Accomplishments by the Administration and Congress on LGBT Equality

[ProSense]

Accomplishments by the Administration and Congress on LGBT Equality

No one should rest until we have full LGBT equality. But after eight years of Republican disrespect, progress is being made. In its first 19 months, the Obama Administration has...

By Andrew Tobias

<...>

33. Extended domestic violence protections to LGBT victims

<...>

35. Extended the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover employees taking unpaid leave to care for the children of same-sex partners

36. Issued guidance specifically to assist LGBT tenants denied housing on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity

37. Issued a National HIV/AIDS Strategy praised as "long-overdue" by the Task Force, Lambda and others

38. Successfully fought for UN accreditation of IGLHRC (the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) -- against Republican attempts to block it

<...>

The Administration will continue to make steady progress on our issues whether we help strengthen its hand or not. But the stronger it is, the faster that progress will come.

[jaxx]

1. This adm has done more for LGBT than ever before.

And more to come.

[flamingdem]

2. Good info, thanks nt

[mkultra]

3. and queue the professional left in 5...4...3...2.....

[Ignis]

13. How about we cue those who can't visit their sick partners in hospital?

...Or those who have been unfairly discharged from the military?

...Or those who can't marry their life partners thanks to bigoted laws?

Nah, fuck it. It's much more fun to whinge on about the Scary "Professional Left," rather than fight for equal rights for all Americans.

:puke:

[mkultra]

17. well we can grieve them as well then

[Ignis]

27. Please try again, with an eye towards making some sense.

[Whisp]

18. hasn't the right for hospital visits for gays been established?

so you won't be happy with progress and steps toward what will hopefully and fully and finally be true equally? you want it all right now or fuck itall

[Ignis]

28. Please support your claim: "you want it all right now or fuck itall"

And no, the right to visit one's same-sex partner is not universal across all hospitals in America. If you've evidence to the contrary, please post it.

[Ignis]

46. So no evidence was available to support your claim?

I'm shocked--shocked, I say!

:wow:

[Warren Stupidity]

39. So I am being paid for observing that the OP is rank bullshit?

Show me the money.

[DURHAM D]

4. crumbs nt

[ProSense]

7. Crumbs:

Signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act

Lifted the HIV Entry Ban effective January 2010

Conceived a National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders -- the nation's first ever -- funded by a three-year HHS grant to SAGE

Named open transgender appointees (the first President ever to do so)

Banned job discrimination based on gender identity throughout the Federal government (the nation's largest employer)

Appointed long-time equality champion Chai Feldblum one of the four Commissioners of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Eliminated the discriminatory Census Bureau policy that kept our relationships from being counted, encouraging couples who consider themselves married to file that way, even if their state of residence does not yet permit legal marriage

Extended domestic violence protections to LGBT victims

Extended the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover employees taking unpaid leave to care for the children of same-sex partners

Issued guidance specifically to assist LGBT tenants denied housing on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity

Issued a National HIV/AIDS Strategy praised as "long-overdue" by the Task Force, Lambda and others

Successfully fought for UN accreditation of IGLHRC (the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) -- against Republican attempts to block it

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

8. Ok....Fine

Really fucking huge crumbs...

Crumbs that would punch a whole in my roof if they fell from the skies...

Crumbs will save people's lives...

But crumbs, dammit.

Harumph!

[vi5]

5. Some of those are pretty great....

namely appointing someone who is transgender to a post, lifting the HIV ban and signing the Matthew Shepard act. 3 great things, no 2 ways about it.

But let's be honest there's a lot of fluff on that list. I hate all of these "LOOK AT WHAT HE'S DONE!!!!" lists heavy on the "conceived of"...."emphasized"....."endorsed"...."spoke out against" or things that just amount to vague gestures that without any kind of active push and heft behind them are really little more than that.

[ProSense]

9. "3 great things, no 2 ways about it."

A few more

I left this out, which you mentioned:

Signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability -- the first positive federal LGBT legislation in the nation's history

[Laughing Mirror]

6. Andrew Tobias, DNC Treasurer, wants our LBGT donations

Sorry. Does he think we have forgotten the promises that were not kept the last time we gave money? What kind of a fool would donate now?

