More Stuff on Obama and the Gays

Perusing the internet, there's lots and lots and lots of interesting stuff out there to read about Obama and the LGBTQ rights movement. Here's exactly four to look over. :-) Good morning, Cincinnati! Wish me luck on my two finals today!

From the Washington Post yesterday:

Obama's memorandum, designed to be both incremental and pragmatic, typifies the cautious way he has approached gay issues since taking office five months ago. Although he has appointed gays to prominent positions in his administration -- including John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management -- the memorandum marked his first official foray into the issue as president, a delay that has angered gay supporters.

A number of other constituencies have likewise been disappointed by Obama's pace in addressing their issues, as he has focused much of his attention on the economic crisis and foreign policy initiatives. Hispanic groups have expressed frustration that he has yet to take up comprehensive immigration reform, for example, and human rights and civil liberties organizations have criticized his opposition to the release of detainee abuse photos and his adherence to other aspects of the Bush administration's national security policies.

"We are working on a large amount of things," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters yesterday.

Poor press guy Gibbs -- that man has not been able to catch a break, and I don't think his boss has been helping him out all that much. What a weak answer. But, again, you can't build Rome in a day. Is that the quote?

From the Huffington Post, entitled "Will Gays Divorce the Democrats?"

What does this mean for 2010? Who knows. But the sheen is off the Dream Machine known as Barack Obama. And Congress and the DNC -- well, Tim Kaine is no Howard Dean -- he's made no real effort to reach out to LGBTs outside the Beltway. And that Obama for America online money pitch for the DNC may also dry up.

My answer: not bloody likely. Which is better, people who give you lip service and do a few things here and there, or people who run on an anti-queer platform? Seriously, though I have long argued that most gays would be Republicans if the GOP went libertarian (seriously, I know at least one Republican reads my blog).

From Stampp Corbin, via the San Diego News Network (the what?!):

Last Thursday, the Attorney General filed a legal brief in a California federal case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that made arguments that compared same sex marriage to incest. Thursday, President Obama announced the extension of some benefits to LGBT federal employees; just not the most coveted ones, like health care and pension benefits. Oh that’s right, Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prevents that and you just wrote a legal brief defending it. When I wake up each morning, I feel a bit schizophrenic myself, “I love Obama, I hate Obama, I am ambivalent about Obama.” It’s maddening.

Someone get me a Prozac.

I ask, “Mr. President how can you argue for the legality of DOMA, when you are for its repeal?”

You really are talking out of both sides of your mouth and my community knows it.

Whoa, dude. There's some seriousness going on out there. I just think it's way too much.

On another note, my school has blocked all blogger.com websites (except for blogger itself) and wordpress.com websites (except for wordpress.com itself). I have no idea what's going on. Absurdities. Apparently, this counts as "social networking."