+Update: The president's memorandum will not grant same-sex couples health insurance or retirement benefits, and gay organizations are not happy.According to the Associated Press: "President Barack Obama, under growing criticism for not seeking to end the ban on openly gay men and women in the military, is extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees." This move comes after mounting anger at his administration for back-tracking on a number of promises made to the gay community during his campaign, most notably the promise to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Perhaps President Obama is responding to the fact that:
Gay marriage may be supplanting race as the hot button issue of our time. As members of the black community, which includes gay members, we have watched this debate develop into an issue that mixes civil rights arguments and questions of morality. With the Obama administration's latest decision, we see that in the end, the gay rights issue will be resolved in part by plain old politics. Obama needed the support of the gay community to get elected, and he must appease this group to keep its financial backing. Despite the intellectual, emotional and legal complexities of the gay rights controversy, in the end this battle in the war was won by the almighty dollar.
Latest Obama Photos
U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak shake hands in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington after their meeting in the Oval Office June 16, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak walk after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington after their meeting in the Oval Office June 16, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington after their meeting in the Oval Office June 16, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak enter the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington after their meeting in the Oval Office June 16, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (L) shake hands during joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington after their meeting in the Oval Office June 16, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak walk away from the Rose Garden news conference at the White House in Washington, June 16, 2009. The two leaders have working lunch scheduled at the Old Family Dining Room at the White White. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak walks away from the Rose Garden news conference at the White House in Washington, June 16, 2009. The two leaders have working lunch scheduled at the Old Family Dining Room at the White White. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (L) depart after a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, June 16, 2009. The two leaders have working lunch scheduled at the Old Family Dining Room at the White White. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak walk out of the Oval Office after their meeting at the White House in Washington June 16, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) looks on as South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speaks during joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington after their meeting in the Oval Office June 16, 2009. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES POLITICS)
Reuters
It was the right thing to do for gay fundraisers to use the power at their disposal to create this result. Dr. King in his 'Letter From Birmingham Jail' noted:
My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.
Organized, non-violent pressure is the American way of pressing for our ideals. I hope that as members of a community that has fought for equality under law, we can support this small step towards civil rights for gay citizens. I hope we can concur with Thurgood Marshall's wise statement, quoted by King in his letter: "Justice too long delayed is justice denied."
Leave your thoughts on this battle, and this movement, below.
Talk about it on the Black Voices boards!
Comments: (33)
Add a comment
By: CJ on 6/17/2009 1:48PM
Obama and the DNC have completely abandoned gay Americans, and somehow this tiny, insignificant gesture is supposed to win us back?
They are perfectly capable of repealing DADT and DOMA, and enacting a federal ENDA. If they fail to accomplish this by 2010, they won't have earned our votes. And I for one will be voting for a moderate Republican--since their stance on gay rights won't be any different than the current one we see from the President and Congress.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Will J on 6/20/2009 8:54AM
I'm an African American male and Bi Sexaul and I voted for Obama and I must admit that Obama seems to have flat out lied to the gay community and as much as I want to love him, I'm starting to think hes up to old world politics that someone will say something to get elected then once elected just keep saying change takes time no what takes change is persavierance and honesty not politics.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: s. smith on 6/20/2009 8:13PM
Exactly what are you saying Pres Obama lied about?
Report This
By: Michael Woods on 6/20/2009 9:33AM
The Holy Bible defines marriage between a man and woman. The US Constitution recognizes a marriage between a woman and man. Granting same sex union benefits does not erase the fact that God looks at homosexuality as sin. This sin’s orgin is from mankind refusing to keep God in their knowledge so he turned them over to a reprobate man. So what’s next we going to allow couples who are not married a traditional man and woman to have the same rights. I am an African American I voted for Obama but this is an insult to American traditional family. Gays have the right to live the way they want to but do not force us Christians to believe that your life style is not sin. Also why do gays try to use the civil right that our people died for to make them equal to us. We were born African American. Gays are not born that way they become that way. God does not hate gays but he hate the sin such as fornication, stealing, bearing false witness, and hating.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Bishop Zachary Jones on 6/20/2009 11:08AM
Dear Mr. Woods:
A couple of things you need to research further and that is people felt that Black Americans were sinners for reading, marring and demanding to be counted as humans. Don't allow your lack of information about the scriptures as do many other people rule your better judgement. I would recommed a book called "Loving Somone Gay" if open to it. It is also not wise to say who is born a certain way unless you are gay yourself. It's more than just getting your freak on-that's not what being gay is about...
Report This
By: Duane on 6/23/2009 5:28PM
Mr. Woods you are 100% right ! Bishop Jones you need to go back and research Scriptures. There is NOTHING in the Holy Bible that mentions a Gay Life Style is ok. Don't try and turn the scriptures around ! IT is plain old SIN . . . .
Report This
By: Iris Lofton on 6/20/2009 7:52PM
God made Adam and Eve if He wanted man and man or woman and woman He would have made the world that was. God said you are an abomination in His sight. So don't get mad at Obama for doing according the what God has told him to do. Sin is sin whether it the gay act or Christians being disobedance. All these women and men changing the way they was born is going to suffer for misusing the body they was born with. Come on people seek "JESUS" while He is able to be found. Can't never figure out why a man or woman want to be like that anyway. To see them is really sick and if they knew what they look like they would run to the arms of "JESUS". Only thing they need is a makeover with "JESUS" what rights they really don't have any.
Report This
By: Mikaliah Trowers on 6/21/2009 12:45AM
your right about it being a sin but if YOU are not apart of it what does it have to do with you? i am Christan and im not homosexual if a man wants to be gay thats HIS flaw with god not yours. I belive that by banding homosexuality we are banding some one right to not follow there own path weather christian or not.
Report This
By: David Carter on 6/20/2009 10:23AM
Bad move. I am opposed to same sex-unions on moral grounds. Also, I see this as an end-around attempt to sanction openly homosexual (gender having no bearing on the title) individuals in the military, since there to are Federal Employees. Nice try Mr. President!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: ExcelView2 on 6/24/2009 9:23PM
I agree that the majority of Americans who are opposed to this unmoral life style need to pray and vote for the people who do want a moral lifestyle. Let us take back each and every state for Traditional Marriage between a man and women. We must teach our children and like David who went against Goliath. Stop taking a back seat. When this is so vital to our rights.
Report This