Hat's off to the Obama Administration! This is beginning to look like Fierce Advocacy!

<http://gay.americablog.com/2011/08/obama-administration-sides-with-edie.html>

"Well, this is progress. For two years, any time we saw a DOMA-related legal document submitted by Assistant Attorney General Tony West, we'd cringe. Not anymore.

The Department of Justice is now on record in support of Edie Windsor's motion for summary judgment and in opposition to John Boehner's motion to dismiss her case."

!!!

Thanks O. Another move towards DOMA----I hope we're done with it next year---or at the most Obama's second term.

until he comes out in favor of full legal equality. Any other position is homophobic.

I don't find him homophobic at all. He has power and has used it to help the LGBT community and made them a significant part of his Admin. I don't think those people would work for him if they thought he was homophobic---by default they should be that way themselves since they support and work for the President. DADT was the first step and he did that successfully. Little by little he's using his own power to get things moving along on DOMA since Congress wouldn't be able to pass a repeal with the clowns we have in power in the House.

States' and we can talk. Equal is equal. Will you be equal with that? Up to Alabama how to run civil rights in Alabama? Do you endorse that for all, for you, or just for GLBT people?
Uh huh.

I hardly support the position that these things should be up to the rights of the State. However, I never considered the President a homophobe for making this sort of comment. Since sadly, it seemed more political to me. He specifically spoke out against the prop 8 fiasco in California. So he doesn't seem to go along with the line of up to the State.

He is actively dismantling DOMA in his office and supporting Congressional legislation that pushes the end of DOMA. So I think that shows he's all for equal rights. He made it where medicaid was equal for LGBT and Heteros. That says to me he's taking steps about the civil rights of LGBT people. He signed the Matthew Shepard Act because he wanted people to recognize that LGBT are victims of hate and should be protected under the same laws that protect everyone else. I find that he takes a lot of steps towards equality. So when he said that non-sense--I found it ridiculous since his actions say otherwise. I don't know if you've noticed---well apparently not.

So do I see him as a homophobe? I find his actions belie that sentiment and he's proven to be very pro equal rights for all people in the US. Additionally as I said in my earlier post. Obama has a lot of people in his admin who are LGBT, the most than any other President to be exact. I don't think his LGBT people would continue to work for him if they believed him to be homophobic.

looks like the LGBT activists, including those that work in the WH, have been able to push the President along. And he listens to them, much to his credit.

Moral of the story? Fight loudly for what you believe and you can even move Presidents.

He worships a god that believes gay relationships are inferior to straight relationships.

...while there have been nods to the traditionally prayerful side of holding the office, there has been none of the ass-kissing religiosity and calls to godliness that some prior presidents were (and some current candidates are) prone to.

marriage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K9dS9wl7U

well, at least in this case his actions are speaking louder than his earlier words, and the evolution of his "evolving position" seems to be in a better direction.

Just as President Obama has passed more GLBTQI friendly legislation than all other presidents combined despite his religious leanings.

from the OP.

Kudos to the Obama Administration.
:patriot:


Solidarity!
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Or is it inevitability?

"First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you."

In regards to DOMA or things that can fall into the category of DOMA related issues Obama has done quite a lot. For instance having medicaid extended to gay couples. Having hospitals recognize gay couples and even apologizing to a woman who brought the case to light. Obama admin and DOJ deciding not to defend article 3 of DOMA because of it's discriminatory standing. Obama then doing this. Not to mention the fact he said that he will repeal DOMA during his time.

It's not a repeal, mind you, but that's far more than just a whiff.

And worked to keep DADT in place, while bolstering the Fundie position that "God" said that Marriage is a sacred institution.

If he's decided to backtrack and be on the right side of the law regarding discrimination, then that's a pleasant change.

How the fuck did he work to keep DADT in place? He is the president who got rid of it. HE got rid of it! In less than three years he dismantled a program that had been in place in one form or another for 60 years. The crazy Obama hate here is fucking ridiculous.

