Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Does the President want to Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, or is he just blowing smoke?

There is no secret that I like President Obama, I voted for him. However, I am not ignorant enough to believe that he will be the savior of gays and lesbians everywhere.

I knew when I voted for him that he does not support the idea of gay marriage. I was hopeful though that the President might be less willing to backpedal and change up what he considers to be appropriate measures to gain more rights for the LGBT community. I am now trying to figure out whether or not I have been misled.

Apparently at the beginning of the President's administration, his website was very clear with the statement that the President believed that work should be done to repeal 'don't ask don't tell' with all due speed. Sometime thereafter the statement was changed to state that "He supports 'changing' Don't Ask Don't Tell in a sensible way that supports the armed forces."

Now the website changed again to take out the word 'changing' and add back in the word repeal. Did he really think we wouldn't notice? Does he really believe that all the LGBT voters out there are not watching him like a hawk, waiting for him to abandon us? I realize that he is not there for us in the way that he needs to be. I realize that he will probably not ever try to repeal the Defense Of Marriage Act. I also realize, however, that he is probably exactly what is needed at this moment and that we do need to be patient.

I just want to say at this point, Mr. President, you are on notice. The LGBT community is getting stronger every day. We may hold enough weight at the end of this term to vote you out if you will not protect us. I have friends who served in the military and hid who they were just to keep from being dishonorably discharged. They did not do it out of shame, and I bet most of their brothers and sisters in arms don't care what you do in your private life so long as you stay in that foxhole with them. Just a thought.

2 comments:

  1. I'm hoping that President Obama is just realizing that he has an awful lot to do. And that he can't possibly get it all done right away.

    The don't ask, don't tell law is stupid to begin with. Logically, either gays and lesbians CAN serve their country, or they can't. What hypocrisy.

    I do hope that the law is repealed, and I do hope that, eventually, the Christian community will get their heads out of their arses and realize that what anyone else does doesn't affect them one bit. But I doubt the second.

    As a secularist who finds religious involvement in government unacceptable anyway, these incursions drive me insane. And, unfortunately, regardless of the President's Liberal stance, he's still very Christian.

    You can't win them all.

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  2. I think you are right in that he is very Christian, and I am not concerned with his personal views as long as he leaves them in the residence.

    I want my children to watch me walk down the aisle and have all the rights everyone else in this country has. Ideally, I would like to get married without having to move but if I have to moving to Iowa isn't such a bad idea.

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