Within seconds of President Obama's swearing in, the official home page of the White House was updated with a lengthy list of commitments to further LGBT rights.
Support for the LGBT Community
"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in
1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT
rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core,
this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this
nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by
treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."— Barack Obama, June 1, 2007
- Expand Hate Crimes Statutes:
In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest
category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of
such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand
federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because
of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender
identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama
passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit
them against the law. - Fight Workplace Discrimination:
President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and
believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be
expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an
increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their
employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual
orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The
President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that
would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. - Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples:
President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples
legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama
also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact
legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and
benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended
to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized
unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved
one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and
other employment benefits, and property rights. - Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage:
President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006
which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and
prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or
other unmarried couples. - Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell:
President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to
repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military
service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to
serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has
spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military
because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300
language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than
50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military
leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our
national defense goals. - Expand Adoption Rights:
President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all
couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He
thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home,
whether the parents are gay or not. - Promote AIDS Prevention:
In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and
begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that
includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce
HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health
disparities. The President will support common sense approaches
including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about
contraception, combating infection within our prison population through
education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through
our public health system. The President also supports lifting the
federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates
of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to
confront the stigma — too often tied to homophobia — that continues
to surround HIV/AIDS. - Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS:
In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has
quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than
one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced
the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development
of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides
are a class of products currently under development that women apply
topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.
