From a NYT piece in which The Caucus asks leaders of various interest groups around the nation what Obama should say in his State of the Union speech:

Fred Sainz, spokesman for Human Rights Campaign:

“This past year Americans were confronted with the epidemic of bullying against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people that goes on in our schools. The State of the Union address would be an appropriate time for the President to assert leadership on this moral issue and call on all schools to address the problem head on.”

While bullying is certainly a worthy issue to take on, shouldn't HRC, our nation's largest advocacy group for LGBTs,be challenging the President to take on ENDA, or DOMA and marriage equality – something substantial and civil rights-oriented in the legal sphere?

Or is this what's setting the pace for HRC in 2011?

Richard Socarides, president of Equality Matters, is more on track imho:

“In order to be the kind of transformational leader he can be, he should show the country the way forth on dismantling the so-called Defense of Marriage Act so that the law no longer robs the states of their right to decide the question of marriage, nor deprives lawfully married gay Americans of their federal benefits. That’s the advice I’m giving to all the people I know who might actually influence the speech. If you want to be a leader, this is the speech in which to do it.”