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Loading ...Vanasco: Gay benefits press call clarifies…nothing
In advance of President Obama’s 5:45 remarks on extending limited benefits to gay federal workers, Director of Personnel Management John Berry spoke to the press and said….very little.
He seemed to be reading from a brief, prepared statement that recapped what we already know: OPM investigated which benefits could be extended to same-sex partners of federal employees that were not circumscribed by DOMA and it found two.1. Domestic partners of federal employees can be added to the long-term care insurance program and
2. Supervisors CAN be required to allow employees to use sick leave to take care of domestic partners and non-biological, non-adopted children. (Note the “can” there, which was in a Press Office fact sheet sent earlier in the day. Berry repeated the “can” in his statement but later, in response to a question, said providing this sort of sick leave would be mandatory.)
What’s not included?
The stuff that matters. Health insurance. Pension access. Survivor benefits. Life insurance. You know, the stuff that the majority of the Fortune 500 has been providing for years (as Berry helpfully pointed out). The stuff people actually want.
“This is a first step, not the final step,” Berry said. “It gets the federal house in order. It’s important to do – it’s practicing before preaching.”
Berry also said that a memo would be sent out to all Federal departments asking them to look for additional benefits they could extend, and instructing them that making employment decisions on the basis of anything other than job performance – including sexual orientation and gender identity - is not acceptable.
Unfortunately, as John Aravois of Americablog pointed out in a question, this guidance was already extended by Bill Clinton and was followed by George W. Bush. And the “benefits” are already provided by many supervisors at their discretion.
Berry, however, was not deterred in his optimism or support of the President. He said, “Gays and lesbians can be extremely proud that this president stands with us 100 percent on these core issues.”
Hmmm. This lesbian is skeptical. What would make a real difference? How about if the President in his 5:45 pm remarks today says one of these points laid out by blogger Lane Hudson:
1. Extending the full range of benefits (whatever they may include) to same sex partners of Federal employees in a lasting Executive Order. According to Chuck Todd of NBC News, a Presidential Memorandum will not last past his Presidency.
2. Calling on the Congress to immediately pass legislation that would extend the balance of benefits not able to be extended via Executive Order.
3. Announcing that he will instruct the Department of Justice not to defend section 3 of DOMA, which deals with Federal benefits, that is being challenged in a federal lawsuit by the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) in Massachusetts.
4. Signing an Executive order that bans employment discrimination against transgender persons in the Federal workforce.
5. Announcing a concrete path forward on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
6. Calling on Congress to pass the far too long delayed Employment Non-Discrimination Act and Federal Hate Crimes Legislation.
7. Urging Congress to include the Uniting American Families Act in immigration reform legislation to be considered this year.
8. Committing the National Institute of Health to undertake a new effort for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and the Department of Health and Human Services to commit to new efforts on prevention of HIV/AIDS.
For some reason, I’m not hopeful we’ll hear any of that.
“Thanks for nothing.” LGBT Community
We need to stay on them like white on rice. It’s clear, there is no Audacity and precious little Hope about this Administration and they won’t do a damned thing they’re not forced to do by the constant threat of losing significant parts of their constituency.
As a famous man once said ………
“THIS IS BOVINE FECAL MATERIAL”
And now, the LA Times is reporting that Gov. Schwarzenegger agrees that Prop 8 may violate the U. S. Constitution
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/schwarzenegger-proposition-8-may-violate-constitution.html
Will the man who campaigned on the Audacity of Hope be the last one to admit he is wrong about depriving GLBT people of full equality?
Thank goodness there’s somebody (Jennifer) who is willing and able to cut through the administration’s propaganda/doublespeak.
We in LGBT community need to lay off the President. First, there are many other much more important issues besides LGBT rights that he’s dealing w/ right now (such as major economic crisis and health care crisis). Second, many of things the writer calls on the President to do would cause him to both ignore and step out side the law. Our demoncracy is only preserved when the law is always obeyed the the appropriate steps are taken to change the law. Otherwise we have a dictatorship.
