We’R’ Making Real&Lasting Change on LGTB Lives, Sex, Service, Safety- The Pres.

President Barack Obama addressed leaders of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities last night at the Human Rights Campaign's 15th annual national dinner in Washington, D.C., emphasizing his administration's recent progress on LGBT issues including the repeal of the military's discriminatory Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, passage of the Matthew Shepard Act hate crimes bill in 2010, his executive order that any hopital that accepts Medicare or Medicaid treat gay partners and straight partners equally, the lifting of the HIV travel ban, and the the first comprehensive national strategy to fight HIV/AIDS.

Two years ago, I stood at this podium, in this room, before many of you, and I made a pledge.  I said I would never counsel patience; that it wasn’t right to tell you to be patient any more than it was right for others to tell African Americans to be patient in the fight for equal rights a half century ago. But what I also said, that while it might take time –- more time than anyone would like -– we are going to make progress; we are going to succeed; we are going to build a more perfect union.

And so, let’s see what happened.  I met with Judy Shepard.  I promised her we would pass a hate crimes bill named for her son, Matthew.  And with the help of my dear friend Ted Kennedy we got it done.  Because it should never be dangerous -- -- you should never have to look over your shoulder -- to be gay in the United States of America.  That’s why we got it done.

I met with Janice Langbehn, who was barred from the bedside of the woman she loved as she lay dying.  And I told her that we were going to put a stop to this discrimination.  And you know what?  We got it done.  I issued an order so that any hospital in America that accepts Medicare or Medicaid -– and that means just about every hospital -– has to treat gay partners just as they do straight partners.  Because nobody should have to produce a legal contract to hold the hand of the person that they love.  We got that done.

I said that we would lift that HIV travel ban -- we got that done.  We put in place the first comprehensive national strategy to fight HIV/AIDS.

Many questioned whether we’d succeed in repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  And, yes, it took two years to get the repeal through Congress.  We had to hold a coalition together.  We had to keep up the pressure.  We took some flak along the way.  But with the help of HRC, we got it done.  And “don’t ask, don’t tell” is history.  And all over the world, there are men and women serving this country just as they always have -- with honor and courage and discipline and valor.  We got it done.  We got that done.  All around the world, you’ve got gays and lesbians who are serving, and the only difference is now they can put up a family photo. No one has to live a lie to serve the country they love.

via   examiner.com   by Sarah Estrella



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