Profiles in Courage: JFK and Barack Obama

On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy made a momentous civil rights address to the nation. This speech was a pivotal turning point in race relations in the United States. Had Kennedy not had the courage to make that speech, American history would have been different and, quite possibly, Barack Obama would not be President of the United States today.

Below is the speech I would like to hear President Obama make on Saturday, October 10, when he addresses the national meeting of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest lesbian and gay civil rights organization in the nation. It is a virtually verbatim version of President Kennedy's 1963 speech, but substituting sexual orientation for race.

Good evening, my fellow citizens:

This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.

Today, we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. And when Americans are sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, we should not deny loyal Americans the right the serve their country. It ought to be possible for Americans of every race, gender, ethnic origin, and sexual orientation to serve in the military, to receive equal treatment in the workplace, to be free from hate crimes, and to marry the person he loves.

It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his or her race, gender, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case in America today.

This is not a sectional issue. Nor is this a partisan issue. Nor is this a religious issue. Men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics or religion. This is not even a legal or legislative issue alone. New laws are needed at every level, but law alone cannot make men see right. We are confronted primarily with a moral issue.

The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. If an American, because of her sexual orientation, cannot work in a factory, if she cannot visit her life-partner in a hospital, if she cannot serve in the military, if, in short, she cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have her sexual orientation changed and stand in her place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay? This Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are free.

We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for gays and lesbians; that we have no second-class citizens except gays and lesbians; that we have no class or caste system, except with respect to gays and lesbians?

Now the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise. We face, therefore, a moral crisis as a country and a people. It cannot be quieted by token moves or talk. It is a time to act in the Congress, in your State and local legislative body and, above all, in all of our daily lives. A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make change constructive for all. Those who do nothing are inviting shame. Those who act boldly are recognizing right, as well as reality.

Next week I shall ask the Congress of the United States to act, to make a commitment to the proposition that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has no place in American life or law. The Federal and State courts have upheld that proposition in a series of cases. The Executive Branch has adopted that proposition in the conduct of most of its affairs. But there are other necessary measures which only the Congress can provide, and they must be provided at this session. The old code of equity law under which we live commands for every wrong a remedy, but in too many communities, in too many parts of the country, wrongs are inflicted on gay and lesbian citizens and there are no remedies at law.

I am, therefore, asking the Congress to enact the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which will give all Americans the right to work without regard to sexual orientation. This seems to me to be an elementary right. Its denial is an arbitrary indignity that no American in 2009 should have to endure.

I'm also asking the Congress to enact the Matthew Shepard National Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and to repeal the military's discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy and the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which I have previously described as "abhorrent." I will further call upon Congress to enact federal legislation recognizing equal rights for all persons, without regard to sexual orientation, in the fundamental realm of family rights, including equal treatment under federal law of all persons who are in a legally-recognized marriage, civil union, or domestic partnership.

But legislation, I repeat, cannot solve this problem alone. It must be solved in the homes of every American in every community across our country. My fellow Americans, this is a problem which faces us all. Today, there are gays and lesbians who are denied the right to work, the right to serve in the military, the right to marry, the right to adopt. It seems to me that these are matters which concern us all, not merely Presidents or Congressmen or Governors, but every citizen of the United States.

This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance to develop their talents. We cannot say to some of our fellow citizens that you can't have some of the most fundamental right of human beings. I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.

Therefore, I'm asking for your help in making it easier for us to move ahead and to provide the kind of equality of treatment which we would want ourselves; to give a chance for every person to be a full and respected citizen of this great nation.

This is what we're talking about and this is a matter which concerns this country and what it stands for, and in meeting it I ask the support of all our citizens.

 

 

Comments

[DrJillianTWeiss]

I love your suggestion that Pres. Obama call for ENDA passage. But tell this to Sen. Kay Hagan of NC, who recently ducked for cover, sending letters to constituents saying she would have supported the sexual-orientation only bill passed by the House in 2007, but that she does not support the new bill that is inclusive of gender identity. Yes, President Obama can help by calling for passage of legislation, but it is all for naught if our majority Democratic Congress continues to act as spinelessly as it has in the past.

