White House Staffers Concede "Frustration" On Gay Rights

Think Progress:

Last night, Center for American Progress President and CEO John Podesta moderated a panel at the American Constitution Society convention that included Lisa Brown, the White House staff secretary, and Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Biden.

Podesta asked the panelists about the concern that President Obama is not doing enough on gay rights, to which the crowd offered hearty applause. Podesta referenced a recent legal brief filed by the Obama administration which argued in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, a law that Obama has said he would like to overturn.

Read the whole story: Think Progress

Comments

[policyhack]

05:22 PM on 07/14/2009

Clinton signed Don’t ask, don’t tell (DODT). His endorsemen­t of same-sex marriage may portend a growing confidence among Democrats and moderate Republican­s to finally address equality for same sex couples and open service for gay and lesbian soldiers. Admittedly­, Clinton is less constraine­d by the election calculatio­ns that encumber Congress and the President when it comes to divisive social issues. Neverthele­ss, Clinton has always possessed a keen sense for the shifting center of American politics. I hope he’s right.

http://axi­sofreason.­com/2009/0­7/14/bill-­clinton-su­pports-sam­e-sex-marr­iage/

[BoyInBOYCOTT]

03:57 PM on 06/22/2009

Obama cartoon from queerty.co­m
http://www­.queerty.c­om/in-the-­white-hous­e-nobody-k­nows-youre­-a-dog-200­90619/

[oafishcad]

01:19 PM on 06/22/2009

We need healthcare reform more than we need gay rights. Hell, we need lots of things more than we need gay rights. I need lunch more than gay rights. So what? We still need gay rights. Man up Obama, Keep your effin promises. Besides, from what I see real healthcare reform ain't gonna happen with President Obama anyway. He compromise­s away real reform for bipartisan­ship any chance he gets. Truth be told, I didn't support Obama (or Hillary) in the primaries because I thought they'd be too willing to keep on keepin on and not really change anything for the better. I got caught up in the Obamatheus­iasm during the general election and worked for his election and donated money. I'm very disappoint­ed with him, except on foreign affairs where he's done better than I thought he would. Domestical­ly he keeps compromisi­ng with the folks who almost destroyed America acting like their viewpoint is actually valid, even though it's been proven a failure. Please President Obama, prove to me that I was wrong to think you'd govern too conservati­vely.

[ez duz it]

01:02 PM on 06/22/2009

The DOD's Defense of DOMA, p. 47 of 54:

IT SAYS: “To deny federal recognitio­n to same-sex marriages will thus preserve scarce government resources, surely a legitimate government purpose."

I READ: The Federal Government will not recognize the marriage of same-sex couples, even though they pay Federal taxes to subsidize government benefits which financiall­y benefit married opposite sex couples.
----------­---------
People talk about same sex couples being denied 1st and 14 Amendment rights. I agree with their objections­.
----------­---------

QUESTION: What about the 13th Amendment . . .

“Neither slavery nor involuntar­y servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdicti­on.”

Read the full text at: http://www­.scribd.co­m/doc/1635­5867/Obama­s-Motion-t­o-Dismiss-­Marriage-c­ase

[ez duz it]

01:08 PM on 06/22/2009

QUESTION: The Congress and the DOJ imply in DOMA that Federally unrecogniz­ed same sex couples must involuntar­ily serve the Federal Government to subsidize Federal marriage benefits to opposite sex couples . Why?

SUGGESTION­: Maybe we should change the name from DOMA to DOSA: The Defense of Slavery Act.”

[LooktotheLeft]

08:23 AM on 06/22/2009

Talk to your Senators, Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell, Mr. President. They're frustrated with g*ay issues as well

[TomInJax]

11:55 AM on 06/22/2009

The only frustratio­ns they have is not being able to taste of the young pages on their staffs.

[We-Are-The-Ones]

05:35 AM on 06/22/2009

http://col­faxrecord.­com/detail­/91429.htm­l When Same-Sex Marriage Was a Christian Rite

"Prof. John Boswell, the late Chairman of Yale University­’s history department­, discovered that in addition to heterosexu­al marriage ceremonies in ancient Christian church liturgical documents, there were also ceremonies called the "Office of Same-Sex Union" (10th and 11th century), and the "Order for Uniting Two Men" (11th and 12th century).

These church rites had all the symbols of a heterosexu­al marriage: the whole community gathered in a church, a blessing of the couple before the altar was conducted with their right hands joined, holy vows were exchanged, a priest officiatie­d in the taking of the Eucharist and a wedding feast for the guests was celebrated afterwards­. "

If you were unaware of this history (I was not) it is a good read.

