It’s good to know that as Obama Department of Justice was putting the finishing touches on its pro-DOMA Motion to Dismiss in Smelt v. United States, it sent its highest-ranked openly gay Administration official to praise the President at an LGBT event at the DOJ. From GovernmentExecutive.com:
The head of the Office of Personnel Management and the attorney general on Wednesday said the federal government must do more to ensure equal opportunities for gay and lesbian Americans.
In some of the most pointed remarks on the subject by an Obama administration official, OPM Director John Berry, the highest ranking openly gay person to serve in the executive branch, affirmed the president’s support for gay Americans, saying, “with the help of a president who supports our cause, the aid of courageous fellow countrymen and women who love liberty, and with God’s grace, we shall prevail” in the quest for civil rights.
This was at the same event when, as David Badash noted, Attorney General Eric Holder said that “neither the frustrations of the past, nor the challenges of the future should deter us from our goal — our responsibility — to continue our efforts to ensure the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans.”
Berry, who had served in the Clinton Administration as well, went on to talk about his now-deceased former partner:
“My family has never known divorce,” Berry said. “Were we married? No, but I dare anyone to say that we were not in love…. Where do you stand? Honoring love as precious and true wherever you find it, or with those who would demean or deny it? I urge you: Stand where you can be proud. Stand with service and truth. Stand with love. Stand for liberty and justice for all.”
Although he didn’t realize, Berry’s question is best posed to the president or Holder themselves: “Where do you stand? Honoring love as precious and true wherever you find it, or with those who would demean or deny it?” In its DOMA filing, the Justice Department both demeaned LGBT people and denied our love.
President Obama, if he intends to regain any credibility with the LGBT community this Pride Month, needs to get an answer from A.G. Holder about how such a brief was allowed to be filed under his rule. And he needs to start speaking up about LGBT issues and taking action to make his campaign promises a reality. Obama needs to show that he truly is “a president who supports our cause.”
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Chris Geidner is the senior political writer at D.C.'s Metro Weekly and has written for The Atlantic Online, Advocate.com, Salon and other publications, as well as at his blog, Law Dork. Prior to moving to D.C. in 2009, he served as an attorney on the senior staff at the Ohio Attorney General's Office and had earlier worked for a leading Columbus law firm. An extended biography can be found
Can we call all the homosexuals who work for the Obama administration self-hating gays now? They used to say that about all the Log Cabin Republicans, but with Dick Cheney on their side now, the shoe seems to be on the other foot.
Jason, maybe wait on the Obama Administration’s going out of its way to hurt equality (say, by proposing a Constitutional Amendment to ban SSM marriage across the country). As opposed to expending all your steam on a motion that is an obligation of the executive branch (to defend federal law in the courts) and that bases most of its argument on the federalist fact that people are being allowed to marry in various states.
Also, how is Dick Cheney on the side of getting rid of DOMA? At most, he’s in favor of letting states decide for themselves whether to have SSM or ban it. That’s … exactly what DOMA allows.
PG, at one time Obama was for gay marriage, then he was against it for political reasons and now he claims to be against it for religious ones. Obama also let his name and his very voice be used to strike down gay marriage in California. Also, I’m sure everyone here can remember the Vice Presidential debates, the glee with which Biden expressed both his and Obama’s objection to gay marriage.
On the other hand I see people like Cheney and McCain going in the opposite direction. Becoming more opened minded and even allowing for gay marriage.
We have one side hardening their hearts towards us and another softening theirs.
And so I ask, aren’t homosexuals who support Obama are self-hating gays?
Nicely almost-ranted on this and the previous post.
You now have me breaking a core principle, I am following you, a lawyer, yes a lawyer, of my own volition, on Twitter. Heh. Are you honored?
But seriously, which of these promises has he kept?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NkydXNJ3ub4/SjNL6b5mNGI/AAAAAAAAATU/uriqNsddyOk/s1600-h/Obama-001.jpg
DianeGee,
Has he stopped opposing the use of constitutional amendments to discriminate against LGBT folks and same-sex relationships? Is he no longer in favor of the Congressional repeal of DOMA (which is not the same as invalidating DOMA through the courts)? Has he dropped his support for the Military Readiness Act?
There seems to be a lot of conflating the legal position the Obama Administration takes in defending statutes with whether the Obama Administration supports those laws as a policy matter.
Um, McCain is definitely not moving toward be cool with same-sex marriage. Where did you get that from?
“Obama also let his name and his very voice be used to strike down gay marriage in California.”
Uh, what? Obama explicitly stated his opposition to Prop. 8. Could you find me something from McCain or Cheney that did the same? (http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1051404.html — very first hit when you Google obama proposition 8, should you develop an interest in, like, research)
Or is your point that Republicans get graded on a curve based on where they started on this issue, and if they’re no longer wanting to throw homosexuals in prison, they deserve an A?