When you hear the name Obama, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe you think he's a great man trying to fix an economy the previous president screwed up. Or he's too soft on spending. Well, it's time to add supporter of LGBT rights to that list.
When President Barack Obama took office in 2008, he created a gay-rights agenda that would fight for equal rights for the LGBT community. While the LGBT community is starting to see Obama's initial promises come true—the repeal of ""Don't Ask, Don't Tell"" and passage of the Matthew Shepard's Hate Crimes Prevention Act, for instance, his new decision to stop support of the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 will garner more support from LGBT community than ever before.
""You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman,"" Obama said at the 2009 Human Rights Campaign.
Late last month, Obama declared the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which bans recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages, unconstitutional and urged the Justice Department to stop defending it in court.
According to Charlie Savage and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, two writers for The New York Times, Obama favors civil unions and maintains a nuanced position on same-sex marriages. Same-sex advocates suggest that Obama will soon embrace their cause due to his administration's newest stance.
""I think the gay community got to him"" said John Aravosis, founder of Americablog.com. ""I'm not convinced we got to his heart, but I think we got to his political head.""
Aravosis is correct when he says the gay community has Obama's political mind because Obama is continuing to support and aid the LGBT community in different ways. However, I don't think it is correct to say they don't have his heart. Even if the LGBT Community doesn't have his whole heart, they still have his constitutional support, which is much more important right now.
While Obama has a good heart and cares deeply for this country, what's more important to remember is he believes in equal opportunity for all, no matter what your gender, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation happens to be.
Obama has gone above and beyond to promote the LGBT community because he believes in this country and that discrimination against anyone needs to end. Although he has not explicitly said he supports same-sex marriages, it's not an issue worth dwelling on. He has done as much, if not more for the LGBT community than any other president in recent history.
At that same 2009 convention, Obama said, ""I believe strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away and passing laws that extend equal rights to gay couples.""
Back in October 2009, Obama's speech at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner addressed the progress of equal opportunity for the LGBT community. During this speech, he talked about the different opportunities and plans he wants to incorporate into his term in office. He plans eventually to pass an inclusive employee non-discrimination bill, arguing that no one should be fired because of his or her sexual orientation.
Again, I disagree with Aravosis' claim that the LGBT community has Obama's political support, but not his heart.
This short passage from his speech reaffirms that Obama does care and completely understands the LGBT community. Obama talks about the Human Rights Campaign as something bigger than any policy his administration can make into a law.
He said, ""It's about our common humanity and our willingness to walk in someone else's shoes; To imagine losing a job not because of your performance at work but because of your relationship at home; to imagine worrying about a spouse in the hospital, with the added fear that you'll have to produce a legal document just to comfort the person you love to imagine the pain of losing a partner of decades and then discovering that the law treats you like a stranger.""
President Obama believes in more than just equal opportunities for all—he has a deep understanding of the way these laws affect people. He realizes how hard it would be to lose a job based on sexual orientation or not be able to comfort a sick spouse in the hospital. Not only does the president support the LGBT community personally, he has the heart and determination to change the entire political landscape for the better.
Although Obama has publicly planned to help the LGBT community since his first day in office, some conservatives think he is trying to shift the attention from spending cuts to social causes. This is an obviously biased way to look at the progress that President Obama has made for this country.
A good president should not focus on one problem, fix it and then move on to the next one. A good president should be working on multiple problems within the social context of his time.
Just because he's working on ending discrimination toward the LGBT community doesn't mean he's ignoring the economic issues.
Obama is a president who knows how to multi-task and realizes that many issues need to be handled all at once, rather than one at a time.
Obama is doing the right thing and I completely support him for his fight against hate, discrimination and intolerance. Everyone deserves equal opportunity no matter what their sexual orientation. There is no doubt in my mind that a world of acceptance will bring a better economic and political future.
Brittany Schmidt is a senior majoring in theatre and drama. We welcome all feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
