afterall.. It must make you feel the same shame that our entire community felt in 1969 when a bunch of queer punks and glittering drag queens started all that mess at the Stonewall Inn.. Or the embarrassment when our nations very first openly gay elected official LITERALLY posed as a circus clown in a magazine.. We should pay very very close attention to the image we project and completely ignore and shun those who seem to think that our movement ever had anything to do with gaining the rights to BE OURSELVES.. (I hope you catch my sarcasm and realize you are being a bigot)
Dave
Anyone know if there is truth to something I heard? That their are perhaps right wing dingbats on here trying to get “us” fighting with each other? Because those first two comments sure sound like someone who has never had to live in the real world.
Sometimes folks, you gotta make some noise. So please, go for rainbow kids. I love what you do.
GreatGatsby2011
@Peter Fitz: And what, exactly, does the color of his hair have to do with his ability to perform his job functions? Oh that’s right, absolutely nothing.
PTBoat
@Drew: +1
PTBoat
@Peter Fitz: I agree with you.
frank
Please, just stop with the drag queen references. That particular “historical” tidbit has been disproved multiple times. And just a clue: if you want to be taken seriously and appear on national television, please do not go the rainbow hair routine. Trust me on that one.
What's disproven?
Frank just wondering what’s been disproven about drag queens that gets touted as “history”?
Auntie Mame
Why would any self respecting homosexual move to Florida? Floridians are cray cray.
Auntie Mame
@Dave: Ummm…yes.
Bitch Please!
Auntie Mame why would any self respecting homosexual want to imitate women, become a queen, and obsess over women in old B movies like Auntie Mame?
mark
I totally agree with Peter. You’re meeting the president and representing the gay community not just to President Obama, but to the world watching. And before I am considered a bigot, let me say, I own a punk rock nightclub where a quarter of my customers and staff look much like Mr. Sewell. As a proud, out gay man in a 22 year committed relationship, I am embarrassed by this lack of respect towards the highest position in the land. I prefer my representation to come across a little more intelligent.
Andrew
These guys are dizzy queens! I agree about the rainbow hair it’s stupid and he should have not dyed his hair those colours especially when going to see a world leader like the President of the United States!
pedro
Yeah, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t even watch the clip…These two look like clowns, talk about walking stereotypes…And I’m no fitness nazi, but it really doesn’t take that much effort to eat healthy, nourishing foods and keep in shape…Gays really should take a page out of the black civil rights book…They always knew they had to send their best representatives forward: clean cut, suited up and pretty…It’s called good P.R. people…That freaky looking dude and his clownish hair does not represent me, sorry!
PTBoat
I think the hair and the attitude completely takes focus from the issue at hand. Instead of making a solid, rational point, these men are ruining a party in order to get attention for themselves. The event, to which gay headed families have only recently been invited to participate in, is meant to be a fun and heartwarming moment with the leader of the free world. It is not a time when people, at least outwardly, lobby for a cause; certainly, it’s not a time for protest. What these men are presenting is a NOM wet dream because of their inappropriateness, both in appearance and timing. The rainbow hair makes me think of all of those years when the only photos, or news coverage, of gay men was of the guys in fetish wear or bad drag (yes, a joke in the gay world, but utterly frightening to straight people who weren’t in on it). When most people see a guy like that they make the quick judgement that “another gay tweaker is ruining an event” and that reaction is one of anger that completely turns off any chance of winning someone over to a rational point.
Spike
“It’s definitely a political event,”
Really, seriously? The White House Easter egg roll is a political event?
What an embarrassment these two clowns are to the LGBT community.
Raymond Saint-Pierre
As a Stonewall “vet”, street punk hustler who remembers Sylvia, Adrienne,etc. let’s get our gay history “straight”. There were drags, fags, rags, and all kinds of people, mostly street people, there at Stonewall and in the streets for the first weekend before it became a political rallying point. Denying who and what we are/were is just as closeted and self-defeating as ex-gay ideology. As for the Easter fluffery; does anyone remember the Easter parade? The hats!!! The pure folderol of it all!!! Rainbow hair seems a rather minor point for kerfuffling, but go ahead and fulfill the neo-cons wet dreams as we fight our own.
Les Sewell - Yea THAT one
Yes I realize many of you think my hair was an issue. (what a petty issue?) I do fun things to my hair for different trips I take. For this one I opted for yellow with pink and blue polka dots (NOT RAINBOW!) It looked like an Easter egg. The kids (and most parents) LOVED it! When we left NM for DC Saturday morning we had no idea the story would blow up the way it did. We expected maybe a newspaper or telephone interview. But by the time we had landed Saturday afternoon we had hit USA Today and many other publications.
As far as our appearance on MSNBC, we found out about the appearance on Sunday evening while out with our daughter seeing our Nation’s Capital as a family. Something we couldn’t have done the next day after MSNBC.
As far as weight and healthy “looking”… Grow up! I’m 41, Jarrod’s almost 39. Some of us go up and down with weight. Since October I’ve managed to lose about 50lbs, but then that’s none of anyone’s business. As far as anyone hiring me, I’m not worried. If I needed an outside job I just wouldn’t do “fun hair”. Currently I’m an at-home travel agent.
And lastly on the personal attacks, I wanted to say that while we may not come across as the most educated people, we DO represent the average American family.
On a positive note, whether you agree or disagree with the event itself, we’ve had a massive media impact which has brought attention to a very important cause! While it isn’t the perfect fix, it’s a START!
One last thing then I promise to TRY to shut up *blush*. If Jarrod and I aren’t a good example of an LGBT family who NEEDS this protection, then who is? A wealthy well groomed family? Basically someone who has no emotional or personal investment on whether there are protections in place or not, or a REAL working class LGBT couple with a child? Especially keeping in mind we had NOTHING TO DO with where the press took this or the invitation to appear on MSNBC. Feel free to email me or even Facebook me if you need to discuss this more. I have nothing to hide!
Have a GREAT weekend!