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Loading ...Michelle Obama speaks to GLBT delegates
(Denver) Michelle Obama spoke today in front of a gathering of LGBT delegates which included Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank, and other GLBT leaders from around the country.
“We want to make our nation a place where everyone gets a shot regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation,” she said. “You in this room are setting the tone for everything we’re doing this week.”
Obama spoke about the progress LGBT’s have made. She noted that 88 years ago this week, women won the right to vote, and 45 years ago this week, Martin Luther King, Jr. made his famous “I have a Dream” speech.
“It’s been five years since Lawrence v. Texas and 39 since Stonewall, and we’ve still got work to do before we achieve equality,” she said, to loud applause.
She ran through her husband’s actions on behalf of equality: including supporting the Ryan White CARE Act, and helping pass an employment non-discrimination act in Illinois. He also voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, she noted.
“We know what the world should look like,” she said. “We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like, and we have to close those gaps until the world as it is and the world as it should be are one and the same.
This is the second time Michelle Obama has spoken to an LGBT audience. In June at a New York fundraiser, she said that her husband is committed to LGBT equality.
Today, Michelle Obama called for LGBT inclusion in hate crimes bills, an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and eliminating Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
She also called for the delegates to work together to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, but believes marriage is between a man and a woman.
“Discrimination has no place in a nation founded on the promise of equality,” she said, receiving a standing ovation.
There are almot 300 openly gay delegates at this Democratic National Convention, 41 percent more than four years ago.
“We want to make our nation a place where everyone gets a shot regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation,” she said. “You in this room are setting the tone for everything we’re doing this week.”
Obama spoke about the progress LGBT’s have made. She noted that 88 years ago this week, women won the right to vote, and 45 years ago this week, Martin Luther King, Jr. made his famous “I have a Dream” speech.
“It’s been five years since Lawrence v. Texas and 39 since Stonewall, and we’ve still got work to do before we achieve equality,” she said, to loud applause.
She ran through her husband’s actions on behalf of equality: including supporting the Ryan White CARE Act, and helping pass an employment non-discrimination act in Illinois. He also voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, she noted.
“We know what the world should look like,” she said. “We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like, and we have to close those gaps until the world as it is and the world as it should be are one and the same.
This is the second time Michelle Obama has spoken to an LGBT audience. In June at a New York fundraiser, she said that her husband is committed to LGBT equality.
Today, Michelle Obama called for LGBT inclusion in hate crimes bills, an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and eliminating Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
She also called for the delegates to work together to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, but believes marriage is between a man and a woman.
“Discrimination has no place in a nation founded on the promise of equality,” she said, receiving a standing ovation.
There are almot 300 openly gay delegates at this Democratic National Convention, 41 percent more than four years ago.
I can’t believe I have to explain this…. Barack Obama does believe in gay marriage. So does Hillary. But at this time, no democrat can be elected if he publicly says he is for gay marriage. With the huge Evangelical base out there he simply can’t be elected. So he must say he is for civil unions. I am shocked that you can’t figure this out and that you would even consider not voting for him. Do you not care what happens to the supreme court? If you don’t vote and McCain gets elected, the Supreme Court is screwed and we will pay for it probably for the rest of our lives. In the not too distant future a candidate will be able to openly support full gay marriage. Until then, I hope that you understand why Obama has this position and vote for him. If elected, I think he will be incredible for our community.
So, fine, Obama would probably be the best for our community. Who can argue that with such weak choices in the first place. But he has to run the free world, clearly a higher bar than our needs!!!!
Not really pertinent to this election, I still wonder given Bud’s comments about Republican judges advancing our rights, what happened to the real conservative movement? Remember small government, focus only on the welfare, safety and prosperity of our citizens, let the states handle the rest? That type of conservative movement is what we need. It would end the anti-choice argument…a conservative government wouldn’t be involved…it would end the marriage argument…a conservative government would let the constitution via the courts decide….it would make us focus on the energy and climate crises as an extension of the protect your citizens prosperity and well being theory. This is why republican appointed judges have ruled in our favor…but only when the appointer is a conservative, not what we have today.
So now we get Alito and Roberts…appointed by not just a republican conservative, but a religious idealog. He is OK with a Catholic court because he knows they will vote with the Pope whith whom his values are mostly aligned….and are none too conservative if you really analyze them….wants to be in everyone’s bedroom, doctors office and classroom.
This really isn’t about conservative or republican..its about religious idealogy and the appalling fact that those idealogs have taken over the conservative movement and the republican party.
I guess what it tells me is that any political movement will sell itself out to gain or maintain power, so we shouldn’t be voting for the party, but the individual. The democrats are no different in this regard.
When looking at the two individuals running, for vastly different reasons, I can’t support either. That leaves me voting for the libertarian so that at least my vote will count…towards establishing a true multi party system.
Don’t panic, I live in Mass….no threat to your Messiah, he’ll win here by a landslide.
That’s right Ari R…. This year is all about the swing vote. Yes Obama is a gamble… but that is MUCH better than the sure thing the fundies want. I would much rather have Dennis Kucinich on the ballot but hey he is not a choice anymore. Sure I could write him in to prove my point to Obama. In the end we can all protest, vote for whoever we want (isn’t that the great thing about this country in the first place). We cann cast our vote for whoever will NEVER throw us under the bus. But, at the end of the day, are we cutting off our noses to spite our face. Don’t get me wrong, I’m gritting my teeth and holding back most of my thoughts when I show support for Obama. But I feel like the LGBT community should not have to wait 4 more years to get our crumbs so that I can prove my point. I’m with you Bud on the 1M 1W thing and the questionable associates… I would have rather had Obama say he was my friend in spite of his views than say I didn’t know. But I would rather take a gamble with him than leave it up to everyone else to decide. Unfortunately, we are yet again a pawn in the chess game of politics.
