Obama Gives Gay Partners Some Benefits
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Partner Benefits: President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed a memorandum extending some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. But the new order doesn't extend health care benefits or pensions for partners as many had hoped.
By PHILIP ELLIOTT
,
AP
posted: 4 HOURS 3 MINUTES AGO
comments: 5594
filed under: Political News
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WASHINGTON (June 17) - President Barack Obama signaled to gay-rights activists Wednesday that he's listening to their desire for greater equality in "a more perfect union." But he didn't give them even close to everything they want, bringing to the surface an anger that's been growing against the president.
"We all have to acknowledge this is only one step," Obama said in the Oval Office, where he signed a memorandum extending some benefits, such as visitation or dependent-care rights, to the same-sex partners of gay federal employees.But the president's critics — and there were many — saw the incremental move to expand gay rights as little more than pandering to a reliably Democratic voting bloc, with the primary aim not of making policy more fair but of cutting short a fundraising boycott.
"When a president tells you he's going to be different, you believe him," said John Aravosis, a Washington-based gay activist. "It's not that he didn't follow through on his promises, he stabbed us in the back."
Obama has refused to take any concrete steps toward a repeal of a policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, even though as a candidate he pledged to scrap the Clinton-era rules. He similarly has refused to step in and block the dismissal of gays and lesbians who face courts-martial for disclosing their sexual orientation.
Obama said he wants to see the Defense of Marriage Act repealed and in its place a law that would give the partners of gay and lesbian federal employees health insurance and survivor benefits, among other things.
"I believe it's discriminatory, I think it interferes with states' rights, and we will work with Congress to overturn it," Obama pledged, flanked by lawmakers and advocates.
Without that repeal, Obama's ultimate goal of extending health benefits would have to wait. Even those who joined Obama at the signing recognized it was only a first step to achieve what they were promised.
"The community has been growing frustrated and the administration has been working on this since Day One," said Joe Solmonese, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay-rights group.
Trying to quell that anger, Obama approved small changes in benefits available to same-sex couples. For instance, employees' domestic partners can be added to a government insurance program that pays for long-term conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease. They also can take sick leave to care for a sick partner or non-biological child.
But health care benefits remained forbidden by Congress.
"People feel they're owed an apology," said Richard Socarides, a New York lawyer who advised President Bill Clinton on gay issues. "People in the gay community feel he over-promised and under-delivered. Now, with over 250 discharges from the military on his watch … the grace period is over."
Associated Press writers Andrew Miga and Henry C. Jackson contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2009-06-17 07:47:45 -
Well, on a politics forum I belong to, I continually said that he was gonna be all talk and no action.
So far, I've been right and I don't see that changing anytime soon, if ever.
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Right, so we will see if he can be re-elected with out the Gay Community support next time!!!!
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Right, so we will see if he can be re-elected with out the Gay Community support next time!!!!
Therein lies the problem. We aren't big enough to make a difference to anyone.
So it is safe to ignore/attack/injure/annihilate us at anyone's discretion.
I am beginning to think that nothing will ever change unless we become violent and destructive. That seems to be the only way to obtain rights in a democracy.
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A big problem is that too many people in the GBLT community either don't vote or never care to. I seriously doubt prop 8 would have passed if we all voted for example. Karel has done a few shows about prop 8, IIRC in he gave some statistics on voters and talked to several gay people who didn't vote on prop 8 or at all.
hXXp://energy927fm.com/pages/3925903.php
hXXp://feeds2.feedburner.com/TheKarelShowBetween ALL the different communities (Gay, Bi, Lesbian, Transgender, etc) we are big enough to make a difference, but we all have to vote.
I bet you'd be surprised what we can accomplish if we all voted… -
Between ALL the different communities (Gay, Bi, Lesbian, Transgender, etc) we are big enough to make a difference, but we all have to vote.
I bet you'd be surprised what we can accomplish if we all voted…Altogether, we make up about 2% of the public.
