Thursday, May 7, 2009
Homo "All that is required is leadership."
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, May 7, 2009 at 7:04 AM
Barack Obama on kicking gays and lesbians out of the military during the campaign:
"I will task the Defense Department and the senior command structure in every branch of the armed forces with developing an action plan for the implementation of a full repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.... America is ready to get rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All that is required is leadership."
Last night on Rachel Maddow:
Today in the New York Times: "As Gay Issues Arise, Obama Is Pressed to Engage."
Mr. Obama—who has said he opposes same-sex marriage as a Christian but describes himself as a “fierce advocate of equality” for gay men and lesbians—is under pressure to engage on a variety of gay issues that are coming to the fore amid a dizzying pace of social, political, legal and legislative change... [While] the president has urged Congress to pass a hate crimes bill, a high priority for gay groups, he has delayed action on one of his key campaign promises, repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule....In the words of David Mixner, a writer, gay activists are beginning to wonder, “How much longer do we give him the benefit of the doubt?” Last weekend, Richard Socarides, who advised President Bill Clinton on gay issues, published an opinion piece in The Washington Post headlined, “Where’s our fierce advocate?”
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As a Conservative Republican I hope gays push Obama hard. No matter how he responds it will remind Americans why they need the GOP.
3
@ 2: really? I'm all for pushing & pressuring, but you gotta keep a grip on reality. Not following through on repealing DADT (yet) is pretty far from the GOP. How do you think Ol' man McCain & the crazy Alaska woman would deal with DADT/DOMA/Mathew Shepard Act/EVERY FUCKING GAY RIGHTS ISSUE?
I hate to be a broken record, but we really really REALLY have to keep in mind how much better off we are with Obama.
Give
It
Time
I hate to be a broken record, but we really really REALLY have to keep in mind how much better off we are with Obama.
Give
It
Time
4
No, that he promised is an asset; it's alike a check to be cashed.
Senate democrats pushed back on Specter, stripping him of seniority. Hopefully Penn. democrats will say no thanks dear Obama, we ain't electing Specter in our primary.
Push! Don't adulate. Don't make excuses for him like folks did on the Armenian thing. Freedom to marry, freedom to serve, freedom to pursue happiness, it's all American.
Senate democrats pushed back on Specter, stripping him of seniority. Hopefully Penn. democrats will say no thanks dear Obama, we ain't electing Specter in our primary.
Push! Don't adulate. Don't make excuses for him like folks did on the Armenian thing. Freedom to marry, freedom to serve, freedom to pursue happiness, it's all American.
5
Seeing as this is a galvanizing issue and highly regionalized, I'd like to see this diced up and fed to us throughout 2010 in advance of midterms. The GOP has done this before, where they campaign on social issues when they really ought not to.
There's a line-up of congressional nopefuls ready to be Dole-Kemps on the GOP side, dredging up a losing issue when there's a panoply of other issues they can cobble together.
The GOP would campaign on the wrong idea and end up gaining nothing but applause in the South.
There's a line-up of congressional nopefuls ready to be Dole-Kemps on the GOP side, dredging up a losing issue when there's a panoply of other issues they can cobble together.
The GOP would campaign on the wrong idea and end up gaining nothing but applause in the South.
6
When you put on the uniform of the U.S you do it for country not for sexual orientation. I would believe that anyone who goes into service is well aware of the rules in place. Attacking and hounding our President for this issue (and the other items on the Xmas wish list) will do gay groups no good. I doubt that they really want to take advice from someone like Richard Socarides, look how well that turn out. Honestly I don't get how that would work in an advantageous way for gays and lesbians.
7
Loveschild, most americans and most military families support lifting the ban. Why do you only ever want to listen to the will of the people if it supports you, and yet you attack Dan for what you feel is the same? Why do you insult servicemen and servicewomen by misrepresenting the real circumstances of DADT?
Such a hypocrite, such a liar. If I recall my bible, I'm pretty sure you're going to bypass Gehenna and go straight into the beast's mouth if you believe a shred of what you pretend you do.
Such a hypocrite, such a liar. If I recall my bible, I'm pretty sure you're going to bypass Gehenna and go straight into the beast's mouth if you believe a shred of what you pretend you do.
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6, Your demographic's metaphoric house is on fire. People are dying. But where is Loveschild while the children are screaming for help from the upstairs windows as the flames grow higher?
She's down the street, peering into the windows of the gay couple's house trying to see if they are doing something that offends her.
She's down the street, peering into the windows of the gay couple's house trying to see if they are doing something that offends her.
10
Baconcat, If people through the democratic process institute the polices you want, I'll be disappointed, I'm not gonna deny that but I will respect them and accept their decision. I don't know how many times I have said that here.
It's much easier for your kind to demonize and hunt the other side. The President has no power to overturn by himself DADT with the stroke of a pen as Ms Maddow would have you believe, you seem to keep forgetting that because it better suits your cause to keep making up imaginary enemies to demonize them and give those in your side the appearance of downthrothen victims, if that's no being a hypocrite then I don't know what is. And the few people that are tolerant of you upon seeing your relentless beatin on the President will be turn off by your tactics and see you as spoiled brats.
It's much easier for your kind to demonize and hunt the other side. The President has no power to overturn by himself DADT with the stroke of a pen as Ms Maddow would have you believe, you seem to keep forgetting that because it better suits your cause to keep making up imaginary enemies to demonize them and give those in your side the appearance of downthrothen victims, if that's no being a hypocrite then I don't know what is. And the few people that are tolerant of you upon seeing your relentless beatin on the President will be turn off by your tactics and see you as spoiled brats.
