
Last night Obama went to the HRC gala fundraiser (minimum $225 a plate) and gave the same speech he has been giving to the gays since 2007.
He said he is committed to ending DADT, even though he has done nothing to indicate that this lie is anything but that, a lie. He has been prodded by legislators to halt discharges while they can end the discriminatory ban through legislation. But he refuses to do so. Not because of fear of losing political capital (overwhelming majorities of all stripes oppose the ban), but because he is a bigot.
Obama went on to praise himself for being willing to sign a bill passed recently by the house that includes adding gays to hate crimes statutes. What he didn’t mention is that the amendment was shamefully tacked on to a defense policy bill with bipartisan support that has nothing to do with hate crimes.  Even so, I’ll believe its passage when I see it. It has gotten this far on several occasions only to get lost in conference with the Senate. Regardless, Obama has done nothing to speed this important legislation along. He wants us to celebrate the fact that he simply won’t be an obstruction.
He also took credit for lifting the travel ban for people with HIV/AIDS, even though the ban is still in force. Furthermore, it was repealed by law and signed by George W. Bush before he left office. For some reason, the Obama administration just hasn’t gotten around to actually implementing it. I’m guessing that he’s saving it up for the next time he comes to our community hat in hand.
Then there is the struggle for marriage equality that is heating up in states like Maine. Once again people will be given the opportunity to legally oppress their fellow citizens by repealing gay marriage there. Gaybots were hoping Obama would at least voice his encouragement and moral support in the matter. They also thought he would congratulate them for our likely success in legalizing gay marriage in the nation’s capital. He did neither. And I don’t know why it should come as any surprise. Obama has admitted that he is a religious bigot whose beliefs keep him from supporting gay marriage. He doesn’t think “God is in the mix”. I guess it’s just their audacity of hope…
So why did Obama go to the HRC? Well, for one it was to reward the HRC and gay media for a job well done. They’ve been working overtime to advocate on his behalf to members of their own community. They continue to provide him cover for his bigotry in return for the power and privilege that access to the White House delivers. But make no mistake, they’re not doing it for anybody but themselves. They could care less about the real LBGT grassroots community that continues to languish in second class citizen status. They are motivated by nothing more than pure selfishness. Obama also came for the money. He may feel superior to us, but that certainly doesn’t preclude him from taking our money whenever he can get his hands on it. And finally, what better way to upstage the March for Equality than to give a speech to the HRC the night before. Your average Joe or Jane Sixpack (who may be favorable to gay rights, but grossly uninformed on Obama’s betrayal of the LBGT community) is likely to think to themselves, “What a bunch of whiny, petty ingrates”. And that’s exactly what Obama wants.
All in all I’d say the night was a win-win situation for everyone involved, except the vast majority of us gay and lesbians at home who are denied our basic civil rights yet again.