Wow…. this is absurd! I work for the “federal government” under the military…. does that exclude us!!!!
So why did we vote for him and why would we do that again? We helped him get into office with the idea “separate but equal’ was better than “nothing”. And yet, we still have nothing.
I have several questions.
1. If partners are to receive benefits, how is each “partnership” to be recognized?
2. If the federal government is going to recognize that we are in fact “partnered”, how will they justify recognizing some and not all?
3. Clinton saw to it that ‘Partners” of gay/lesbian foreign ambassadors get benefits, but not all the same and again, how will they recognize them?
4. If Neb. says it is OK for doctors to discriminate for any reason, leaving their oath behind, what will keep any other profession from following suit? This will only lead in the wrong direction. I would rather have separate but equal than have to use the separate “queer” only bathroom.
I can’t wait for Oct. 11. I will be the loud mouth out front venting decades of anger and frustration. I want the world to know I am over the dumb S**T excuses for treating any American citizens this way. I am over the religious right having ANY say in my life. How long is our population going to take this crap?
Is anyone surprised? We’re only convenient to get them elected. Then it’s back in to the closet until the next primary. Queers, the Democratic party’s dirty little secret.
@Ryan: Obviously, you’re straight and have never suffered anti-gay discrimination. If Obama has so much on his plate, how did he find time to have lunch with Nancy Reagan and have time to sign an EXECUTIVE order to set up a commission to enact a year-long celebration of noted homophobe Ronald Reagan’s 100 year since his birth. Too much on his plate, indeed!!
Okay, Ryan, answer me this, how much time do you think Mr. Obama spends micro-managing everything that comes across his desk? Do you think, maybe, that he has staff to handle all these niggling details? Presidents don’t need to do anything more than articulate a position and then delegate it. Do you think Mr. Obama is stupid? That something like the DOJ brief just sort of slipped through? He’s trying to have things both ways, and most of us are not falling for it this time. We’ve been burned too many times. Quit making the tired excuse that he’s too busy to do anything important for us. It took more time to carve out this piddling excuse for “benefits” than it would take for him to actually do something of substance for us. Enough is enough. As my grandfather would so earthily say, “Shit, or get off the pot.”
To Prof. Donald: 1. I am gay. 2. I lived in the closet many years b/c of anti-gay attitudes where I live and worked. 3. An executive order to honor a former President is hardly the same as an executive order to violate federal law as we know.
Our system of government is complicated and unfortunetly time consuming. To see real and lasting results takes time and a lot of behind the scenes work. Lasting change doesn’t happen in an executive order.
Scott: He was right to ask the DOJ to enforce the defense of marriage act. It is the law. The executives branches job is the enforce the law. If you want the law changed, write you congressional leaders, don’t blame the President.
Response to ryan: I hope I never would have to say this, but SHUT UP!.
If you are Gay and you are not DEMANDING that we receive full Federal civil rights (Repeal of DOMA, DADT and full access to all federal benfits for smae-sex, legally, civil-married or civil union couples…then you need to haveyour head examined.
The President is not too busy to follow the US Constitution and its guarantee of equal protection for all, including Gay Americans. There is only one thing worse tha Presidenet Obam and that is the hands-off Democrats in the House & the Senate…of which they are the majority. Which one of the Democrats have pushed legislation for the repeal of DOMA and DADT?
The ONLY way for Gay Americans to have our voices heard and our DEMANDS met is for ALL of us, to without ANY finANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE dEMOCRATIC pARTY AND FOR US TO BE UNWILLING TO VOTE forANY Democrat.
I for one have told my Democratic Senatores (one of which is up for re-election) that I will be voting republican until they pass legilslation to secure my equal rights. This is our only tool.
The Democrats cannot win an election without the votes and support from the Gay community, we represent 5-10% of the electorate an no Democrat (including Obama) can win without our support. Hispanics represent 15% of the electorate and Blacks 10%. Lets use our power. Dont be coddled anymore. Email the President, your Congresspeople and the Democratic Party.
These are our very civil rights we are talking about. if not now, when?
Dont tell me to be patient or wait any longer!