Why is Obama so weak on GLBT rights?

He is pandering to the conservatives…? My best guess.

I didn’t know there was employment discrimination on gay people. That’s sad :(

maybe he simply doesn’t care about gays , i dont want to always hear excuses about him pandering to the conservatives or any dumb excuses about not wanting to lose voters, but i guess they are the same thing in the end. I.Dont.Give.A.Shit.

he probably prioritizes health care reform over the GLBT community. I mean really you think health care reform is a shit storm, add to it gay rights and all that jazz. I wouldn’t be suprised if he got around to it at the end of his term.

I’ve heard him say in numerous hall events (while President) that it “isn’t the primary concern right now, but does have something in store for the LBGT community,” or something to that effect.

Whether or not he’s blowing smoke up our asses is up for debate. We’ll see; politicians aren’t exactly known for keeping promises.

@LKidKyle1985

Its not like hes making some great breakthrough in health care reform, at the end of the day, you have a democratically controlled congress , senate and the presidency, and if you fail to do anything on glbt rights, its right to blame it squarely on the democrats. Obama is not known for not being able to handle more than one task at a time, and i can’t imagine a time where he wont be busy doing many improtant reforms, there will always be something “more important” than gay rights to discuss and advance, really, if you look at the whole world from only a heteorsexual point of view.

He’s a Chicago Pol, and said what he needed to say to get elected. In the primary you run to the Left, in the general election you make a Right turn toward the nominal Center, and then once you are elected you do what is necessary to get re-elected.

@airowDee: You already made up your mind, seems like you’re just looking to argue, not discuss.

Give him time. Change doesn’t happen overnight. We are (not even) nine months into his term. Queer rights are important, but, in my opinion, not as immediately pressing as health care reform or a safe withdrawal from Iraq or stabilizing the economy.

I say this as a very involved member of the LGBT community and an activist in the movement.

I’m giving him until the end of his first term.

And then I’ll probably campaign and vote for him again, even if he does nothing, because the other person will be worse. Dammit!

Actually, I think that’s the problem. There will never be any motivation for a Democratic president to engage GLBT issues because it’s not like people who support gay rights are going to vote Republican, nor should they. There’s no way to exert political pressure to make this happen, and if Obama does try to do anything, it’s a political liability—it’s neutral-lose, in other words.

Though it would be interesting if a non-insane Republican gets nominated and manages to usurp the gay vote. Or the stoner vote.

another symptom of his illness of uselessly trying to be nice to the conservatives.
in today’s times, bipartisanship does not work in the US

@airowDee healthcare reform is not an “hetrosexual issue”. its a human issue.

@airowDee there are a lot of issues that require his attention, many of which are more pressing for the majority. The fact that your issue has not gotten the attention you think it deserves has nothing to do with wether or not the president thinks it has merit or not.. he’s a busy guy. He’s got shit to do. And he has a limited ammount of time in which to do it. Be patient… not everything in politics has to do with GLBT and he will get to it when he has gotten past more pressing issues.

Because he’s a politician and therefore, cannot physically speak his true thoughts/plans. I understand that change doesn’t happen over night, but he could at least show definitive support one way or the other.

Health care reform that does not include provisions for gay partners is a hetero based bill, not a human rights issue.

I’ll be cliche but, if not now, when? Tomorrow may never come and people, law-abiding, tax-paying citizens suffer, everyday, just like people suffer without health care and because of war. I see no difference.

Obama might care, but I lost my faith in him a mere weeks after the election. I’m not holding my breath. Hopefully, nothing bad happens to me and my wife before then. But I guess me and mine are not a priority.

health care is /should be a netural issue, but it can always be a bit about a feminist issue either, a health care public option would not give fundings to abortion because the conservatives think abortion kill children!

i am not sure a public option would not include money for sex reassignment surgeries either.

@tinyfaery Well said. Just like so many other great social movements in history, this will soon (not soon enough!) be moot after lots of fighting and lots of people being denied equal rights. Truly sad.

”“I know that you have a lot on your desk plate,” said Jon Stewart, “but as a thin man who smokes you may not understand the concept. All that stuff you’ve been putting on your plate, it’s f——ing chow time, brother. That’s how you get things off of your plate.”

I think affordable medication and life-saving operations are more important than abortions.

uwanted pregnancies could have huge social/economic cost to the society…

They do…and so do unsafe abortions.

Did you see the news today? Obama just added LGBT populations to the federal protected list.

Its called… winning votes

I honestly thought when he became president that he’d do something on our behalf…