The Upside-Down Politics of the LGBT Pride Month Proclamation
I've been covering civil rights issues since the beginning of my career. From this I have learned what works and what doesn't in the pursuit of equal rights. Whether it's a public demonstration or a nod from the media, the one surefire way to advance the debate of a given issue is to give it attention. Cliche as it is, it's important to get people talking about these issues around their dinner tables and with their coworkers around the proverbial water cooler.
Still, the President's recent proclamation of LGBT Pride Month rings a little hollow. The lip service to the cause is encouraging, but President Obama's wording indicates that he's patting himself on the back a bit prematurely. While he says, "I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration" and later champion's his administration's dedication to the elimination of gay-equals-criminal laws in other countries, he neglects to make any firm commitments concerning the abolition of openly discriminatory laws in our own nation.
The fact is that, given the opportunity, President Obama did not repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the US military, though he said he would during his campaign. He hasn't thrown in his lot concerning the dubious nature of Prop 8, or the advances in same-sex marriage in an increasing number of states around the union. Most disturbingly, he has done next to nothing to address the blatant Separate But Equal mentality behind the domestic partnership vs. marriage dichotomy.
The most startling bit of this unsatisfying attempt to appease a very angry, very vocal part of the US populace is the fact that Dick Cheney, of all people, seems to be more on the side of LGBT Americans than our supposedly liberal President. I'm not about to get on the Cheney Appreciation Express, but it's food for thought nonetheless when one of the least socially liberal men in modern American politics goes on the record as saying, "People ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish".
No doubt the former VP's sentiment comes from the experience of having an openly homosexual daughter. Still, the lack of an emotionally-driven reason to support the most important civil rights issues of the day is hardly an excuse for the President's non-committal attitude toward LGBT equality in America. What President Obama needs to see is that his queer electorate is well past the point where minor placations are sufficient.
The only way the LGBT Pride Month Proclamation will not result in some serious backlash is if the President pushes for more concrete change in the coming months. He will have to do something of substance within his power, like altering military policy, and he will have to unambiguously support pro-rights legislation as it inevitably comes down the pike in Congress. The man is already in office; now is not the time to try to balance controversial plates to the detriment of progress.
