Ruby-Sachs: Barbara Boxer the wrong Senator to protest

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Yesterday, Obama was heckled at a California fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer. Boxer has been holding fundraisers across the country in order to gear up for a heated and difficult race in the upcoming election. If Sarah Palin were in charge of this blog, there’d be a big sign with Senator Boxer’s face in the crosshairs – the conservatives are gunning for her this time around.

The thing is, as much as we dislike Obama and his wishy washy approach to gay rights advocacy, we love Senator Boxer. Boxer has, when it comes to gay rights, been a staunch supporter of equality. She received a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign, spoke out about gay rights and actually is one of the few politicians to support gay marriage. She is a liberal activist politician in a landscape of conservative values and inaction on both sides of the aisle. She is exactly the kind of candidate we, as a community, should support.

Instead, we decided that a fundraiser where Obama (read not much of an advocate for gay rights) was doing his best to support Boxer was a perfect opportunity to highlight the President’s inaction of LGBT issues. This when Boxer is praying patrons open their cheque books and cough up a bit more money for her campaign. It doesn’t mean that the hecklers weren’t right in their criticism, Obama is hugely problematic when it comes to equality advocacy, but they needed to choose a different time to engage in that discussion.

The night is over and we can hope that Boxer got some of the funds she needs out of the event. Still, I hope that the people from Get Equal choose a more opportune moment to engage in protest. In the mean time, if they are serious about equality perhaps they should spend time raising a few dollars for Senator Boxer and her progressive agenda.

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Victory for Gay Rights in Sight

Gay rights activists are understandably up in arms over recent missteps and continuing inaction by the Obama administration on issues important to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. A brief, filed by Obama’s Justice Department in a case challenging the legislation which prohibits recognition of same-sex marriage, was out of line in drawing parallels between incest and gay marriage. President Obama’s foot-dragging on reversing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prevents gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the military, is especially confounding as the U.S. continues to engage in two wars.

Still, 40 years after rioting patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York City sparked the gay rights movement; full equality for LGBT people is finally in sight.

Disappointment with President Obama on these issues should be balanced with other actions he has taken recently such as declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month and extending some (albeit not all) benefits to federal employees who are gay. There are smaller victories as well.

See Victory for Gay Rights in Sight

Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Mixner slams Obama’s inaction, will not attend DNC fundraiser

Gay community bitterly disappointed by Obama’s lack of action

WASHINGTON — Gays and lesbians voted for President Barack Obama almost en masse after he pledged to be a relentless advocate for their civil rights while making his run for the White House.

But now the disappointment felt among the gay community about Obama’s inaction on issues that include same-sex marriage and the military’s so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is turning into outright anger.

“It’s disgraceful … shame on him,” Kate Waldeck, a 26-year-old medical student in New York City who voted for Obama believing he represented change on issues affecting the community.

The outrage is growing in the aftermath of last week’s California Supreme Court decision to uphold the state’s same-sex marriage ban.

Obama has had nothing to say about the ruling, something that has stung many in the community who had assumed the president might speak out against it and reiterate his commitment to their cause.

“I had sincerely hoped that Obama, both as a liberal and as a minority, might view this issue for what it is: an attempt at decency, and an opportunity to bestow long-deserved freedoms to people who have suffered through abuse and discrimination since the beginning of time,” Waldeck said in a recent interview.

Instead, Waldeck alleges, Obama is “sacrificing our lives to appease people, voters, interest groups, by allowing hate and bias to propagate.”

See Gay community bitterly disappointed by Obama’s lack of action The Canadian Press * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

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Is White House’s inaction a step towards lifting military ban?

Is White House’s inaction a step towards lifting military ban?
An order by a federal appeals court in San Francisco that directs the government to present a justification for the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”-based ouster of a lesbian decorated military officer will stand because the Obama White House opted to not appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision is being viewed by some activists as a positive step toward President Barack Obama upholding his campaign pledge to end the military ban. The Wall Street Journal (5/19)

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Gay advocacy groups press Obama

Gay advocacy groups, disenchanted by President Obama’s inaction so far on campaign promises on their issues, are launching a campaign to get his administration to take a stand on the federal anti-gay marriage law.

The first federal lawsuit against a key section of the Defense Of Marriage Act was filed on last month by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders on behalf of eight same-sex married couples and three surviving spouses from Massachusetts. Obama’s Department of Justice until the week of June 22 to respond.

During his campaign, Obama promised to seek a repeal of the act, which allows states to not recognize gay marriages from other states. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs reiterated the president’s position last month. He opposes gay marriage, but does support civil unions and equal treatment for gays. In recent weeks, New Hampshire and Vermont have moved to join Massachusetts in legalizing gay marriage.

In the grassroots effort, organizers are asking participants to print out a “flip flop card” with the statement, “President Obama, please don’t flip flop on DOMA!” and mail it to the White House.

“President Obama, the defense of this discriminatory and archaic law will be tantamount to nothing short of a flip flop from your previously stated intentions. We’re asking you Mr. President, to take a principled stand for equality under the law and be the bold leader that we voted into office,” Paul Sousa, who leads the Boston-based Equal Rep, said in a statement.

See Gay advocacy groups press Obama Boston Globe * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual