Jan 25 2009
Barack Obama Was Not My First Choice. It is Not the First Time I’ve Been Proven Wrong.
Barack Obama was not my first choice for President of the United States. As a lesbian feminist, I had wanted to see a woman in office and I backed Hillary Clinton. What I have learned in the last week of Barack Obama has made me second guess myself, and I am now thrilled that Hillary Clinton did not win the Democratic Nomination in 2008. I’d love a woman in office, but I can wait now that I see the new White House Agenda that President Barack Obama’s staff has placed on their site: http://www.whitehouse.gov.Barack Obama pledges his support for the LGBT Community by stating some of the following on the site, found under Civil Rights:
“Support for the LGBT Community
“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”
– Barack Obama, June 1, 2007
* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes.
* Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
* Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
For this one I say thank you, thank you, thank you. If something happens to my wife first, the breadwinner, I will not be able to collect her social security. We are married in Massachusetts, but it is not recognized federally. I hope that some day we will be able to walk together hand in hand anywhere and everywhere without fear or prejudice, but all we are asking for right now are equal benefits.
* Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
You will become a hero to gays and lesbians President Obama. Please don’t let us down.
* Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
You can adopt children as same sex couples in Massachusetts, but you can’t adopt in many states still if you are involved in a same sex relationship. We do not try to adopt children in order to “recruit” and because many of us want children so much, we provide very stable, loving home environments.
* Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.”
There is a lot of pressure on President Barack Obama right now, but most of this pressure he has put upon himself. He has wasted no time getting to work and I can only dream of the success he has in the next four years. Barack Obama will be a President for the record books. I can’t imagine the things he will be able to accomplish. He has brought so much hope to many of us; I hope that President Obama is able to deliver. He has my support.
I can say but one thing to that, and that one thing is “YES.”
Here’s to the next four years!
I’ve been very impressed with his actions so far, and I’m usually pretty cynical when it comes to politics. I’m just hoping Rick Warren took his last trip to Washington for a while.