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President Obama delivered a rousing speech Saturday night to the nation's largest gay rights group, praising the gay community for making strides in equal rights and pledging to deliver on major campaign promises that some say he's left on the back burner.
"For nearly 30 years, you've advocated for those without a voice," Obama said during his address at the dinner for the Human Rights Campaign. "Despite the progress we've made, there are still laws to change and hearts to open."
Obama's speech came as gay rights activists continued to lose patience over the lack of change to key issues for the gay community -- including the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. It comes on the eve of a major gays-rights rally in Washington.
Obama acknowledged the fact that many in the gay community don't believe government is moving fast enough to address their concerns.
"Many of you don't believe progress is happening. I want to be honest about that because it's important to be honest among friends," he said. "I said this before, I'll repeat it again, it's not important for me to tell you to be patient."
Obama said gay people, like other Americans, are affected by myriad concerns -- namely, the economy and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- and stressed that he's focusing on issues that affect the entire nation.
Originally posted by tothetenthpower
It seems Mr Obama is flip flopping in this issue again.
I know this subject has been debated to death, and this thread is not about advocating gay rights, it's about what Obama has promised to do and how he is going about changing these archaic laws and passing new ones which provide equal opportunity of mariage to all.
Originally posted by tothetenthpower
Obama does support gay marriage, he has said so on multiple occasions, such as in the article I linked...
The president said he backed the rights of gay couples, saying they should have the "same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country." He said he has urged Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and to pass the Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act.
Although Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, he is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, "I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."
Barack Obama did vote against a Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.
He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as letting individual states determine if marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be legalized.
# Opposes CA Prop. 8, one-man-one-woman marriage. (Jul 2008)
# Being gay or lesbian is not a choice. (Nov 2007)
# Decisions about marriage should be left to the states. (Oct 2007)
# Homosexuality no more immoral than heterosexuality. (Oct 2007)
# Ok to expose 6-year-olds to gay couples; they know already. (Sep 2007)
# Has any marriage broken up because two gays hold hands? (Aug 2007)
# We need strong civil unions, not just weak civil unions. (Aug 2007)
# Legal rights for gays are conferred by state, not by church. (Aug 2007)
# Disentangle gay rights from the word “marriage”. (Aug 2007)
# Gay marriage is less important that equal gay rights. (Aug 2007)
# Gay rights movement is somewhat like civil rights movement. (Aug 2007)
# Let each denominations decide on recognizing gay marriage. (Jul 2007)
# Pass ENDA and expand hate crime legislation. (Mar 2007)
# Opposed 1996 Illinois DOMA bill. (Mar 2007)
# Supports health benefits for gay civil partners. (Oct 2006)
# Opposes gay marriage; supports civil union & gay equality. (Oct 2006)
# Marriage not a human right; non-discrimination is. (Oct 2004)
# Include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination laws. (Jul 1998)