President Barack Obama's speech to the 3,000 people attending the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) national dinner on Oct. 10 was well-crafted and well delivered, but many believed it contained nothing that he did not say during the course of the campaign for that office.
It was only the second time a president had addressed a gay group. Bill Clinton addressed the HRC in 1997. Obama said he was ready to fight for LGBT equality.
â┚¬Å”I'm here with you in that fight,â┚¬Â Obama said.
â┚¬Å”It's important to remember that there is not a single issue that my administration deals with on a daily basis that does not touch on the lives of the LGBT community,â┚¬Â Obama said. â┚¬Å”I will end Don't Ask, Don't Tell.â┚¬ÂÂ
But the President stopped short of giving a timeline for that action. Many within the community argue that he has the authority to stop implementation of the discharges and suspend them under â┚¬Å”stop lossâ┚¬Â provisions until Congress repeals the law.
Obama also restated his support for equal rights for gay families, but he did not use the word â┚¬Å”marriageâ┚¬Â while speaking about LGBT families.
â┚¬Å”The president gave a speech he could have given at any point in the last three years,â┚¬Â said gay pundit Andrew Sullivan. â┚¬Å”No one in that room could disagree with any of the things he said.â┚¬ÂÂ
