Natl. LGBT Bar meeting: "Real Change: LGBT Issues and the Obama Administration."

..several panelists (those not working for the DADT) were also unhappy about the shape of the "survey" about DADT. I think there's a fear that the survey results will be negative, and then the Democrats will lose control of the House, leaving Obama to say "Too bad, so sad."


Scott Blair, an AMERICAblog reader and NYU Law student, wrote to us from Miami, where he is attending Lavender Law, the National LGBT Bar Association Annual Meeting. He was at the plenary session, "Real Change: LGBT Issues and the Obama Administration." Scott provided his observations:

When I first saw the event, I don't think I was alone in expecting it to be a mostly celebratory piece on President Obama's accomplishments. Instead, there seemed to be a consensus, even from the most vehement supporters of Obama, that the President has failed to follow through on his promises to the LGBT community and has been in many ways a disappointment.

The panel consisted of Matt Nosanchuck (Senior Counselor to the Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice), Paul Smith (a partner at Jenner & Block LLP, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Lambda Legal), Courtney Joslin (a Professor at UC Davis and the chair of the ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity), Elaine Kaplan (General Counsel at the Office of Personnel Management), Jon Davidson (Legal Director at Lambda Legal), and Tobias Barrington Wolff (Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania and Obama's LGBT Advisor during his campaign).

The panel opened with a discussion of the Office of Personnel Management and the DOJ listing the changes brought under the Obama administration, along with some surprising information. Matt cited the passage of the hate crime bill as something that we can attribute to President Obama, and gave credit to the DOJ's testimony in Congress in support of the bill, and President Obama's support for it. Surprisingly, Matt referred to Matthew Shepard Act as a heavy lift in Congress, with attacks from both the left and the right. Along with lifting the HIV travel ban, and (perhaps most significantly), the fact that federal agencies can't discriminate on the basis of gender identity, there seemed to be a feeling that the White House had accomplished a great deal in what's clearly been a hostile environment for any sort of legislation. The rest of the panel was, however, far from convinced....

I'll conclude with a comment from Tobias, which seemed to reflect Elaine and Matt's views as well. He argued that "for the first time, gay Americans have a government which cares about them." Maybe. But I wonder if any of the soldiers who have been discharged on Obama's watch think he cares about them. And I wonder if gay couples across the nation think a president who still believes they shouldn't get married think that Obama is the president we deserve.

-Scott Blair
NYU Law, Class of 2011

http://gay.americablog.com/2010/08/lgbt-legal-panel-there-hasnt-been-real.html

..several panelists (those not working for the DADT) were also unhappy about the shape of the "survey" about DADT. I think there's a fear that the survey results will be negative, and then the Democrats will lose control of the House, leaving Obama to say "Too bad, so sad."

I can easily imagine that being the outcome. There is zero certainity that DADT repeal will ever happen. And people who think this is a done deal are sadly naive.

In spite of many reassuances by fellow DU'rs. I'll believe it when I see it. (My normal response to politicians)

I'm not on the hilltop anymore. The Rapture didn't come. The Rapture won't come. I'm done with "Hope".