[DURHAM D]

10. Andy has been brain dead for a long time.

He claims he didn't know what Dean, Leah and Donna were doing at the DNC with regard to the help desk.

He is a total joke to the LGBT community that has been paying attention for more than the shelf life of fresh squeezed orange juice.

[chill_wind]

11. Some critical commentary (dissection) of that in general

Andy Tobias has compiled a list of President Obama's 30 biggest gay accomplishments during his presidency. Let's take a walk through that list. And make sure you keep a running tally of how much political capital the President has spent to make these "accomplishments" happen - the total amount is zero.

Here's the list, with my commentary after each "accomplishment."

1. Reversed an inexcusable US position by signing the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

That's nice. No idea how it impacts any of our lives, but I suppose it's nice.

2. Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees

That's a lie. And it's one the administration keeps pushing, even though we caught them in the lie, and the NYT reported on our catching them. The benefits weren't "extended." Gay federal employees were already getting these benefits for at least the past 15 years, under Democratic and Republican administrations. I got the head of OPM, John Berry, to admit this during a media conference call. It's unfortunate that the administration and its allies continue to lie about this point.

3. Endorsed the Baldwin-Lieberman bill, The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009, to provide full partnership benefits to federal employees

BFD. Endorsed? With all due respect, WTF cares if the President "endorses" some legislation that he's never going to lift a finger to help pass? This is part of the "all talk" nature of the President's, and the Democratic party's, commitment to our civil rights. They believe that talking about giving us rights is the same thing as actually giving us those rights or at the very least, trying to give us those rights.

4. Signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act

Good.

5. Lifted the HIV Entry Ban effective January 2010

Took him a year, and Congress had already repealed the travel ban during the Bush administration, but still, it's a good thing.

6. Released the first Presidential PRIDE proclamation since 2000

Words.

7. Hosted the first LGBT Pride Month Celebration in White House history

The champagne version of "words." This cocktail party was thrown together at the last minute to try to deflect attention away from the administration's legal brief defending DOMA in court - a brief that invoked incest and pedophilia.

8. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King

Again, nice. But what's the actual impact on our civil rights of these medals? How much political capital did the President spend giving these medals?

much more: Monday, May 17, 2010

Dissecting Andy Tobias' official list of Obama's gay 'accomplishments'
Posted by John Aravosis (DC) at 5/17/2010 02:06:00 PM

http://gay.americablog.com/2010/05/draft-lets-examine-official-list-of.html

[ProSense]

12. Interesting

The Americablog list is from May. The current list is longer. Still, pulling out the items marked "that's good" or similarly, it includes most of these significant accomplishments (the last five items are not on the list you linked to):

Signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act

Lifted the HIV Entry Ban effective January 2010

Appointed the first transgender DNC member in history

Issued diplomatic passports, and provided other benefits, to the partners of same-sex foreign service employees

Conceived a National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders -- the nation's first ever -- funded by a three-year HHS grant to SAGE

Signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability -- the first positive federal LGBT legislation in the nation's history

Named open transgender appointees (the first President ever to do so)

Banned job discrimination based on gender identity throughout the Federal government (the nation's largest employer)

Appointed long-time equality champion Chai Feldblum one of the four Commissioners of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Eliminated the discriminatory Census Bureau policy that kept our relationships from being counted, encouraging couples who consider themselves married to file that way, even if their state of residence does not yet permit legal marriage

Extended domestic violence protections to LGBT victims

Extended the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover employees taking unpaid leave to care for the children of same-sex partners

Issued guidance specifically to assist LGBT tenants denied housing on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity

Issued a National HIV/AIDS Strategy praised as "long-overdue" by the Task Force, Lambda and others

Successfully fought for UN accreditation of IGLHRC (the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) -- against Republican attempts to block it

I agree with this comment from your link:

"You say at the top of your article that he has done nothing then go on to list some good (your comment) that he has done. Do you even read what you write and publish?"

[Whisp]

21. Obama extends hospital visitation rights to same sex partners

I might have missed this in your list, Prosense, sorry if so. It's a Biggie.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041505502.html?hpid=topnews


Obama extends hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners of gays



Same-sex partners get hospital rights
President Obama signed a directive that gives same-sex couples hospital visitation rights after learning of the tragic case of one couple.

