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.
Steve. I often wonder if those of you who bash Obama are republican shills, trying to get us to throw our votes away so the republicans can win. Let me assure you, I am not getting paid by anyone for anything I do in support of equal rights, unfortunately.
Have you read the resolution? While the proclamation did not mention DOMA directly, it did include: “These measures include…supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples”.
So, have you contacted Obama and your representatives and let them know how you feel? I have, on numerous occasions.
Here is what I sent Obama today:
“Thank you for your proclamation on LGBT Pride Month. I hope you will do more to hasten the repeal of DADT, as it teaches discrimination and only serves to perpetuate the prejudice it was designed to indulge.
Additionally, I must point out that Stonewall was not the birth of the gay equal rights movement.
The first public gay rights organization in the U.S. was shut down by the police in 1924, with the next one emerging in 1950. Stonewall was an important milestone, but not the birth of the gay equal rights movement in the U.S. The hard work and sacrifice of those who preceded Stonewall should not be forgotten.”
I also comment on several local straight newspapers, defending our rights against homophobes, as well as attending rallies and working on phone banks from time to time. Sorry if my efforts don’t measure up to your standards, but I’m doing more than most of the gay people I meet in social settings. Are you?
Many, if not most, of the Gays & Lesbians who voted for Obama knew that it was a log shot that he would support same-sex marriage or even same-sex unions. He is, after all, not Gay; add to that a plurality of Black males violently oppose Gay rights in any & all forms.
What we knew was that progress under Obama was 1000% more likely under Pres. Obama than under Pres. Palin … ::erh:: I mean, Pres. McCain.
the usual excuse is “he’s got a lot on his plate.”
it should ALL be on his plate. not just what he thinks he can swallow…
and i’m not just talking about lgbtq issues. they are leaving out a lot of important issues because they consider them not expeditious.
Steve: I understand why you and everyone else is angry. However, I see Obama doing great things for us in our future. I haven’t lost hope for his promises. Just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean that it’s not going to happen. I think people have the right to be impatient, and angry that he isn’t doing enough. We have to deal with being subclass citizens every day of our lives while we wait for politicians to do something. However, I think going to the lengths of calling Obama a homophobe is ludicrous.
Anyone want to take a bet on whether equalnotspecial is a paid shill?
@equalnotspecial
Stop propagandizing for Obama. I refuse to laud him as the great liberator of gay people merely by being not as bigoted a Bush. That is NOT the standard for a Democratic president. Issuing a pride proclamation is a matter of course for a Democrat. He gets no special pat on the head for not being a bigot about it. And don’t condescend to me about contacting representatives. Legislation doesn’t just appear on the president’s desk out of nowhere. It takes pressure from the White House to get it passed, and this White House is doing NOTHING to advance ANY of our legislation. NOTHING.
@Chris
Obama actually has used words. He has belittled marriage equality–while refusing to endorse it–by joking about getting a same-sex marriage. I’m not sure what he thinks gives him the right to make fun of same-sex couples, but it suggests to me a level of cluelessness that is completely inconsistent with his rhetoric.
Obama won’t speak up for gays because he doesn’t want to. Until his actions show otherwise, I see him as no different than Rick Warren or any number of others who can smile to our faces while they use the distraction to stick a dagger in our backs. I’m supposed to be grateful and scrape the ground because Obama doesn’t go gay-baiting in DC and incite Congress to further homophobic acts? How ’bout a big HELL NO.
Hillary? That train already left. The DNC screwed the pooch with the bullshit around the Michigan and Florida primaries. The Party’s actions closer to the convention certainly fall in the range of torpedoing one candidate at the expense of another–and the Dems took a big hit among women and moderates because of that.
The President isn’t obliged to weigh in on events in his/her home state, but it’s not unknown. Presidents routinely attend fundraisers in their home states–fundraisers intended to affect outcomes in local and state issues. So I don’t want any more apologiae about how busy The Chosen One is. I voted for him, I think he’s doing at least a B+ job on the economy, defintely an A for effort. I’m relieved that his presence as our head of state is soothing to the countries we spent eight years offending. But.
