Never has a candidate for president made LGBT equality such a prominent part of his message for America. This is a video collage of several speeches from the landmark speech to the Democratic National Committee Convention in 2004, to his announcement of his candidacy for president. Obama has consistently brought up the message of equality for LGBT America.
http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Obama Pride - Video Collage
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11 comments:
The T left out again...
hey, we Ts second class citizens. what can you expect?
Obama? Perhaps you should have noticed Kucinich or Gravel, both of whom were far more genuine than Obama. Mike Gravel actually marched in pride parades
Well I have heard Obama mention the acronym LGBT numerous times, so although I don't hear it in this video I know he has included the T.
Tim - I would prefer Kucinich or Gravel too but for now this is who we got, do we want John McShame or Obama? I think Queers should do what is right for us and choose Obama.
Hey Queers United, "including the T" means a lot more than just saying the complete acronym. It means actually talking about issues that are important to trans people: ending hate crimes, protection against discrimination, access to medical care, legal recognition as identified rather than assigned sex, etc. Which don't seem to be on the Obama campaign's radar.
That said, I get your point - Obama is way, way better than McCain for a million reasons. I also think, given the current political climate, there's no way presidential candidates would talk about trans issues, so I'm not going to blame him for not doing so.
Are you fucking kidding me?
You guys left out the part where he is opposed to gay marriage.
Here's a quote, for future reference:
"I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman." (Barack Obama, September 2004)
Thank you, QU, for posting this inspirational video! It reminds me of the stark choice we have this November.
Of course, Obama & I don't see eye-to-eye on every issue, most especially on the marriage equality issue, but I know that his heart is much more open to being softened on this issue than is John McSame's. To the other point made in these posts, of course Dennis Kucinich & Mike Gravel have better stances on our issues than Obama does. They bravely spoke their convictions & they are good men who worked valiantly to make our case to the American people. I admire them both & I am proud that they are Democrats.
Truth is, like you said, it is Barack Obama who is my party's nominee for president, and it is Barack Obama who holds the most promise (in my humble opinion) in truly advancing our cause in a very concrete way.
Barack Obama is not a perfect man & he is not "one of us" in the literal sense, but he knows what it's like to be different, and he knows what it's like to not fit in to society's little pre-cast molds, and I know he hears our voices pleading for & demanding a status quo makeover.
I sometimes feel so impatient & so dismayed with the progress of our society where rights for queer people is concerned. It's just hard waiting for your fellow citizens to treat you fairly. If I committed myself to voting only for someone who agrees with me 100%, though, I guess I'd have to write in my own name in November. Since I have no intention of running for president, and since the realist in my tells me that I have to live in the world as it is right now, I--for one--would rather vote for someone who agrees with me 80 to 90% of the time as opposed to someone who agrees with me less than 1% of the time.
I want to say, too that, if/when Obama gets elected in November, one of our battles will have been won, but our struggle by necessity will still go on. If Barack Obama's words truly do represent his heart & his mind on our issues (and I believe they do), then it is up to us--the transgendered, the lesbian, the bisexual & the gay citizens of this country & our loving allies--to hold a President Obama's feet to the fire & to remind him of the sacred pact his candidacy represents to those of us in need of the audacious hope he personifies. We must never relent & we must stand up & remind him that while his words & his rhetoric set the right tone for a country still full of faith in the beloved community of which Dr. King dreamed & gave his all, faith--as the Bible says--without works is dead.
Anonymous 1 - Sadly I don't think any candidate will speak to a national audience about specific T issues because the T is such a small segment of the population. He is more likely to address those issues if he was in front of a LGBT forum or a T forum.
Anonymous 2 - He is opposed to same-sex marriage, but would lift DOMA. The question is do we want him who can help us get closer to marriage equality or McCain who will leave us in the dark?
Mr. C - Very eloquently put! I don't see eye to eye with Obama on everything, but he sure matches my ideals far far far more than McCain ever will.
Thank you AGAIN for the kind words, QU. To those anonymous posters who addressed the "T" (transgendered) people in our family, of course, you are right to be concerned that too little attention is given to your (our) struggle! I am not transgendered, so I cannot tell you that I know how it feels to know you were born inside the wrong body, but I can tell you that I know how it hurts to be hated & how it feels to know you are seen by so many as less-than-nothing.