President Obama mandated Thursday that nearly all hospitals extend visitation rights to the partners of gay men and lesbians and respect patients' choices about who may make critical health-care decisions for them, perhaps the most significant step so far in his efforts to expand the rights of gay Americans.

The president directed the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation in a memo that was e-mailed to reporters Thursday night while he was at a fundraiser in Miami.

Administration officials and gay activists, who have been quietly working together on the issue, said the new rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding, a move that covers the vast majority of the nation's health-care institutions. Obama's order will start a rule-making process at HHS that could take several months, officials said.

Hospitals often bar visitors who are not related to an incapacitated patient by blood or marriage, and gay rights activists say many do not respect same-sex couples' efforts to designate a partner to make medical decisions for them if they are seriously ill or injured.

"Discrimination touches every facet of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including at times of crisis and illness, when we need our loved ones with us more than ever," Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement praising the president's decision.

Obama's mandate is the latest attempt by his administration to advance the agenda of a constituency that strongly supported his presidential campaign.

==
on reading I'm not sure if this is already law or still in the process of. but great news nonetheless. I can't imagine the heartache of having to be kept away from a loved one that is dieing because you are gay. What a backwards and barbaric country in so many ways. Obama is trying his best to get the US in the civilised community of the world. And he needs us to help, not trip him up and piss and moan that ITS NOT ENOUGH. and I want it Right Fucking Now.

*shakes head

[chill_wind]

22. Please provide that quote by John Aravosis

where he says that he has done nothing.

The one you specifically say you agree with:

"You say at the top of your article that he has done nothing then go on to list some good (your comment) that he has done. Do you even read what you write and publish?"

I think his actual words used- about political capital- and his commentary deserve reading, not twisting.



>The Americablog list is from May. The current list is longer<

The vast bulk of the responses at your OP link are also from May, despite edits to extend his list. Looks like the Tobias view of matters continues to underwhelm?

[ProSense]

23. It's a comment

as indicated. It's obviously directed to Aravosis. Still, the items pulled out, except as indicated, were labeled "good" by him.

[chill_wind]

25. It's a completely distorted and dishonest comment

because nowhere does Aravosis say that. Why would you agree with such a comment?

>Still, the items pulled out, except as indicated, were labeled "good" by him.<

Yes- because - for one last time very slowly and patiently here-- nowhere does he say *nothing good* has been done. It's simply a critical look at the claims that sorts out the more meaningful from a whole lot of fluffing.

[ProSense]

26. Here, a walk through

From the link you provided, this is the second comment in response to Aravosis' piece:

"You say at the top of your article that he has done nothing then go on to list some good (your comment) that he has done. Do you even read what you write and publish? "

Which was in reference to this statement from Aravosis' first paragraph:

"And make sure you keep a running tally of how much political capital the President has spent to make these "accomplishments" happen - the total amount is zero."

You can deny it all you want to, but this is a statement designed to take credit away from the President, who is responsible for his nominees and the policies of his administration.

If you want to call out someone for dishonesty, begin with Aravosis.

[Laughing Mirror]

16. Swore in an ambassador

Yeah, ambassador to Samoa!

Honestly ...

[yowzayowzayowza]

24. Seems like more than enuf "That's good", "Good" and "Words"...

to amount to supporting the GLBT community in meaningful words and deeds, hardly the work of someone who deserves to be labeled wholly a homophobe.

[ThomCat]

31. But it's all minor shit.

nothing to brag about, and certainly nothing to earn him the right to claim he's working hard as a "fierce advocate" for our equal rights.

Were on that list is he using his real authority, his bully pulpit, his real political capital to push for the repeal of DADT, or to overturn DOMA, to pass ENDA? Where in there do you see us getting LGBT people appointed to cabinet level policy positions?

The real stuff isn't on that list anywhere. You won't find it. Because Obama won't support us on any of the real stuff.

He wants to throw us crumbs and hope we are satisfied enough to keep the gAyTM money flowing and the votes coming. That's all he cares about.