This is not just about the President. It is about the fact that the LGBT community and its advocacy organizations don't have their priorities straight. It is about the fact that the Democratic Party is not really behind the LGBT rights movement, except to issue press releases at opportune moments when there is no danger of legislation being passed.

As a blogger for Bilerico.com, I will have a long discussion of Hagan's position on Tuesday morning, as well as others who are running for cover when this key legislation is about to come to a vote. I'll be asking that people call Senator Hagan and ask her where she stands.

[Lance734]

"The LGBT communty has endured nothing close to what African Americans endured in this country."-­thetruthbr­inger
"Being gay is not like being black or of certain ethnic origin."-S­onofLibert­y1
"I respectfully disagree with the premise that the gays’ and lesbians’ struggles line up equally with the struggles for racial equality in America."-­texasmamma

Of course it's not the same in all respects, but in many ways it's strikingly similar. The level of discrimination may differ by degree, but not so much in kind. As a gay man of color, I can tell you that discrimination on the basis of either aspect of my identity hurts all the same. Being denied housing on the basis of race or sexual orientation leaves one just as homeless. Being fired for either basis leaves one just as unemployed. And, of course, being killed for either basis, leaves one just as dead. Ask the loved ones of Matthew Shepard or James Byrd, Jr.

The difference now, is that discrimination on the basis of race is now illegal is most spheres, but it's still legal to discriminate against LGBTs in housing, employment, marriage, military service, and many other areas nationwide. The only exceptions are some states and local communities; there's NO federal protection. So, at least in that sense, LGBTs have it worse because there's no form of redress to protect against discrimination by the private sector or from our own government. There's more, but not enough room

Respectfully,

[StewartIII]

NewsBusters: HuffPo Writers Produce ‘Big Gay Speech We Wish Obama Would Give’
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/carolyn-plocher/2009/10/08/huffpo-writers-produce-big-gay-speech-we-wish-obama-would-give

[texasmamma]

third try to post this: Mr. Stone, I don’t believe you are being intellectually honest here. Perhaps I am wrong about that, but I respectfully disagree with the premise that the gays’ and lesbians’ struggles line up equally with the struggles for racial equality in America.

By your device, you not only insult the memory and image of JFK, and civil rights leaders and workers throughout history and around the world, you cheapen the sacrifices and denigrate and dishonor the memory of untold numbers of people who died for that cause.

In our wonderful country, the lesbians and gays have every right to fight for their cause, to lobby and protest, and I’ll defend their right to do so. Although their fight may bear some resemblance to parts of the historic movement for civil rights in America, to equate the gays’ and lesbians’ struggle with that triumph over human slavery is disingenuous and wrong-minded, at the very least.

Let Mr. Kennedy rest in peace and let him “keep” his great speech. Partially for the sake of the great Republican, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Republicans in Congress who ensured the legislation’s passage, and in their honor, and, again, the memory of the dead, please try another tactic.

[texasmamma]

jan4insight and others who think like you:

Good grief; highly doubtful that any former president ever wanted the job more than obama did. It appears beyond his capabilities, based on performance so far. I pray he takes action to reverse this circumstance.

Can we agree D.C. is over-full with trembling sycophants; in the real world, Americans are allowed to criticize their president, no matter political stripe? We've criticized every president since George Washington.

Obama and staff have provided proof that both were ill-prepared for the job they so eagerly sought. Did they know the job would entail long hours, tough work? Maybe being the Leader of the Free World and its concomitant duties, responsibilities and demands came as a shock to him. And/or did his “crackerjack” staff inform the former community organizer and part-legislator about the job description?

The USA is neither a monarchy, theocracy, nor dictatorship, but your attitude makes one wonder if some would like to head down that despicable road – the road that ends where you don’t dare criticize people in power. It's sickening to hear such fawning -- groveling almost -- embarrassing and i don't even know you!

Obama's just a man hired from a pool of Americans to work FOR us, his fellow Americans. I hope someday obama's presidency represents a "profile in courage" -- it's not presently.
Americans are not historically whiners – so please knock it off!

