Today, President Obama is hosting 250 gay rights leaders at the White House to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. While a vast improvement from the active denial of gay civil rights during the Bush administration, many advocates continue to find themselves frustrated and hurt by the current president’s inaction to address the discriminatory policies of decades past.
The gay community flocked to the polls in droves to vote for this “fierce advocate” of gay rights, only to find themselves taken aback by a recent Department of Justice brief defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In addition, the Obama administration has thus far failed to repeal the much-criticized “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy barring openly gay servicemen and servicewomen from serving in the military, despite a recent rash of uniformed comings-out and the subsequent well-publicized courts martial.
Obama has recently extended some federal benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, but many are calling this olive branch too little, too late. Others rightly point out that President Obama has a lot on his plate right now, between the economy, health care reform and the clean energy act.
However, that is no reason for the inexcusable delay in expanding full civil rights to this segment of society. Times are a changin’, and it’s only a matter of time before full gay rights are a matter of course. Better to be remembered as the president who made that happen than just another one who stood in the way.
A New York Times/CBS News poll recently showed that 57 percent of people younger than 40 supported same sex marriage, compared to only 31 percent of the older than 40 crowd. A whopping 75 percent of all age groups support the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the ban on homosexuals in the armed forces, which military leaders now admit had no basis beyond the prejudice of the time. Six states have already legalized gay marriage.
It’s time for the federal government to do the same. President Obama can’t simply wait for Congress to dither over the repeal of DOMA. The administration needs to take action. Part of that includes an order repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from our commander in chief.
If President Obama wants to expand health care coverage in this country, he could start with the thousands of gay couples living in states that specifically deny such benefits to same-set partners. The same goes for survivor’s benefits, inheritance, the ability to adopt children, and make medical decisions.
The time for inaction has passed.
opinion@dailynebraskan.com
I don't care if you censor this. If that they only way you weasels can win an argument is by silencing anyone who disagrees with you then your nothing but pathetic political correct fanny kissers which your editorial well testifies to.