Subscribe to Breaking NewsVanasco: Where is Obama on Ill. civil unions?
The Pantagraph reports that Illinois’ civil unions bill, after passing a state House committee, was left to languish at the end of the session.
The bill is still alive, if barely: it can be passed anytime in the next two years.
It doesn’t really surprise me that the bill hasn’t moved this year. Despite neighboring Iowa’s fantastic move to full marriage equality, Illinois’ state legislature had other things to worry about, thanks to the corruption scandal surrounding Rod Blagojevich.
But let’s pause for a moment to consider this: Illinois is Obama’s home state. Obama has said – emphatically – that he is for civil unions, not marriage. And that he wants equal legal rights for gay and lesbian couples.
Why didn’t Obama lobby for the bill?
Why didn’t he say in a speech something like: “My own great state of Illinois is working now to further the equal rights of gay couples. I hope they pass the current civil unions bill.”
Why didn’t he call his former friends in the legislature, where he was a state senator, after all, and encourage them to do the right thing?
If he’s not for equal marriage – and he’s not (he prefers gays and lesbians to have “separate but equal” status instead) – why isn’t he trumpeting the recent passage of domestic partnerships in Nevada, or partnerships in Washington state?
Easy. It’s the same reason he hasn’t moved on the Defense of Marriage Act, and the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military ban (which the majority of Americans support) and why he likely won’t issue a supportive statement on the Uniting American Families Act that’s hitting Congress today.
Gays and lesbians are not his priority. Which is why the only “accomplishment” his administration could claim in proclaiming the White House’s support for Gay Pride month was this:
“I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration.”
Except – ooops – the Advocate reports that this isn’t true. President Clinton nominated Roberta Achtenberg as Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and Bruce Lehman as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, both within his first hundred days.
The White House’s response?
“President Obama remains the first president to have openly LGBT candidates confirmed by the Senate during the first 100 days of an Administration.”
OH, so he had a friendly Congress, so he was also able to get them confirmed quickly.
Call me crazy, but that doesn’t seem like “fierce” advocacy to me. And his silence on our issues means that the people of Illinois will need to keep waiting.
Let’s stop asking WHY he hasn’t done anything. We already KNOW the answer to the question.
Instead, let’s all send him our questions and comments (in a respectful manner hopefully)directly. A few million emails on our LGBT issues just might get through to him and his obstinance.
Use: http://www.whitehouse.gov
Where is Obama on any GLBT rites is rapidly becoming a redundant question. The answer seemingly is: wherever it is politically expedient.
Gutless wonder, he is only for himself. He could have spoken up for IL civil unions if he indeed were for civil unions. What is he really for, himself and whether is it politically safe for him.
I made a comment on change.org about anger.
“If angry is what you are looking for that is a devolution to the ferociousness of loathing many of us are feeling after feeling like we have been lied to. Once the churches over stepped their bounds and pushed to pass prop 8 as well as the adoption ban in AK, some of us were expecting these churches to, in the least, lose their tax exemption for violating the law. None, and not so much as a peep from Obama about it.”
If the UAFA fails yet again then what reason do I have for hope for the future, when I cant even find a sponsor for my fiance Ruben. Livid isn’t even the word that can describe my utmost disgust for this country and its policies. We shouldn’t have to wait until 90 percent of this country feels our lives have meaning before we get our long denied rights.
Hell not even 90 percent of the US likes African Americans, less than 70 percent feel women are equal to men. We have at lest 42 percent of the population behind us for marriage, 75 percent for repealing DADT, how many more people do we need? Even with that, It will be another moment in history when the federal supreme court upholds prop 8. They might not but considering their tract record of 5-4 on almost all issues, it is because of them that we have to pass two separate legislation’s just to be seen as a subject minority, despite nearly half a century of scientific research and thousands of scientist and doctors stating that blatantly state we are a minority subject to bigotry because of who we are.