[Gonzaloo]

Geoffrey, you got my vote!

[masher]

You need to go back and read the early Bush speeches. He said the same sort of feel good marshmallow fluff.

The problem isn't that Obama isn't saying the right things. The problem is what he does or doesn't do. So far Obama has been a Bush clone except for the rhetoric. Obama has kept all the terrible anti-worker federal regulations in place that encourage the loss of jobs, like H-1B.

And on the war, that is the same thing Bush said. Name on leader in history who ever said we were at war for bad reasons? Everyone says the right reasons for going war. Everyone.

[DinkSinger]

Two months after Kennedy's speech, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place. John Lewis of SNCC (now a twelve term congressional representative) had this to say about Kennedy's civil rights bill:

"We come here today with a great sense of misgiving. It is true that we support the administration's Civil Rights Bill. We support it with great reservation, however. Unless title three is put in this bill, there's nothing to protect the young children and old women who must face police dogs and fire hoses in the South while they engage in peaceful demonstration.

"In its present form this bill will not protect the citizens of Danville, Virginia, who must live in constant fear of a police state. It will not protect the hundreds and thousands of people that have been arrested on trumped charges. What about the three young men, SNCC's field secretary in Americus, Georgia, who face the death penalty for engaging in peaceful protest?

"As it stands now, the voting section of this bill will not help the thousands of people who want to vote. It will not help the citizens of Mississippi, of Alabama and Georgia who are unqualified to vote for lack of sixth grade education. One man, one vote is the African cry. It is ours too. It must be ours."

[fcsakes]

Too many words and too much asking. Just get it done.

[HANNIBAL1066]

Speeches are great devices for making declaratory policy. Obama is great at making speeches. But it was President Lyndon Johnson who did all the arm twisting, cajoling, and heavy lifting to get the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Right Act passed. Johnson got Medicare passed. I'm a progressive and I voted for President Obama. The only thing that matters is what policies are enacted, not how many great speeches President Obama makes. So far, President Obama has acted more like a symbolic head of state like the Queen passing broad guidelines and concepts to her Prime Minister, than a President on a mission to enact a progressive, Democratic agenda. Health care is a critical test. So far, I am not impressed by his leadership. Immigration reform? If you think the August town halls were bad, wait for those on immigration. Taking the lead and actually pushing gay rights? We'll see. The president is like the Cream song Politician­--supports the Left, leans to the Right, but not there when it comes to a fight.

[texasmamma]

hannibal says, "So far, I am not impressed by his leadership"

no offense, but trying to find obama's "leadership" = trying to find a needle in a haystack

i believe fair-minded people including leftists/l­iberals/de­mocrats will agree with my statement

[nolabels]

Very well done. Thank you.

[janeycat]

Geoffrey R. Stone

..even if Obama does not say anything remotely like this ..
..I loved this speech and hope that one day You get to give it to Obama...

I loved it...I was on my feet applauding after reading it.....I dont care what anyone says on this board.....it is wonderful....i can tell it came from your heart and is not just words....

..I am a heterosexual woman that believes everyone should have equal rights ..no matter what the rights are....we are all human and deserve be treated as humans....

So all these negative posters that are ready to give up there rights ..Any Of There Rights...just keep up the negativity and maybe one day it will happen for you..

[masher]

Too bad speeches don't create jobs.

[Mecheng]

JFK gave a historic sppech. He would not given the same speech about gay and lesbian rights. To equate what gays and lesbians have endured to what African Americans have endured in this country for more than 200 years is absurd and insulting. How many gay people have had to use separate bathrooms, sit in the back of the bus, been denied the right to vote, been beaten with billy clubs or fire hoses or been denied admission to a university simply because they were gay?

[janeycat]

plenty .....but you could not see them .... black ..or ... white ..they were well hidden or in the cemeteries

[bccmeteorites]

The news media does not cover the types of abuses you mention about gay people. Once in a while they do latch on to a sensational story for the purpose of selling newspapers during a slow news cycle, but really nothing substantial. The type of discrimination suffered by minorities including Gays, I liken to post traumatic stress syndrome. Going to work every day not knowing if today is the day you will be fired, beaten or killed just for being gay is very traumatic and takes its toll on normal life activities. Why do you think minorities have higher incidences of alcoholism, drug use and abuse and other social dysfunctions? These are coping mechanisms for the daily stress underlying the discrimination. When you think about the final costs of treating or coping these resulting disorders, discrimination is very expensive.