Yes, I have thought about not voting this year. But, after much thought, I realized I would only be hurting myself. Even if Obama looses, he is still married to the one he loves, with full protection for his family under the law… and here I am in NC and I can visit my partner in the hospital (as long as she is conscious to put me on the list). BTW… My partner is in the military…. scary
Here we go again! I cannot understand why some in the LGBT community want EVERYTHING now. We first must work for those things that we know are attainable and then move on to the next step. That’s exactly how I worked with my parents and siblings to get them to understand why LGBT Americans want the same things that they take for granted. Believe me, my family and straight friends have become more aware of our issues. Open dialogues with others on why we need job protections and passage of hate crime legislation. Having lived through the sixties and seventies, the last thing we need is an “in-your-face” confrontation on issues of concern to us. Standing our ground we must but we must always listen to what others have to say.
What we are highly likely to get with an Obama presidency and control of Congress (we need a filibuster proof 60 in the Senate) is *NOT* *CRUMBS*: ENDA (possibly with transgendered protections…Barney Frank’s working on it), an end to DADT, repeal of DOMA, and support for states to continue the civil-unions/marriage experiment unimpeded by federal interference. And quite possibly more.
If you must have gay marriage, then please vote for someone else (but not McCain!); I support you in your right to do that. But it’s very disingenuous to describe Obama’s gay-rights platform as “crumbs” just because one item that you want is not on the list and you think it should be.
I object to the extreme rhetoric (on both the right AND the left), because it distorts facts and makes having a constructive dialogue almost impossible. As we used to say in a company I used to work for: it generates more heat than light.
Bud Evans needs to sit down and shut up. Obviously history means nothing to him. Civil rights do not come all at once – they never have. While we all want full recognition and equality, if he would educate himself with the true stance of Obama/Bidden he will see that they are offering full recognition – you know the 1200 rights we are denied…we’ll get them, we’ll get fairness in the tax laws we are denied today, we’ll get medical, social security and other righs denied today. Does he endorse calling it Marriage – who really cares if it carries the same weight. He needs to bridge the gap and whether you like it or not, we still have a large portion of the population that do not feel we deserve to be equal and if calling it Civil Unions gives us the same rights that too eventually will change and no one will care because we’ll be equal.
The fact is that all politics is incremental. Being too idealistic and inflexible is a roadmap for consistent failure. When our GLBT “leadership” pushed too aggressively for gay marriage without the incremental growth from domestic partnerships/civil unions into marriage – dozens of states adopted anti-gay marriage laws. Talk about cutting your nose to spite your face. The same thing with ENDA and the trans community. Change and growth can happen, but you have to be smart about how you got about it as well.
I want to hear OBAMA say it.
Both Clintons did. Gore did. Michelle did. So what. I want to hear OBAMA say he would’ve let me serve, will repeal DOMA and recognize my Canadian MARRIAGE, will enact ENDA. I want to hear OBAMA say I am equal.
The acceptance speech is online. Visiting my partner in the hospital and not being discriminated against is all he thinks I deserve. BULLROAR. That is crap. McCain will go that far.
Did she even mention the word “trans” ? WHy not just speak to GLB delegates than?
“Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, but believes marriage is between a man and a woman. ‘Discrimination has no place in a nation founded on the promise of equality,’ she said, receiving a standing ovation.”
Does this woman and her husband understand the words “honesty” and “integrity”? It is deeply disgusting to hear, especially from her, yet another promotion of “separate but equal”. Shame on her and her husband! Barak Obama so far has come across as fiery, but shallow and insencere.
Ok, let me start by saying Tuesday night was the single happiest moment of my life. The level of grief and despair I felt on 9/11 was exactly opposite of the level of joy and jubilation I felt on 11/4/08. My only wish was that my mother who passed away at the turn of this century could have seen this with me.
My world was brightened and saddened the next day…How could the same people who received, and I might add, sometimes without request, the assistance of other minorities. Then turn around in the very same breath of celebration, take a vote that deliberately discriminates another American minority. It defies all I ever believed.
I am an African born, American raised LESBIAN. So unfortunately I’m a dual minority. So while I revel in the victory that epitomized the ultimate dream that the Rev. Martin Luther King had for my people. I weep at the opportunity that those same people, swiftly swung the hammer of discrimination at my ‘other’ people, the proud yet persecuted LGBT community. Bayard Rustin had to divide his loyalty equally. I do not have to, do not mistake my skin color with where my loyalty lies. My humanity says I’m a LESBIAN who happens to be ethnic.
So “Black America” I’m done fighting for your rights. The only category I will lend my loyalty to going forward will be HUMAN RIGHTS. Since you’ve announced loudly your decision to seperate yourselves from the notion of all humans getting freedom, you now have joined the equivalent of those that kept you oppressed and persecuted. I weep for “Black America’s” demise, while vowing the rise of my own commitment to seeing the rights of the LGBT communities be elevated to where we should be and not where we are.