A story in Tuesday's U.S. News & World Report features fawning quotations from Joe Solmonese, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, who says the Robinson invitation shows that, "ultimately, Barack Obama is a friend to the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] community," and Darlene Nipper, deputy executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who called the Robinson invitation "an important step for knowing that this is someone who believes in the inclusivity of all Americans." USA Today faithfully repeats the new administration's talking points about how Obama was always going to invite Robinson and this isn't a response to the Warren flap, blah, blah, blah. Much is made about the fact that a lesbian couple is among the families accompanying the Obamas on a train trip and that there are several openly gay appointees in the works (none of them at the Cabinet level).I was interviewed for the piece and put in my two cents.
You won't see Obama inviting Ann Coulter to headline a key event, then "balancing" her with an invite to Patricia J. Williams. Ditto for Holocaust denier David Irving and Elie Weisel, or David Duke and Henry Louis Gates.She also recaps the sense of deja vu we all felt in the wake of the McClurkin debacle by citing the reporting here on the Blend about that mess -- and the clumsy "solution":Warren doesn't just "disagree" with Robinson's being gay; he actively works to ensure that Robinson and other members of the LGBT community never enjoy full human rights, most recently by calling on his large and well-organized constituency to pass Proposition 8 in California, which successfully repealed the right of California's same-sex couples to marry. When reached for comment, Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend, one of the leaders in reporting the Warren story, noted: "You don't have to reach out to people who are diametrically opposed to the equality you've claimed to promote all through your campaign. Inviting Gene Robinson is not an equivalent salve to the open wound Obama created by inviting Warren. His announcement of Robinson late in the game rings hollow."
The compromise? Team Obama brought on board white gay pastor Andy Sidden to open the concerts with a brief prayer before a mostly black audience -- after having rejected two openly gay black pastors and two gay-affirming ones, including Michael Eric Dyson, a professor of theology at Georgetown University named by Ebony magazine as one of the hundred most influential black Americans.All of this of course, has to be considered with a few other things.
Warren is really hot under the collar -- and petty -- about this issue, putting the screws to Robinson by inviting breakaway Episcopal churches who disagree with an openly gay man serving as bishop to find spiritual solace in bigoted Rick's flock and facilities.
On the other hand, Barack Obama's clearly making some moves of lasting relevance, naming several additional openly gay people to prominent positions:
* John Berry as director of the Office of Personnel Management.
Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, praised the selection. "It says a lot about Barack Obama's commitment to equality in the workplace that he has apparently chosen an openly gay person for this extremely important job. John has dedicated his career to public service, so it makes sense that he will be able help thousands of others who are willing to do the same."And here are some other visible positions filled by members of the LGBT community...The director of OPM is the President's principal advisor in matters of personnel administration. The agency is responsible for planning for the needs of the Federal workforce and for helping federal agencies improve human resources management. Among other functions, OPM is responsible for recruiting and connecting job applicants with federal agencies who need staff, developing compensation and performance management programs, and administering benefits and personnel security programs.
* David Medina, tapped as deputy chief of staff for Michelle Obama.
* Dave Noble, director of the LGBT vote for the Obama presidential campaign, will be the White House liaison to NASA
* Karine Jean-Pierre, who will serve as the White House liaison to the Department of Labor
* Mark Dybul, who served under Bush as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, will stay in his post.
Does the visibility of these appointments mitigate the terrible symbolism of "reaching out" to Rick Warren, whose presence will be recorded for the ages next Tuesday? It can be argued with merit on both sides. Ultimately, what will matter is how, when and with what conviction will Barack Obama use his bully pulpit to help pass pro-LGBT legislation with what is a notoriously spineless Congress, regardless of whether they are in the majority.
The Nepalese Supreme Court ordered the new republic's Maoist-led government to legalise gay marriage or equal-to-marriage civil unions.
The Connecticut Supreme Court legalised gay marriage, and the citizens of Connecticut rejected a constitutional convention which could have eliminated the change.
The States of Jersey is set to begin debating a civil partnership law this year, having been considering it since at least 2006. If legalised, Guernsey and Gibraltar will be the only remaining European parts of the UK not to provide any recognition of same-sex unions (While Mann has no native law, the Manx government does recognise British Civil Partnerships). In addition, Glasgow's Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Network has begun lobbying the Scottish Parliament to legalise gay marriage. Holyrood has a strong track-record on LGBT rights and frequently takes an independent view from Westminster, so there's a good chance of Scotland becoming the first part of the UK to provide full marriage equality.
The Portuguese legislature rejected a bill that would have legalised gay marriage, however a case pending at Portugal's Constitutional Court could rule that the gay marriage ban contravenes constitutional protections on the basis of gender and sexuality.
(more after the fold)
The Californian Supreme Court struck down the Californian law banning gay marriage last May, setting the stage for the now-infamous Prop. 8 fight and the current Supreme Court case.
Norway upgraded from registered partnerships to gay marriage two weeks ago, the same day that Uruguay and New Hampshire celebrated a year of Civil Unions, and Oregon a year of Domestic Partnerships.
Maryland legalised limited domestic partnership rights.
Argentina provided same-sex partners the right to claim their deceased partners' pensions.
Barack Obama, the most pro-gay president in a decade, was elected along with a Democrat-dominated Congress, setting the stage for the possible legalisation of a US-wide civil union law at some point in the next few years.
Equador came close to being the first South American country to legalise gay marriage; it is likely that Equador will include civil unions in the country's constitution, which is currently being rewritten.
Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and Iowa will all be considering the legalisation of gay marriage, either through Courts or state legislatures. New York's incoming Senate President refused to be bullied by the "Gang of Three" over the gay marriage issue, while New Jersey's governor has said that he wants legalising gay marriage to be a priority for the Garden State's legislature.
The Irish government began debating a Civil Partnerships bill, but missed its own March 31st deadline by when the bill should have been introduced. Civil Partnerships are expected to be legalised in ROI by mid-2009.
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