[SonofLiberty1]

Being gay is not like being black or of certain ethnic origin.

How the hell am I going to know this without you saying something?

Not all of us are aware of it.

[Matt Carter]

We're doing this? Okay.

How many straight black folks have been denied the right to marry each other since the mid ninetheenth century?

How many of them have been fired for being black since 1964?

How many of them have been openly discriminated against by government officials who feel that, if they are protected by the law, you'll also have to protect pederasts and people who have sex with animals?

How many are prevented from adopting children? For that matter, how many lose parental rights when they cross certain state lines?

How many have constitutional amendments targeted at their minority group, taking away what have been acknowledged by the courts as fundamental rights?

How many are told that being black is a "lifestyle"?

How many are socially ostracized from their family or called "perverts" simply because of the fact that they are black?

By the way, in the Olympics of discrimination, should either of us be comparing ourselves to ethnic Japanese, who were the only victims in history of nuclear bombings, AND were confined to interrment camps by the United States government?

We can go on forever comparing different kinds of oppression against different minority groups. Of course our experiences will all be different, and our own experiences will all seem more painful than others'. But they're not. So, why don't we minorities stop the infighting and stick together in the face oppression?

[thetruthbringer]

Well said. The LGBT community is full of it when they compare themselves to what the African American community faced. This is indeed a moral issue...but not necessarily only the way the LGBT community portrays it. A lot of good people are understandably worried about how marriage can be redefined to include same sex couples while still discriminating against polygamy. Let's just put it this way. Gay marriage is as extreme as you can get. You break the gender boundary and so you might as well allow any and everything else. A lot of us are just as angry as you are about hate crimes against homosexuals.

Problem with the LGBT community is, I've never had anyone even try to understand my point of vie. It is instant resistance and name calling. The LGBT communty has endured nothing close to what African Americans endured in this country. Please give us all a break.

[deepsouthfugee]

No, discrimination against LGBTs in this country has not been the same as discrimination against African Americans in this country. The two should not be equated. But to say that because LGBTs have not experienced the exact same kind of discrimination as African Americans or "endured nothing close to what African American endured," that we somehow do not then have the right to argue against such discrimination is illogical.

And in the words of the great black lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes: "If you don't agree with same-sex marriage, then don't marry somebody of the same-sex."

[FearlessFreep]

We've seen a lot of "instant resistance and name calling" among black critics of the LGBT community.

[SonofLiberty1]

And if you know anything about JFK you know that he wouldn't even consider them as a group.

[NationalTreasure]

+Mr. Stone:

don't hold your breath and don't sit back and act like the gay and lesbian community didn't have any part in the abomination of DADT -- HRC supported the Clinton/Gore administration in pushing DADT --- don't get selective amnesia now --- don't get all pious now -- not with the same Clinton administration staffers and advisors who worked with HRC on DADT and are currently are working with the Obama-Biden administration, folks who HRC pushed to get jobs with the Obama-Biden administration

BTW

pandering to the gay and lesbian community won't abrogate the instutionalized discrimination that the Clinton/Gore administration codified by the 1996 DADT --- DADT should never have been supported by the HRC --- DADT has helped to lend credence and legitimize the discrimination of DOMA

[Matt Carter]

Fantastic. Thank you. From now on, I'm referring people to this whenever they ask me what I expect Obama to do about LGBT rights. Strong rhetoric coupled with meaningful action beats pandering half-promises every time. (Even a a meaningful effort followed by failure, while it would not advance the cause of civil rights in the short term, would be more desirable than the status quo. I wonder why more people don't understand this.)

Now, back to reality. If Obama even says something even half this morally unequivocal on Saturday, I'll eat my hat.

[bccmeteorites]

What flavor is it I may have one too?