98% of the world is against us, including the president and almost every member of Congress. It would not matter if every one of us voted and every one of us voted in exactly the same manner. We would still not be able to make a difference. It is becoming quite clear that this president is not an advocate of civil rights and he does not intend to lead America into enlightenment.
They're never going to let us have any rights. If we want to have rights, we're going to have to take them.
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I am disappointed but not surprised by Obama's decision.
I agree with the other posters that everyone has to vote but what is the alternative? The Republicans clearly don't care about us and the Dems only pretend to care.
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Yes all citizens should vote in all elections no matter which country you live in or forfeit the right to bitch about conditions!
I am still waiting to see what will come from this administration in the way of the Gay Community and the rights we deserve and are guaranteed in the Constitution. I do recognize that this is not a simple or easy task for any politician to undertake let alone the President.
However, conditions are improving little by little around the U.S.A., at least 4 states have seen the light.
I do miss the days of Queer Nation and Act UP demonstrations and protests for equal rights and think they should make a come back soon. I participated in many of these protests back in the 80's & 90's but they soon just stopped due to lack of participation or little to no turn out. It seems we the Gay Community are not willing to put forth the efforts that it takes to gain what is guaranteed to us. Granted we should not have to win guaranteed rights but to shy away from the fight is just perpetuating the stereotypical opinions held by a large segment of strait society.
DEMAND YOURS TODAY!!!
Come out ~ Be active politically ~ Tell your elected officials you expect them to legislate your Constitutionally guaranteed rights ASAP!!! -
Altogether, we make up about 2% of the public.
Someone's been reading their statistics, or can't do the math. One in Ten is not 2%, and that's not counting the invisible bisexuals. Include some educated others, like parents, and siblings, and you should be able to easily triple that number. Add friends, and it goes even higher.
@trentreviso:98% of the world is against us
Even if 98% of the world is not us, that doesn't mean they are against us. Last I remember the numbers were almost 50% lower than that. All you need is to get over the tipping point, and we are getting closer to that all the time.
@trentreviso:It would not matter if every one of us voted and every one of us voted in exactly the same manner.
Now this is a line that is totally bogus. In areas where only about 20% of the population bother to vote, adding an additional 10% is huge. Change that to an additional 30%, and you have a landslide for whatever you want!
@trentreviso:We would still not be able to make a difference.
It's this type of thinking that convinces people to not bother to vote, and when the majority doesn't bother, the minorities rule. While we are a minority, add in our relatives, friends, and other supporters, and the picture looks very different.
@trentreviso:They're never going to let us have any rights. If we want to have rights, we're going to have to take them.
We may have to work for them, and if that means pulling a lever in a voting booth, then we should get up off our poor, sad, backsides, and pull the darned lever! And take a friend to do the same! Arrange an election party or a barbecue, with a trip to the polling station first, then burgers for your entire apartment building.
Above all, be visible. It's harder to hurt people that you know, and if the rest of the world knows us as individuals, it will change minds, change votes, and when it comes right down to it, every vote counts. One vote can make a difference.
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I mostly agree with Gr1zz, but I don't completely believe the 1 in 10 "statistic" or any gay population statistic really.
I've read that portions of the Kinsey report, including the gay statistics, have been debunked. One article mentioned that a person who was working for him was gay and conducted his surveys mainly in areas which had high gay populations. I'm not saying I believe that either tho.
-lolIt's difficult for me to believe ANY of these sorts of statistics because it seems nearly impossible to get accurate results, or even close. The statistics that I did read ranged anywhere from 1% - 10%, and most were in the range of 2%-5%.
Here's the big flaw with all of them;
I for example have never participated in one of these surveys and there is no public record which would indicate that I am gay.
How many other people out there are like me?
It is of course a very high number folks.
Some people lie on those surveys anyhow because they're a bit hesitant of admitting their sexuality on paper. Also, many statistics are of gay couples or couples living together and do not account for singles.It's still of course true, every vote counts…
