There was a time, only a few years ago, when support for gay rights would have been considered a risky stance to take; many politicians might privately support them but would not publicly say so.
Now in the state of Washington, there is a petition circulating for Referendum 71, seeking to overturn a new state law that grants same-sex domestic partners many of the rights married couples enjoy.
Opponents of the referendum have put up a web site with the intention of posting the names of all those who sign the petition. It's apparently legal since state law says that a name on a petition is public information.
The point here is: public opinion has shifted to the point that, in just a few years, opposition to gay rights is seen as a political liability, rather than the opposite -- at least in some areas.
Now, if we can just get Obama to have the courage of his convictions and move on dismantling Don't Ask/Don't Tell. And he has some explaining to do about his DoJ's court brief that defended the Defense of Marriage Act, using language that you'd expect from Pat Robertson. Someone slipped up badly there. Claiming they are required to defend existing law is not sufficient -- that is not actually required and certainly not in language that goes even beyond the law itself.
Wake up, Barack. I know you're busy, but it would take only one small executive order for you to end military discharges of gay service people: it's called a stop-loss order, and it's been used for other purposes to keep needed soldiers from being discharged.
The times, they are a-changing -- and faster than you realize.
Ralph
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Obama is taking the cautious route to change on gay issues. On Wednesday, he announced some same-sex partner benefits for federal employees, but stopped short of the most important benefit -- medical insurance.
ReplyDeleteHe claims that the DOMA law does not allow it, and he calls on Congress to overturn the law. Just as his DoJ is claiming that they are required to defend the law in court. And he has so far not outlined any concrete steps to end DODT.
I'm trying to continue to give him the time to juggle all that he has to juggle. But I think he's underestimating (1) how easy it would be to finesse Republican objections, (2) how much the gay community is disillusioned and disappointed in what he has done so far, and (3) how far behind rapidly changing public opinion he now is.