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From President Barack H. Obama’s 2013 Inaugural Address:
We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.
It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.
We LGBT folk and our straight allies understand all too well what President Obama meant today when speaking in reference to the Declaration of Independence’s promise of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness: “History tells us that while these truths are self-evident, they are not self-executing“.
We’ve worked for and earned every shred of social dignity and legal equality that we’ve attained thus far. Part of that effort has been dedicated to electing legislators and a president who value America’s shared promise of equality.
Remember where we were just 8 short years ago, and what the Republican party offered the nation — and the nation rejected — this past election. What a difference a president makes:
President George W. Bush (2004):
Today, I call upon the Congress to promptly pass and to send to the states for ratification an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and woman as husband and wife.
36 Comments
Obama’s second term talk is so cheap it’s sickening.
Sign the ENDA executive order now or STFU!!!
If I see another post or talking head fawning over Obama’s mention of G and L in a speech, but not noting that he hasn’t lifted his pen to sign an executive order, I’ll scream.
Obama signed 23 executive orders last week, but the ENDA order hasn’t been touched.
Less talk. More action.
I want the ENDA exec order too, but I don’t understand this attitude because it’s not as if Obama has done nothing for LGBT rights. He’s been amazing, and I think his speech — the first time EVER that a president mentioned gays in the inaugural address — indicates that there’s more to come. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t press for complete equality now, but his second term only began today so to say it’s already “sickening” is over the top.
Agreed. Sign it tomorrow, O.
emphasis mine
My point exactly. So much talk. So little action.
The suggestion that waiting four years and hearing some pretty talk is something I should be grateful for is so plainly insulting. Why is this hard to fathom?
It saddens, angers and worries me that this air of excusing inaction seems so prevalent in the mainstream LGBT movement.
Would you prefer that he talked up marriage equality in the campaign and then fell silent about it in his inaugural speech? After it didn’t matter as a campaign issue or leverage point?
Just as Bush signaled to his Republican Congress in his 2005 second inaugural speech that he would back them on anti-equality measures, Obama is clearly signaling to the Democrats in Congress and those that control the Senate that he will back them on pro-equality measures.
That’s a big change in eight years, and it’s coming on the heels of big wins for marriage equality in the states. For the first time ever, anti-equality measures failed at the polls. The bigotry wave crested and broke and is now on an ebb tide.
Back in 2000, the anti-equality Knight Initiative in California passed by over twenty points. After it failed a court challenge in 2008, its backers lightly rewrote it and put it on the ballot as Prop 8; it passed again, but this time by barely four points — and that was before the word had got out behind who was funding the thing. I suspect that, should a measure to repeal it go onto the 2016 California ballot, that measure would pass.
I preferred Obama and the federal Democrats pass ENDA when they had historic majorities in 2009-2010.
I preferred Obama sign a non-discrimination executive order after Democrats were obilerated at the state and federal level in 2010.
I preferred Obama sign a non-discrimination executive order after his election this past November.
I prefer executive action to executive words.
Historic majorities? Nah, those were what FDR had in 1932 and 1936, and what LBJ had in 1964. The thing most commentators noted about Obama after his 2008 win was that he seemed to have almost no coattails — he didn’t sweep other Democrats into office with him the way previous Democratic president-elects had done. The unspoken assumption was that a lot of Democratic voters either had issues with his skin tone or with his not being Hillary Clinton, and thus stayed home.
But back to the speech:
It just occurred to me that by tying together Seneca Falls (women’s rights), Selma (AA rights) and Stonewall (LGBT rights), Obama’s telling the last remaining reactionary members of the faith-based bigotry groups within the African-American community that they’d better start evolving, and fast.
When Obama finally got off the fence about marriage equality, support for it jumped among African-Americans. Now that he’s reinforced his message by literally putting Stonewall on the same footing as Seneca Falls and Selma, support for LGBT rights among AAs will grow even more, thus (among other things) depriving the Republicans of the wedge issue they’d hoped to use to fracture black support for Democrats.
Weaving LGBT civil rights into the fabric of U.S. history (Seneca Falls, Selma, Stonewall) and then stating:
to the nation and the world — and equally important and maybe moreso, in front of the Justices of the Supreme Court who will be ruling on our basic civil rights this Spring was more than just “cheap talk”… it was both amazing and seminal.
“LGBT“? Maybe somebody heard some mention of transgendered Americans that I missed… I heard about our gay brothers and sisters but absolutely nothing about the transgendered. Just like Don’t Ask’, Don’t Tell, the “T” is left behind.
I appreciated the inclusion of women into the thing a whole lot more. Although it was subtle, I think he hit the right notes with “all of us”
Maybe, someday, we can pass the ERA and enter into an era of enlightenment which includes over 50% of the world’s population ( except in India, what the HELL’s the matter with them?
He wasn’t very specific, just inclusive.
I just hope this isn’t a repeat of the results of the speech in ’08, but he HAS been good on Gay rights.
I’ve always felt that Trans and Lesbians sort of travel in packs, the better to protect ourselves…..except the kids, of course, an they are pretty much on their own…Goddess bless them.
I hope he wasn’t kidding on climate change as well or any of our “rights’ will be swallowed up by commonly shared disaster.
I’m happy for the gay community. However, as a heterosexual female, this president has made this country less safe and equal for me. He codified Hyde into law and his allowance of the right to highjack the debate on birth control has made access to that birth control(since the GOP has essentially gotten their way on abortion -congratulations craven Democrats!) harder. My state just finished requirements that will make it difficult for Planned Parenthood to operate and yes, I hold this President partially responsible for never learning that if you give a maniac an inch they’ll take a mile.
Agreed. He has been good on gay rights. Transgendered rights, not so much.
As an aside, agreed. I’ve always gotten along with Lesbians best.
Gotta admit, that is a cogent, persuasive argument but again, I have to wait and see. I’m not going to assume the transgendered are included like so many still do with regard to the repeal of DADT.
We had a place at the table at this inauguration. And it was a prominent one. The Obama administration was showing us off.
You know who wasn’t at that table?
Louie Giglio.
His words condemning us would have made him the odd man out at this inauguration, and he knew it.
We were in the dining room, and bigotry was looking for a closet to hide in.
Are you kidding? He’s been great on transgender rights:
* Ended the Social Security Administration’s gender “no-match” letters and ensured that transgender Americans can receive passports that accurately reflect their gender identity
* Established guidelines to help protect transgender federal employees from discrimination in the workplace
* Established policy regarding the respectful delivery of health care to transgender veterans
There also was an incredibly important federal court ruling that trans people can claim sex discrimination when discriminated against in employment for being trans. That’s not Obama’s doing, of course, but it’s a huge recent development.
But yes, there is more to do. Much, much more. We’re getting there. ALL of us.
Well, it seems to me that in order to be Trans, first most people go thru an “I’m gay” realization….true or no?
I see we’ve moved into the “complaining about the color of the pony I got” age.
I mean, it has been HOURS NOW. Why hasn’t Obama personally addressed everybody’s pet peeve?
Impeach.
We always want the palomino…although I would have settled for an Appaloosa…do they make them in ponies?
DADT was only removed by Congress because it was declared unconstitutional by Judge Phillips due to a lawsuit by the Log Cabin Republicans.
And Obama defended DOMA for the first 3 years of his administration and only stopped when it reached the Supreme Court due to several lawsuits filed by gay people around the country.
Obama has done nothing for gay people except get in our way.
Of course not. Most people figure out they are trans before they experience anything like sexuality of sexual attraction. I was 2 or 3 as near as I can figure.
Hours? The guy has been in office FOUR YEARS. It’s his SECOND term. So let’s not play pretend that he doesn’t own the policies he’s put forward over the first 4 years.
There has been some transgender progress, I never claimed there hadn’t been. What I’ve said is that transgendered American service members weren’t addressed in the repeal of DADT and what I have said on many other occasions is that while I support and applaud marriage equality, I still don’t have the “right” to work and support myself in my state. Or the right to housing. Or food. Or medical attention. I can be denied all those things, solely based on my trans status. Thus, marriage equality seems less important to me than it may to others.