11
I would believe that anyone who goes into service is well aware of the rules in place.
But an awful lot of gay 18 year-olds who join the military don't know they're gay. For many of those who do, it's their only way out of small town small-mindedness. Of all the gay vets I know, I am the only one signed up in full knowledge of both myself and the rules.
And just so you know, Loveschild, my teammates knew I was gay, and we were really fucking good at our job.
But an awful lot of gay 18 year-olds who join the military don't know they're gay. For many of those who do, it's their only way out of small town small-mindedness. Of all the gay vets I know, I am the only one signed up in full knowledge of both myself and the rules.
And just so you know, Loveschild, my teammates knew I was gay, and we were really fucking good at our job.
13
@10: "Your kind", eh, classy lady? What kind would that be exactly? People of all sexual orientations who believe it's high time for America and our president to live up to their promise of freedom and equality for ALL of us?
14
10, It used to be the rules that African Americans were banned from serving in the military with whites. Black people were barred from certain positions that were reserved for whites too. It was the rules when they signed up. Should the black folks have just shut up and accepted it?
15
It's ironic, isn't it, that someone who was Clinton's advisor on gay issues has decided now to ask "Where’s our fierce advocate?” Where were you, Richard Socarides, when you had the president's ear? Advising him towards DADT? Applauding him for signing DOMA?
I hope that Obama can be counted on to move gay issues forward, but sometimes I'm just happy that he's not smiling at us with one step and selling us out with the next, like our most recent Democratic president.
I hope that Obama can be counted on to move gay issues forward, but sometimes I'm just happy that he's not smiling at us with one step and selling us out with the next, like our most recent Democratic president.
16
Whining that the Pres. hasn't dealt with your problems right this instant isn't going to make a difference. Pushing to keep the need for reform active is making a difference. If enough states pass marriage equality laws then the problem doesn't need federal help. DADT is going to be gone soon-but a bit of finesse will do more good than a bulldozer approach. I want changes on other issues as well, but recognize that just because I haven't seen them in the last 4 months doesn't mean they won't happen.
The president has to look at a balance of problems, and some of them are only urgent to a small part of the population. That means that they won't get dealt with all at once or necessarily right away. At least Obama isn't heading off on a vacation all ready.
The president has to look at a balance of problems, and some of them are only urgent to a small part of the population. That means that they won't get dealt with all at once or necessarily right away. At least Obama isn't heading off on a vacation all ready.
17
"The President has no power to overturn by himself DADT with the stroke of a pen as Ms Maddow would have you believe,"
Doesn't he? As the Commander in Cheif, he could just give the top brass orders not to enforce DADT?
Doesn't he? As the Commander in Cheif, he could just give the top brass orders not to enforce DADT?
18
It would be great if a demonstration could occur where everyone in the military could publicly declare that they are gay. They can't kick everyone out!
I really hope Obama steps up. He really needs to do this.
I really hope Obama steps up. He really needs to do this.
20
"Where's our fierce advocate?" I think right now she's flying between Afganistan and Pakistan. Thanks, Dan, for that ringing endorsement of Obama last year! You really fooled "the gays"!
dh Atlanta
dh Atlanta
21
i'm glad he's being pushed on this. i'm very supportive of obama, but he's straight up wrong to have not acted on this yet. from my experience with military personel (my brother-in-law is a captain in the army and we often have bbq's involving his co-workers), they have no issue with sexual orientation. this was a military order that was then put into law, and it can just as easily be taken out of law.
23
I'm still unclear on the concept on this one. Isn't the repeal of DADT going to cause the mass dismissal of all (previously silent) gays in the military? Do we not, instead, want to remove the crime of sodomy or of "homosexual behavior" from the UCMJ?
A friend of mine pointed out the UCMJ actually needs a bit of an overhaul to pull its rules of conduct into the twenty-first century, that plain old adultery, for example, is still a crime, whether het or gay.
If I have this wrong, someone correct me. I seem to be looking at a butt-naked emperor here; it seems the mere repealing of DADT will be, by itself, a very bad thing.
A friend of mine pointed out the UCMJ actually needs a bit of an overhaul to pull its rules of conduct into the twenty-first century, that plain old adultery, for example, is still a crime, whether het or gay.
If I have this wrong, someone correct me. I seem to be looking at a butt-naked emperor here; it seems the mere repealing of DADT will be, by itself, a very bad thing.
24
@23: I think the phrase "Repeal DADT" is being used as shorthand for "Repeal the policy which allows gays to serve only as closeted soldiers, (sailors, airmen, etc.) and allow them to serve openly." To do that, I imagine there would have to be an executive order to amend or remove the parts of the UCMJ which outlaws homosexual behavior.
Wouldn't that be a comedy of errors?
Gays: "Repeal DADT!"
Obama: "Okay. *scribblescribble* Done!"
Military: "You gays! Out!"
Gays: "Hey, wait! We wanted to be able to serve!"
Obama: "You didn't ask for THAT!"
Wouldn't that be a comedy of errors?
Gays: "Repeal DADT!"
Obama: "Okay. *scribblescribble* Done!"
Military: "You gays! Out!"
Gays: "Hey, wait! We wanted to be able to serve!"
Obama: "You didn't ask for THAT!"
25
Hmm...rereading that, it looks like I consider gays serving in the military to be a comedy of errors, and not the president playing Simon Says with a slogan. We regret the error.
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