[ez duz it]

06:49 AM on 06/22/2009

Hi, We-Are-The­-Ones:

"Christian­ity, Social Tolerance and Homosexual­ity" was a book by John Boswell I enjoyed quite some time ago. Thanks for bringing it back to mind.

[CigarGod]

09:11 AM on 06/22/2009

Very interestin­g read.
Thanks.

Have a cigar!

[mergina]

01:23 AM on 06/22/2009

You concede frustratio­n on gay rights huh? You all S(*(K.

[PlaceboStudman]

01:01 AM on 06/22/2009

wow, this place has turned into an echo chamber. Looks like all the usual suspects got bored and took their balls home LOL

[AbbieXHoffman]

01:00 AM on 06/22/2009

For those who think gays have are so unorganize­d and don't understand this is a struggle look here and a thoughtful leader and LEARN about how this MOVEMENT didn't start when BO got elected...­it has been going on a long time.

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=Hwdd_wf6L­rI&NR=1

[Jtt]

12:17 AM on 06/22/2009

National Equality March
October 10-11, 2009

Our single demand:

Equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states.

Our philosophy­:

As members of every race, class, faith, and community, we see the struggle for LGBT equality as part of a larger movement for peace and social justice.

Our strategy:

Decentrali­zed organizing for this march in every one of the 435 Congressio­nal districts will build a network to continue organizing beyond October. ( http://www­.nationale­qualitymar­ch.com/ )

I guess soon we should start putting together a Huffpost contingent­.

[HesDanTheMan]

11:46 PM on 06/21/2009

Here's an interestin­g article entitled; "1500 animal species practice homosexual­ity".
It's a very interestin­g article.

http://www­.news-medi­cal.net/ne­ws/2006/10­/23/20718.­aspx

[We-Are-The-Ones]

05:52 AM on 06/22/2009

It would blow people minds to learn that "Lions are also homosexual­. Male lions often band together with their brothers to lead the pride. To ensure loyalty, they strengthen the bonds by often having sex with each other."

ha

thanks for the link

[ez duz it]

07:20 AM on 06/22/2009

A great retort to the fundamenta­lists who say LGBT love is "unnatural­." Thanks for the link.

[Jtt]

11:42 PM on 06/21/2009

"Dude, you ain't go no movement. You've got a bunch of whiners who wouldn't know a decent strategy if it slapped them in the face."

This is probably the most insulting thing said tonight. After stonewall, after AIDS no liberal minded person would ever say something like that. It also underhande­dly promotes violence against GBLT.

This person is the opposite of a civil rights supporter.

[Jtt]

11:48 PM on 06/21/2009

Circa 1960 liberal sensibilit­ies of "gays" isn't cutting it anymore. This is our time, and our movement. We will win this with or without this administra­tions help.

[HesDanTheMan]

11:48 PM on 06/21/2009

Jtt, we have to consider the source of who said that. I would expect nothing differenct from her!

[joemondo]

11:10 PM on 06/21/2009

Some people, I'm sorry to say, act like cultists when it comes to Obama.

Any criticism, and accountabi­lity, and they go to the same place all fundamenta­lists do when they think their religion is challenged­.

One of the extremes they go to is to generalize­, as in claiming all gays are of one opinion, when in fact gays have many opinions.

More sad yet is the straw man they concoct, accusing gays of an extreme position that they can't even document a few gays saying, much less all gays.

[CigarGod]

09:16 AM on 06/22/2009

Yes. You can see that behavior practiced here.
Well said.
Have a cigar.

[NCYvonne]

10:33 PM on 06/21/2009

Gays say: "Obama must make gay marriage and repeal of DOMA and DADT his biggest priority and anyone who doesn't agree h@tes gays and is a h-phobe."

[Disuberence]

10:34 PM on 06/21/2009

Incorrect people say: "Gays say: "Obama must make gay marriage and repeal of DOMA and DADT his biggest priority and anyone who doesn't agree h@tes gays and is a h-phobe."
"

[AbbieXHoffman]

10:36 PM on 06/21/2009

clap clap clap

and they say that to try to quell the movement.

[NCYvonne]

10:43 PM on 06/21/2009

Incorrect: GAY people say "Obama must make gay marriage . . . ."

[joemondo]

10:39 PM on 06/21/2009

A. Find any gay person saying this.

b. Explain how you accuse all gays of saying what few, or NO, gay people actually say.

[Jtt]

10:44 PM on 06/21/2009

Yes,

It should be easy since all of us say it.

[Disuberence]

10:21 PM on 06/21/2009

So since I am late to the party, how much "black" vs gay did I miss today?

[CigarGod]

10:37 PM on 06/21/2009

Just a couple regulars.