When will our moronic politicians finally start listening to the science. One can have all the beliefs in the world. I dont care if they even believe that their founding religious leader spoke to Jesus and now sits at the left hand of their god, or met with an alien that planted H-bombs in volcanoes to bring life to earth, science is reality; it is fact. Theology is belief; it is opinion; it is not fact. It is time we start listening to the science for once. More importantly we listen to the scientist who can explain their finding, so people don’t take their research and run with it, like wonderful old James Dobson, or quack job Joseph Nicolosi.
>Why didn’t Obama lobby for the bill?
What a dead beat! I mean, it’s not like he’s got anything better to do.
Besides, W Bush and Clinton were very actively involved in the state politics of Texas and Arkansas after they became US President, so I totally don’t get what’s wrong with Obama?!
Don’t you get it Chris – we are 100% equal in terms of how much tax we pay! Maybe even MORE equal!
Now the intoxicating effects of the Obama KoolAid have worn off!! Hillary Clinton was always my candidate. She pushed through equal benefits for the families of gay diplomats.
The ONLY reason I voted for Barack Obama is the Supreme Court. If he can at least put people there who won’t set the gay civil rights movement back 50 years………
Gerry – seems he has MUCH better things to do – you know, like set up Ronald Reagan festivities, make jokes about gay protestors wanting his opinion on the Prop 8 decision… Seems Obama is content to take us for granted, if he is, he’ll sorely regret it.
Yes Obama is so busy, hosting poetry slams, going on dates with his wife, traveling to Muslim countries trying to kiss their a*ses, when they don’t even vote in America.
HomophObama has alot on his plate, he is clearly doing too much to even lift a f*cking finger to fulfill one of his many campaign promises to us.
As far as I am concerned I am voting for Gavin Newsom or Dick Cheney in the 2012 election, anyone-but-HomophObama will be fine with me.
It really looks bad for Obama when you have an ultra conservative republican, Ex VP Cheeney, coming out yesterday announcing his support for Gay Marriage. You also now have two top conservative republican Constitutional lawyers preparing to battle it out against California’s ban on same sex marriage. Governor Rell a conservative republican governor of Connecticut signed Same Sex Marriage into law this past year. Look at Iowa, an ultra conservative state that just legalized Same Sex Marriage. Civil Unions are passe Mr. President, they represent separate rights not equal rights, that’s why we now have five states that have legalized Same Sex Marriage and more states to follow that have realized this. It’s time you recognize and publicly announce that civil unions are not the way to equality, marriage is.
One more thing President Obama, get rid of DOMA and DADT. By doing that every American will be equal.
The Obama bashing is getting pretty old. Calling Obama a homophobe is ridiculous. However, I think Jennifer Vanasco asks some very valid questions in this piece. I personally expect Obama to come through on many of his promises for the GLBT. I never expected him to do so within the first 6 months of his presidency. Anyone who did expect that with all of the problems the country and world faces are just being arrogant. We need to do what WE CAN in OUR OWN communities to educate people and make our lives better. Stop relying on Obama to solve all of your problems!!
John no one is expecting Obama to solve the world’s problems in six months. But we do expect a president to recognize that civil unions are not equal to marriage. When you already have five states that have already legalized same sex marriage wouldn’t you want the support of your president on that?
The Pantagraph is in Central Illinois about 45 minutes from the Capital. In no way is it Southern Illinois…
Lamentable, but no different from what I expected of this administration. I voted for Obama and am glad I did. But if the LGBT community expects active advocacy of equality from the Democratic Party, we are dreaming.
Little by slowly, as a friend says. Is this slow pace just? No. Is it right? No. Is it even”Christian”? Of course not.
The Pantagraph is based in Bloomington-Normal, which is FAR from Southern Illinois linguistically, culturally, and geographically. It is a common misconception by people from Chicago and those from out-of-state that everything south of Chicago is Southern Illinois. That is the definition of Downstate. Please correct this error.