6.24.09 Editor’s Desk

I love this President.

Maybe coming after a Kennedy or Clinton, I’d feel differently. But on the heels of George W. Bush, it’s warmly reassuring to sense that our Commander-in-Chief is a sentient being, up to the challenges of the times.

I love the intelligence and confidence he has projected in the midst of a financial meltdown. I love that he reached out to Muslims worldwide, quoting the Koran. I love that he hasn’t been baited into W-style macho posturing in response to recent events in Iran.

So the events of last week were dismaying, to say the least. First, his Justice Department submitted a noxious brief defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and thus the right of states and the federal government to ignore same-sex unions. Then President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum extending some benefits to federal LGBT employees, but not the most significant one: healthcare for domestic partners.

During his campaign, Senator Obama promised to lead the repeal of DOMA. It was reported that he did not see the brief before it was issued, and was furious when he did. He should’ve been.

In arguing that states need not recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, the brief characterizes DOMA as neutral (meaning non-discriminatory) and dusts off cases ruling states are similarly not compelled to recognize marriages between cousins or an uncle and a niece deemed legal in other states.

In a much-quoted letter to President Obama, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese described the reaction of many gays and lesbians. “I cannot overstate the pain that we feel as human beings and as families when we read an argument, presented in federal court, implying that our own marriages have no more constitutional standing than incestuous ones.”
And while positive in effect, Obama’s memorandum was confusing and tone deaf. Describing it as “just a start,” it acknowledged that important benefits were left on the table because “my administration is not authorized by existing Federal law (meaning DOMA) to provide same-sex couples with the full range of benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.”

Many are demanding a complete reboot of the LGBT attitude toward Obama. Supporters with deep pockets are boycotting an upcoming Democratic fundraiser in protest. Some are even calling for a national LGBT March on Washington in October, with Obama’s perceived betrayal as the galvanizing force.

Certainly this last strategy is ill-conceived. Viewed as a glass half-full, last week President Obama: extended important benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees while endorsing legislation that would be all-inclusive; called on Congress to repeal DOMA; and ordered the U.S. Census Bureau to release data on same-sex married couples in the 2010 census.

That said, recent events should be a wake-up call for  President Obama to create a clear and consistent path toward fulfilling his promises. He should immediately create a presidential commission that includes members of Congress and the military to reconsider and ultimately overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—a law with which a majority of Americans now disagree. He should order the Department of Health and Human Services to expedite an end to the HIV immigration ban. And he should push Congress to pass the languishing Employment Non Discrimination Act, creating meaningful and broadly supported federal protections.

Most importantly, he must map out his strategy on DOMA. It is up to Congress to repeal this heinous endorsement of second-class citizenship. In the challenging current environment, this is clearly not President Obama’s top priority. But he should make it clear, with every action and every word, that this is a goal of his administration.

And what should we do? Exactly what we’re doing: hold the President to his promises and react vocally and meaningfully when his administration strays from its goal of full equality for all Americans.

In the words of LGBT super blogger Wayne Besen, we must remind Obama that “when poetry does not translate into policy, and hope turns hollow, the American people will begin to tune him out.”

I hope that day never comes. I still love this President and desperately want him to succeed, for the good of our country and the world.