[yowzayowzayowza]

32. So, those are the words & deeds of one who is a homophobe in toto?

[ThomCat]

34. No, but those are the deeds of someone who is lying to us about

us being a priority on his agenda.

Those are the deeds of someone who is lying to us about him being a "fierce advocate" for our equal rights.

Getting lied to repeatedly, getting stalling tactics and delays and excuses repeatedly, and then being hit up for money isn't the same as being treated with respect.

This isn't an either/or situation where either he is absolutely helping us or else he is absolutely a homophobe.

In fact, the most likely explanation is that he's, like the vast majority of lefty religious straight people, just very uncomfortable with the existence of the LGBT community and our issues. So he's pretending to be an ally and stalling for time, giving us whatever token support he can easily give us on the quick policy level without having to do anything significant that would represent an actual show of personal support.

That way, he can pretend to us, and when it is politically expedient, that he supports us. But he can also pretend to religious groups, and conservative groups that oppose us that he isn't really an ally of ours because he can show that he hasn't really given us anything that can't be easily revoked with the quick stroke of a pen.

In any discussion with the far right he could easily show that he has played the political game because "They are a powerful special interest and sometimes you have to give them something," but he never gave in and gave us anything really important to us. So he's still worthy of their support. he could show that he sat on the fence successfully with us so well, and for so long, that it shows that he deserves THEIR support.

That is something that really bothers me about Obama. I can always see how his actions can be calculated to appeal to a people in the middle or on the right as part of a campaign to support him, but he doesn't seem to want the support of those of us on the left anymore, many of us who put him in office to begin with.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Political Tiger]

14. Unfortunately this post is gonna get a lot of blow back by the angry left

who can't see the forest for the trees, but the fact remains that this president, this administration has done more for gay people than all previous presidents/administration combined!

[Ignis]

15. A nice start, but it's time to stop pussyfooting around DOMA and DADT.

Right. Fucking. Now.

We don't need more pretty speeches. We need equal rights for all Americans.

[NJmaverick]

19. K & R!

[VMI Dem]

20. Cue paternalistic straight people telling gays what they should appreciate in 3...2....

[Ignis]

29. Bingo.

But anything less than fawning praise of the current administration will be called "poutrage" here at DU, so why bother anymore?

:shrug:

[QC]

33. It's a cherished DU tradition,

right up there with likening our desire for full citizenship to a petulant little girl's demand for an impractical present.

[MadHound]

35. With the bonus Blue Links of Death

You can't argue with the Blue Links of Death, you just can't!

[NYC_SKP]

37. I don't mind pointing out that in this case, the blue links invariably lead to legitimate...

...sources, governmental sources, articles by widely respected journalists, and etc.

This is a quality that many admire, that others seem to take offense with, and still others seem unable to do, preferring to link to unsubstantiated blogs or other web-based writings of little substance.

I love the blue links.

:patriot:

[MadHound]

38. Oh, I understand your point of view,

However the manner in which they were originally presented by the OP was rather pompous and pretentious, that's all.

[jonnyblitz]

44. "I love the blue links."

trust me, everybody familiar with you is quite aware of that fact. :eyes: :puke:

I am sure you share the same patronizing attitude towards us ungrateful gays the links were used to buttress in this OP as well.

[Ignis]

47. Message received.

[ProSense]

48. "You can't argue with the Blue Links of Death, you just can't!" True,

especially when your only argument is to invoke "blue links."

[golfguru]

36. Is'nt DOMA still the law of the land? n/t

[ClarkUSA]

41. Yes, thanks to Bill Clinton. n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

40. DADT DOMA and still can't support equal rights. fierce non-advocate.

[ClarkUSA]

42. Bubba's anti-gay legislative legacy is what Pres. Obama is trying to repeal now via Congress. n/t

[whistler162]

43. Where's Congress? Since it is Congress who has to

PASS the bills that remove these LAWS from the books!

[Warren Stupidity]

45. Where is Fierce Advocate?

Oh wait he is still confused about marriage as a religious ritual and marriage as a state regulated contract.

Fierce Advocate has to lead. Or at least try to lead. I'd prefer to go down fighting the good fight, but that is just me.

[Ignis]

49. "but that is just me"

Nope. It surely is not just you. :hug: