President Barack Obama has the unique ability to inspire us not to dive too deeply into what he is saying in his speeches. Concerning the issues of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT), he is skilled at swaying our emotions by pointing out that there are open LGBT members in his office that he appointed within the first 100 days.
He accurately compares the LGBT movement to the civil rights movement and goes on to make wonderful promises of overturning ìDonít Ask, Donít Tell,” the current military policy banning gays from openly serving, and supplying the LGBT community with ìenhanced hate crime laws (including LGBT in hate crime laws), supporting civil unions (the supposed equivalent of gay marriage) and ensuring adoption rights (allowing gay couples to adopt).” However he does not say how or when.
Obama held a meeting with Human Rights Campaign (HRC) members and announced† promises that he does not ensure he will act upon. The HRC itself is not even supportive of the LGBT community as a whole, as they exclude the transgendered community. A counterpoint could be made that Obama appointed a Trans-man in his staff, Diego Miguel Sanchez. However, if he was the best man for the job, with the line of thinking Obama implies, (which is basically shouting that he accepts every one,) would we all get a pat on the back for having a minority friend as well then? Does his gender identity even matter?
It is still unclear when the LGBT community will actually receive all these wonderful benefits. If he gets elected to his second term, which is probably his mindset, would these changes occur then? If he doesnít, then what would happen to the LGBT promises?
With no timetable or plan of action created, how are we to know even what term these actions would be put into effect? If he doesnít, on top of all the other wonderful promises he has made to us, he will only have one term to create LGBT equal rights, something that has taken decades to even get recognized, which is no small feat to manage.
John Berry, the White House director of the Office of Personnel Management and the highest ranking gay official in the Obama administration, noted in his Americablog piece (his personal blog) that he is ìnot going to pledge ó and nor is the president ó that [granting LGBT benefits] is going to be done by some certain date. The pledge and the promise is that, this will be done before the sun sets on this administration ó our goal is to have this entire agenda accomplished and enacted into law so that it is secure”. Still, Obama has never mentioned how he will create LGBT rights, or when he will instigate those changes.
Obama is credited to opening the door for discussion for LGBT partner benefits. However, as he noted in his speech on June 17, 2009, several companies, including some in the Fortune 500, already offer rights, such as medical benefits and other spouse benefits allotted only to straight married couples.
Since this is already occurring, why do some call him a ìpioneer” for opening the door to the discussion? Yes, he has taken very minor steps forward, such as denouncing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and calls actions such as these discriminatory, but that is not overturning these acts, nor again giving a timetable of when we can see this happening. Granted, even as the President he does not have the ultimate power to change everything he dislikes or sees wrong with our system. Overall, the President has made promises with no plan to instigate change, or a timetable in which to complete them. Which begs the question ó will they actually occur?