But? He summarily ignores us, except to offer up some platitudes that ring as hollow as Reagan’s “support” for HIB research. Obama does nothing for us, but we did a lot to put him in that house. As a black man in the US, he has no right to discuss the moral and cultural consequences of discrimination AND THEN PROCEED TO DISCRIMINATE. Doing so destroys any moral authority he could ever aspire to having.
I’m not interested in excuses. Obama can lead on all fronts, for all Americans, or he can be prepared to move out in 2012.
It’s important to remember that even if you consider words to be very important, Obama has NOT used them when they would have been the most important to hear. He did not make any WOTHWHILE statement regarding Prop 8 when it originally went up for a vote, he STILL has made no statement about the CA Supreme Court decision about Prop 8, he hasn’t even called upon passage of Civil Unions in places where it is going up for a vote (like NH today) – even though that is his stated position. Lets face it, any Democratic President elected these days had BETTER issue a GLBT proclamation if they want to even consider getting that vote when up for reelection. Just because Bush wouldn’t do it (and we all knew he wouldn’t, because HIS supporters don’t want him to) and because Obama did (and we all knew he would, because HIS supporters want him to) does not make this some great big grand gesture anymore – we are beyond that – we are beyond words – we want ACTION! Enough with the talk, enough with teh damn studies -nothing new is going to be revealed – tehse are stalling tactics and for political expediency – nothing more.
Steve. Remember that Bush not only refused to sign a proclamation, he and many other republicans supported changing the constitution to enshrine discrimination into the law. Bush also refused to sign the UN resolution calling for the end of criminalizing being gay, and Obama has signed it. Yes, actions speak louder than words, but words are important. Not issuing a proclamation would be much more insulting than stating support. Obama cannot repeal legislation passed by the congress. Only congress can repeal legislation. If congress passes any pro gay legislation and Obama vetoes it, then I will join everyone who wants to bash Obama, but until then, I’ll continue to contact him and encourage him to do more for our community. I hope you have contacted your representatives and senators as well as Obama, urging them to move on repeal of DADT and the other pro-gay bills as well.
@equalnotspecial
I second Chris’s comment. Issuing a “proclamation” with a lot of empty words does nothing but add insult to injury. And it doesn’t even include one word about repealing DOMA–a campaign promise was clearly never anything but a baldface lie. What administration genius thought this pathetic crumb of a proclamation would be anything other than intelligence-insulting?
@John Kozlik
Stop making excuses for Obama. There is absolutely no basis whatsoever for your claim that his “strategy is to get us as many rights as he can without losing very much political power.” I voted for him, supported him, and contributed huge amounts to his primary and general election campaigns, but I don’t worship him or make excuses for him when he throws the gay community under the bus, as he is obviously doing. If he has time to escort Nancy Reagan around the White House and sign bills honoring her dead husband, he has time to work on gay-rights promises. He has strategically decided to do NOTHING. It’s Bill Clinton’s third term, which is appalling given that a decade’s worth of hard work and progress at the state and local levels ought to count for something with this backstabbing crew.
Yeah, yeah, yeah – we all got the “proclamation” and all it comes down to is a bunch of feel good words so he can say he is doing something. But words are not deeds and we’re growing tired of his mere words. He needs to actually DO something.
While I am disappointed Obama hasn’t done more, he did sign a gay pride proclamation, stating once again his support for equal rights. No republican would have done that. Yes, he needs to do more, especially to get congress to repeal DADT so he can sign it, and the congress needs to do more, but most republicans are actively working against us, while most democrats are in support. As JRjr said, contact the white house. Also contact your representatives. The Christian Reich is doing it, we must speak out to counter those voices of intolerance.
This is from the pride proclamation:
“At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.”
@Mark and Michael -
You both are right, of course! I’m showing my fomer-Chicagoan biases here. fixing now.
Zac: I agree. He is a politician and he has to balance in order to get his agenda pushed through and get re-elected. However, I believe deep down he is for for marriage rights. He does not want to lose support from moderates. Right now I believe his strategy is to get us as many rights as he can without losing very much political power. The Obama bashing needs to stop. We need to continue to expect him to follow through on his promises.