I forgot. He didn’t do anything for the LGBT community in the first term.
Absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. Bupkus….
Really? You should take a look at this http://www.barackobama.com/lgbt/accomplishments
All I’m saying here is the same thing he said himself: There has been progress but clearly we have further to go. I wouldn’t object to the fact that transgendered Americans weren’t specifically mentioned if such lack of mention in the past hadn’t been abused to continue discriminatory policies against the unmentioned groups. We all know that’s happened so there’s no use pretending otherwise. I applaud what he said today. It was historic. It was remarkable and it has my enthusiastic support. I’m not going to read something into it that wasn’t there though. Axiomatically he is better on LGBT issues than any. Other. President. Just as self evidently, more needs to be done.
I’ll leave you alone.
Obama mentioned Stonewall, a riot perpetrated by the police on the transgressive. While memories differ, there were certainly cross-dressed persons in attendance. Whether drag queens or transgenders, or both — all us people were there
I don’t prefer that he used “gay” as the common stand-in for “LGBT” but celebrating Stonewall celebrates us all.
Just like Obama himself…..a bunch of tokenism and meaningless window dressing.
Really? That’s not what LGB servicemembers serving openly are telling me, or T people who can now travel abroad with passports that match their gender and appearance, etc etc etc.. But I’ll be sure to inform them that they’re wrong. Thanks for setting us all straight.
Words matter, and President Obama’s words have done much to help shift public opinions toward us — all of us, L, G, B and T — and that’s no small thing. It’s nothing less than a quality of life issue, and often a matter of life and death.
LOL! I’m getting a HUGE kick out of watching the FDL posters try to defend themselves in these comments whenever they say something nice about Obama.
This is the result and consequences of what you get for kicking Obama here on FDL for the past 4 years!
Now everyone comes here to either troll or spout anti-Obama comments, no matter what he does.
Enjoy! For thou shall reap what thou sow!
Way to keep the bar low. Nevermind that as many pointed out he still hasn’t signed an executive order and nevermind that he completely dropped the ball on women’s rights. Leaaaaaaaaave Barackkkkkkkk Allllllloneeeeee. You’re a riot.
I think it was amazing that he mentioned gays in his inauguration speech because that, in itself, has weight and impact.
But, I don’t think he has been amazing with respect to GLBT issues. Contrary to everything said by his fans, he could have abolished DADT by executive order the day of his 2009 inauguration.
Or, he could have had Congress pass it on day one. Instead, repeal of DADT was deliberately slow walked until after midterms. In the interim, lives and careers were ruined. And DADT involved the military, so it was the easiest measure.
Meanwhile, his D of J was in court again and again, comparing homosexuality to incest and bestiality.
Finally, he said that his D of J would not continue to defend DOMA in circuits where it had already been ruled unconstitutional. But, he could have stopped the D of J from defending DOMA from day one. And then there was McClurking and all the pandering to Rick Warren in an attempt to get the RW theocrat vote. That only reinforced all that bullshit.
As for coming out in favor of gay marriage as he was campaigning for a second term, that was great, but would he have done it if Biden hadn’t “gaffed?” Or if his bundlers, many of whom are gay, and his donors were not insisting on it? I honestly don’t know. He did do more than any President before him, but I would not say that he has been amazing.
No matter what, though, no one forced him to say the things he did in his inauguration speech. I think that saying them alone has an impact. I give him huge props for that and will not take away anything from that. Was he amazing before that? I don’t think so. Not at all.
Oh, please.
In both 2000 and 2004, one state after another was amending its constitution to prohibit same gender marriage. That is not the case today, when gays are winning some victories in that respect.
I am by no means trying to excuse Bush. And his campaign team was part of the reason that was happening at the polls in 2000 and 2004. It was part of his GOTV strategy.
But, I think putting things in context is important. After all, in 2008, Obama was opposing same gender marriage and having Rick Warren give the invocation at his first inauguration.
No..