Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-09-06
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Obama disappoints at LGBT fundraiser
Posted June 24, 2011
by Lisa Keen, Keen News Service
2011-06-29

This article shared 5839 times since Wed Jun 29, 2011
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


An audience of about 600 people gave President Obama money Thursday night at an LGBT fundraising event in New York City for the Obama 2012 campaign.

In return, President Obama gave them a fairly routine campaign speech, with a few LGBT-specific references to his administration's many accomplishments benefiting the LGBT community.

However, a White House pool report said the audience's reaction to Obama's speech was "polite," even "tepid" at times, and that it was interrupted several times by "hecklers" asking Obama to say something in support of same-sex marriage.

Also please see related story at www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=32486

The speech appeared to leave some LGBT activists uneasy about the president's failure to speak out strongly in favor of marriage equality in New York when the state senate was on the verge of passing a bill to guarantee marriage equality for same-sex couples.

A number of activists staged a demonstration outside the event, held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, urging Obama to support marriage equality.

Instead, Obama said only that he believes gay couples deserve "the same legal rights" and benefits as straight couples.

Obama has, since the 2008 campaign, spoken in favor of allowing gay couples to obtain benefits through civil unions, but he has repeatedly stopped short of endorsing equality through marriage.

He said June 23 that he has always believed that "discrimination because of somebody's sexual orientation or gender identity ran counter to who we are as a people, and it's a violation of the basic tenets on which this nation was founded."

"I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country," he said.

He noted that his administration "ordered federal agencies to extend the same benefits to gay couples that go to straight couples wherever possible," an apparent reference to the federal Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

"That's why we're going to keep fighting until the law no longer--—"

The president was interrupted briefly, as members of the audience began shouting out "Marriage!"

According to the White House transcript of the event, the President acknowledged the interruption and said he "anticipated" somebody might bring up the issue.

He then said, "That's why we're going to keep on fighting until the law no longer treats committed partners who've been together for decades like they're strangers."

However, according to other news reports, some in the audience repeatedly beckoned Obama to say something in support of marriage. Instead, he highlighted his support for ending the federal ban on recognition of same-sex marriage.

"I have long believed that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ought to be repealed. It was wrong. It was unfair," continued Obama, to applause. "And since I taught constitutional law for a while, I felt like I was in a pretty good position to agree with courts that have ruled that Section 3 of DOMA violates the Constitution. And that's why we decided, with my attorney general, that we could no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts."

More accurately, the administration decided in February not to defend DOMA in all federal courts as meeting all levels of constitutional scrutiny.

Obama did acknowledge the critical fight for marriage equality legislation in New York and noted that, "traditionally marriage has been decided by the states." But rather than throw his support behind passage of that bill, Obama said only that the New York legislature "is doing exactly what democracies are supposed to do."

Evan Wolfson, head of the national Freedom to Marry group, told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell that he was disappointed in the president's remarks.

"It's really what he didn't say tonight that left a gap and left many people still unsatisfied," said Wolfson. "The president did not come out forthrightly in support of the freedom to marry.…It's really time for the president to join the majority of Americans who now support the freedom to marry."

Obama highlighted a number of his administration's accomplishments for the LGBT community Thursday night, including passage of a federal hate crimes law, passage of a bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," regulations requiring hospitals receiving federal funds allow visitation for gay partners, and the development of a comprehensive national plan to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The White House pool report indicated the audience gave Obama a standing ovation.

Democratic National Committee treasurer Andrew Tobias, the openly gay founder of the Obama campaign's LGBT Leadership Council, which sponsored the event, did not respond by deadline to indicate how much was raised. However, according to Bloomberg News, tickets were $1,250, suggesting about $750,000 was raised.

�2011 Keen News Service. All rights reserved.


This article shared 5839 times since Wed Jun 29, 2011
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

COMMENTARY Pope Francis permits blessings of same-gender couples on a case-by-case basis
2023-10-04
Pope Francis affirms the spiritual value of blessings of same gender couples in Church sanctioned ceremonies on a case-by-case basis when judged pastorally appropriate. In a letter, released by the Vatican on Oct. 2, Francis states ...


