Spend anytime reading the comment sections on gay political sites and there is lots of vitriol for President Barack Obama. From DOMA to DADT, there is a palpable sense the Obama administration has turned its back to the  LGBT community. That is a fair reading few would dispute, even those who continue to support the White House. However, the Palm Center released a paper arguing DADT is still around because of conscious choices by gay activists.

Called “Self-Inflicted Wounds”, the report argues when chatter for Obama to sign a executive directive to get rid of DADT was at its peak,  “a network of gay and gay-friendly activists, journalists and politicos worked to derail the possibility of a suspension of the ban.” Aaron Belkin, the paper’s author, makes the case that instead of focusing on a two tier attack, pushing  the president and congress, the “gay and gay-friendly activists journalists and politicos” focused their attention solely on the legislative side of the DADT debate.

No names are listed but if you remember reporter Jason Bellini, in a Daily Beast video, hinted the Human Rights Campaign might have informed the White House the military ban should be worked on last, after the hate crimes bill (HRC head Joe Solmonese vigorously denied  the implications of Bellini’s reporting).

Belkin’s paper will get a lot of press, as it should. Hopefully it will also engender a conversation about the nature of leadership. Maybe it’s time for us to recognize that a diverse group such as the “gay community” is cannot put all of its eggs in a leadership basket. Some who we think speak for the community are essentially on the hunt for access to power. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you are looking for change you might need to look beyond groups like HRC.

Jason Bellini asks her about being out on the team and how she feels about her sport getting the axe.