WE HOPE YOU MEANT IT!This week has seen a rising tide of scepticism about Barack's conviction to deliver on his election promises to the gays.
John Stewart, usually an active Obama supporter, dared to verbalize that private thought that some of us dared to think but suppressed for fear of being labelled unsupportive of the Great 'Black' Hope (or worse, Republican).
Immediately on the heals of this there was a wonderful article in Atlantic by Andrew Sullivan that brought home the consequence of this delay to gay couples who's marriages are not recognised and who, because of HIV discrimination may have to leave the country."Here we are, in the summer of 2009, with gay service members still being fired for the fact of their orientation. Here we are, with marriage rights spreading through the country and world and a president who cannot bring himself even to acknowledge these breakthroughs in civil rights, and having no plan in any distant future to do anything about it at a federal level. Here I am, facing a looming deadline to be forced to leave my American husband for good, and relocate abroad because the HIV travel and immigration ban remains in force and I have slowly run out of options (unlike most non-Americans with HIV who have no options at all)... "
Andrew Sullivan has clearly had some interactions with the Obama team on this topic and concludes:
"...I have a sickeningly familiar feeling in my stomach, and the feeling deepens with every interaction with the Obama team on these issues. They want them to go away. They want us to go away."
Like all Americans we were promised 'change' and 'hope'. On almost ALL other election issues Mr. Obama has acted swiftly and has pushed through sweeping/symbolic actions that demonstrate his commitment to these causes. On gay rights he is being slow and obtuse. He has not pushed through any federal support for gay marriage nor support for gay service men, even when the opportunity afforded itself. I am still optimistic and hopeful that we supported the right man. I want to believe. But, previous regimes have taught us to assess politicians by their actions, not their words and given all the actions President Obama has enacted in his first 100 days he is not looking like a 'Friend of Dorothy'.
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