The Alabama Baptist Online

Obama continues support of gay, lesbian communitycomment (0)

October 13, 2011

WASHINGTON — Speaking at an Oct. 1 fundraiser for the nation’s largest gay organization, President Obama touted his first-term achievements for the gay and lesbian community but also vowed to “continue to fight alongside you.”

It was the second time Obama has spoken at a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) event, the last being in 2009. More than 3,000 people attended the latest event, HRC’s 15th annual National Dinner.

“We are making change. We’re making real and lasting change,” Obama told an enthusiastic crowd of gays, lesbians and their supporters. “We can be proud of the progress we’ve already made. And I’m going to continue to fight alongside you.”

He added later, “I’m confident we can continue to write another chapter together.”

The president listed his accomplishments for the gay and lesbian community, from the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy to passage of a hate crimes bill that contains protections for homosexuals and transgender people.

Although Obama has yet to explicitly embrace gay “marriage” in public, he implicitly gave approval to New York’s recently passed gay “marriage” law, labeling as “progress” what has taken place “in legislatures like New York.” He also vowed to “keep up the fight against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act,” which he called discriminatory. The 1996 law defines marriage in federal law as between a man and a woman and gives states the option of not recognizing another state’s gay “marriages.”