My transgendered brothers & sisters are hurting--and, from personal experience--I know that there is real anger at the roots of that hurt & I know we grow so weary of waiting & hoping that society will finally open its arms & its hearts to those of us on the outside looking in.
I only represent me and I can speak for no one but me, but I would like to humbly say that--for this queer--I will never be whole again until my transgendered family is, too. I promise--as one person--to never feel like the battle is done & to never stop working my heart out to do what I can to help this country live up to its potential where our rights are concerned, until we begin to undo the harm & make things right with all the beautiful "T"'s in our family too.
I know that I can't really change the world for myself or for any of you, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna sit down & shut up & patiently wait for the world to come around to my way of thinking. It means that our battle must be joined by all those weary hearts long done with "the way things are". Even when we feel we have no more fight left in us, we must soldier on. When one of our battle-fatigued T's falls down, it will be one of the Q's or the A's or the L's or the I's or G's that lift you up & carry you til you can plant your feet again on solid ground.
I pray that you do not feel alone. I pray that you know your worth to those of us who may never even meet you in person. I pray that you will keep the faith, even when all reason says you should not. And I pray that you know that our battle doesn't end in November 2008; in truth, whether Obama wins or loses, the battle for all of us continues.
After all, the world's not going to change itself, is it??? ;-)
"He is opposed to same-sex marriage, but would lift DOMA. The question is do we want him who can help us get closer to marriage equality or McCain who will leave us in the dark?"
Or, the question could be, "Why are you trying to portray Obama as the patron saint of LGB(invisible "T") rights, when he quite obviously is not?"
Barack Obama "will leave us in the dark," too. With him, we'll be able to die openly in the military, and have "separate but equal" civil unions. Wow, how progressive (except, not). I'm no fan of John McCain either, but McCain will at least hate us to our faces.
In other words, "Obama Pride" is a sham. As far as I'm concerned, one who is morally opposed to gay marriage has no "pride" in gay people. (i.e., How can he be "proud" of a people he believes is immoral?)
Anony2, of course Barack Obama is not our savior & he is not the be-all-and-end-all where LGBTQI rights are concerned, but he represents what I see as a seismic change in thinking amongst politicians of this new century.
Barack Obama cannot know what it's like to be us, but, as I said before, he knows what being different is like. He should not be looked at as one who is expected to fix everything & fix it now; too much has been too wrong for too long to expect that. Even the office of President of the United States has its limits (except if you're George Bush, of course). I personally see him as one who will shake up the status quo & who bring notice to those of us who have remained invisible for too long. He is almost quite literally the very opposite of what we have now...and I, for one, need a little opposite.
As for the ability to "die openly in the military," I guess it depends on your point of view. Our queer brothers & sisters are already there, encouraged to live a lie & asked to give as much as anyone else, and when they die now for their country, they die without their country recognizing the full person who gave--as President Lincoln once said--the last full measure, and their partners lose their world, too, and they receive no sympathy & no recognition from a country safer now because of their partner's sacrifice. To me, that's just not right. For me, it's not about dying in the open, it's about living in the open & lifting the burden of keeping their hearts & their lives quiet, as if they were dirty secrets.
Civil unions ARE separate but unequal...you are right, and--for me--only civil marriage is fair & right & just, but--acknowledging that the will of most Americans is not quite yet there (just like with Obama), I really do believe that we will edge closer to that honorable goal with a person in the White House who is at least willing to speak TO us and not just AT us. Sometimes unfortunately the ugly truth is--like the old saying--half a loaf is better than no loaf. Of course, we still have work to do even if Obama is elected & of course we will have to convince not just Obama but our country that treating us with anything but respect & full equality is just not acceptable. I have faith that time is on our side & I work so hard to be patient & understanding of those from whom I am seeking understanding, too...and it's not always easy. Truth be told--most times, I feel like we've waited long enough, but then I remember that--just like my trip to this side of the closet--the most difficult things in my life have always been the best things to happen in & for my life. I may not do patience well, but at least for me--with Obama, imperfect & misguided as he may be right now on equal marriage rights--I feel like I at least have something to hang my hope on. John McCain--for me--promises only more of the same--and I just don't know how I--or any of us--can endure more of that.
Thank you for listening. :-)
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