He worked to keep DADT in place by fighting the case against it in the courts. He wanted to keep it in place, so that it could be dismantled via the method that he and Congress worked out.

Even once it's dismantled, the mechanisms for preventing discrimination are weak, if they're even present at all.

And, his administration DID defend DOMA until fairly recently. He is also on record as saying that "God's in the mix" when it comes to marriage.

If you're talking of abuse of by military personnel against their own---then I'm sure that these people will be dealt with. However when the 60 day stay is up---the repeal is done. Obama Admin would have to defend the law since it is the law of the land. That's the whole point of his office. However, he was personally against it and spoke out against it and made it legally over. Now he has DOMA left. However, it was not done in a promotion of the action. Which is sort of the framework the language was written.

Not really. The Obama Administration never had to defend DADT because it's the "law of the land" any more than it has to currently defend DOMA "because it's the law of the land". It is, and always was, a choice that was made.

The people who defended the Obama Administration's defenses of both DOMA and DADT should enjoy their heaping portion of CROW!

Or did you forget this little tidbit back then?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/10/19/is-obama-s-excuse-for-not-repealing-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-legitimate.html



He was polite enough not to take credit when he signed the repeal when it came from Congress. "This was your victory," was not him being humble, he actually put no muscle into it and had the DOJ fight it as "His duty as President."

Care to try that again?

If they can sidestep the law and find fault with it okay. However, if certain laws have maintained their constitutionality until it is officially repealed which will be in a month's time now. Then it is the duty of the DOJ to defend it's law. This is not uncommon or unknown. It's continuously done because it is the law of the land. In any event...every step Obama has made managed to repeal DADT---and in a months time it will be officially over---since the 60 day stay after signing. And DOMA is slowly but definitely being pushed a full on repeal.

Even if Obama was not in power, most Presidents would maintain this form of defending the law. Obama is the only one actively trying to repeal the laws once and for all even though he has to follow the law.

DADT was rightly judged to be unconstitutional. The DOJ didn't have to fight that, and especially didn't have to ask for a stay of injunction.

This is old news and was all over DU. Most of us were outraged that the people taking the sane position were the LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS while the WH was touting "God's" word.

Come on!

He has in fact done all 3 of those things.

I would think that one of the few benefits of not having our marriages count would be that under Medicaid rules a man who is jobless but married to a man who is rich would only be judged by his income.

Sadly not a mandate--because no Repub and Blue-Dog Dems wouldn't vote for this. But it's a clarification intended by the Obama Admin---since the rights of LGBT people were being infringed. I remember when this was mentioned on DU. I think only 5-10 of us commented. I'm sure it was a Prosense post which was virtually ignored under the vitriol at the time. So I can see why you might not have seen this post to ask me about it. However it was everywhere.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/06/obama-administration-extends-medicaid-protections-to-same-sex-couples/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/10/983949/-Obama-administration-extends-protection-to-gay-couples-underMedicaid

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/10/obama-admin-orders-medicaid-protections-for-same-sex-couples/
"Low-income same-sex couples are too often denied equal treatment and the protections offered to other families in their greatest times of need," Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a prepared statement. "That is now changing. Today’s guidance represents another important step toward ensuring the rights and dignity of every American are respected by their government."

I remember this but not being mandatory means that it likely will only help a very few people. Most states are looking for ways to save funds out of medicare not spend more money on medicare. It is a nice thing for those who it helps.

But it's stated as a form of equality without discrimination which does extend to LGBT people. And Obama had Sebelius clarify this point to make it specifically INCLUDE those part of the LGBT---if people would rather ignore it. So it will help more people than just "some" and those who are abused in this way will then have the opportunity to contest and win a discrimination suit.

its seems he likes crossed T's & dotted I's.

The SCOTUS will uphold DOMA, so Obama can throw a crumb our way. Plus, it'll give Perry ammunition against Obama for the election. Not fooled.