Gay News

Chicago Ald. Ray Lopez running for Chuy Garcia's Congressional seat
2023-10-04
Openly gay Chicago Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) declared his candidacy for Congress against progressive leader and incumbent U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia—setting up a March 2024 Democratic primary showdown ...


Gay News

Former Illinois GOP chair joins Personal PAC board
2023-10-03
Former Illinois Republican Party chair Pat Brady has joined the board of Personal PAC, a pro-choice organization, Politico Illinois Playbook reported. The move is considered controversial within the Republican Party ...


Gay News

GLAAD responds to Pope Francis' statement allowing blessing for same-sex couples
2023-10-02
--From a press release - (Monday, October 2, 2023) GLAAD, the world's largest l LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to Pope Francis' groundbreaking statement allowing blessings on same-sex unions. According to New Ways Ministry ...


Gay News

Gavin Newsom chooses Black queer activist to fill Feinstein's Senate seat
2023-10-02
California Gov. Gavin Newsom—fulfilling a promise to appoint a Black woman to the seat—tapped queer Democratic strategist Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate post held by the trailblazing Dianne Feinstein, who died on Sept. 29, The ...


Gay News

Support group for LGBT widows and widowers unites members in grief
2023-09-30
In May of 2016, C. Russell Bond of Wilmette founded a Meetup.com monthly support group for LGBT widows and widowers. The group's most recent September meeting happened to fall one day after an anniversary date with ...


Gay News

Groundbreaking U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein passes away at 90
2023-09-29
Dianne Feinstein—the oldest member of the U.S. Senate and the longest-serving senator from California—has passed away at age 90. Feinstein had planned to retire at the end of her 2024 term, according to CNBC. Shecast her ...


Gay News

GLAAD: GOP primary debate includes question on anti-LGBTQ+ violence, candidates duck
2023-09-28
--From a press release - GLAAD: "Instead of addressing the critical issue of the safety and rights of all Americans, GOP primary candidates ignored the rise in violence and hateful rhetoric aimed at the LGBTQ community and our allies. Several chose ...


Gay News

WORLD African efforts, HIV in Amsterdam, Donatella Versace, 'The Queen in Me'
2023-09-28
A new attempt to prevent the recognition of and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people in Kenya through a constitutional amendment has been introduced in Parliament, The Washington Blade reported. The move was in response to this ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Bisexual politicians, DADT, NBJC awards, crimes, Buttigieg
2023-09-28
For Bi Visibility Day (Sept. 23), The Advocate ran a piece titled "35 Bisexual Politicians You Should Know." Just a few on the list include trans Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, Nevada Assemblymember Cecelia Gonzalez, U.S. ...


Gay News

New report: Attacks on LGBTI rights strongly associated with democratic backsliding globally
2023-09-27
--From a press release - A new report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that countries that are highly accepting of LGBTI people tend to have high levels of liberal democracy, such as free and fair elections ...


Gay News

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes some LGBTQ+ measures and approves others
2023-09-25
For California's LGBTQ+ community, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has made things interesting over the last few days. Late last week, Newsom vetoed three progressive measures—including an unexpected rejection of a ...


Gay News

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes some LGBTQ+ measures and approves others
2023-09-26
For California's LGBTQ+ community, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has made things interesting over the last few days. Late last week, Newsom vetoed three progressive measures—including an unexpected rejection of a ...


Gay News

Arrests, fights punctuate battles across Canada over gender diversity in schools
2023-09-21
Arrests were reported in the Canadian cities of Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver and Victoria, among others, on Sept. 20 as opposing groups clashed on how schools address issues of gender identity and how teachers refer to transgender ...


Gay News

WORLD French fund, mausoleum, Abrazo Grupal, Biden, Billie Jean King
2023-09-21
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced a fund to help promote the rights of LGBTQ+ people, French24 reported. She made the announcement at the 15th anniversary of an LGBTQ+ group at the United Nations at the ...


 


Copyright © 2023 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS






Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.