HRC Back Story

Military.com, a premiere news site for those on active duty in the armed forces, is featuring a poll on whether “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” should be repealed. 

The question was asked in today's "The Muster", a daily Military.com poll.  As of this writing, the poll results show "Yes" (overturn DADT) at 47%, "No" at 44% and "Undecided" at 9%.

Given the audience, the poll is likely affected by a large selection bias that skews conservative. LGBT supporters should vote now - and often - to overturn DADT.

Antonio Agnone, a military veteran and lead organizer of HRC's 2007  "12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots" commemoration (pictured above), shared these insights about the poll:

More than anything, the poll on Military.com should serve to point us in the right direction. The audience is mostly active duty, reserve duty and retired military. The poll shows us that there has been a positive shift in the "boots on the ground" opinion but that there is a significant amount of education left to go. These are the same people Congress will turn to when asking if DADT should be eliminated.
 
I believe our efforts need to focus on educating the "maybe."

Use this link to vote: http://www.military.com/hp/poll?poll=undefined

Dear Friends,

As 2008 draws to a close, America is preparing for the change of our lifetime. Like many LGBT Americans, I have dreamed of and worked for this day to come. In 2009, an ally will occupy the White House. Divisive, anti-gay politics are leaving our executive branch. Our Congress will have more allies than ever. And our next Supreme Court justices will respect our fundamental rights. Through our work, our belief, our unyielding commitment to a better future for ourselves and our families, LGBT people helped to make this happen. All of you who attended Camp Equality training, who volunteered in phone banks, who donated your hard-earned money to a pro-equality candidate, and, most importantly, told your friends and family why our rights matter and how their votes can harm or protect them, to all of you I say thank you. 2008 was OUR year to win.

On the same day that America elected a fair-minded president who is a longstanding ally of civil rights and a professor of constitutional law, voters in California, Arizona, and Florida wrote discrimination into their constitutions. In California, Proposition 8 stripped citizens of the rights that the state's highest court had finally recognized last May. On November 5, as our nation celebrated a historic election, our community's grief turned into anger, and anger turned to action.

LGBT people and allies took to the streets and to the airwaves... we were everywhere. Showing the neighbors who had slighted us who we really are—not just families and friends and coworkers worthy of equal rights, but strong, resilient people who will fight for those rights.

My question to you is, will we?

It's the end of 2008, and the opportunities before us are vast. We can finally pass hate crimes legislation covering our entire community and a fully-inclusive ENDA; we can roll back eight years of bad Bush Administration policy on HIV, workplace protections for federal employees, and benefits for families.

In winning the elections, we did not pass these bills or secure these policies. Rather, we earned a fighting chance to pass them. The election opened a door that had long been locked. But what lies beyond the door is not a room full of treasures; no, what's beyond that door, what we're seeing now, is a steep, spiral staircase. What we won in this election is the chance to climb it. It's more than we've had in my memory, but it's not going to be easy.

And my experience tells me that a "fighting chance" is a good way to describe it, because we're going to have to fight for it.

This is a lesson of Prop 8 and of all of the discriminatory campaigns against us. It's the lesson of eight years of roadblocks to our legislation. The lesson is that when our community is getting ready to win, the other side fights hard. And they fight with lies. When we passed hate crimes in the last Congress, the haters rolled out every lie that they would later use to take away our rights in California. We harm religion. We harm children. We take over the schools. We put preachers in jail. The same lies.

In a way, it's comforting. I mean, if it were palatable to be an out-and-out bigot these days, our opponents could simply take out ads that say "hate the gays? Vote yes on 8!" But we are past that today. Today, people will turn against us if they're given a reason to fear us. And the same few lies serve that purpose every time—whether it's hate crimes or marriage at stake.

Our job is to beat back those same lies. Every time. When hate crimes comes up for a vote in 2009, will those of us who are standing up against the Prop 8 haters come out against those who would kill this bill? We must. We must stand up. We must never forget that even as we focus on the right to marry and the economic and spiritual benefits that it brings, we have a duty to protect our entire community's right to live without fear of being attacked for who we are. And we have a duty to stand up in this fight, and win it, because passing hate crimes legislation ten years after Matthew Shepard's death is a step toward marriage and every other community goal.

And like a spiral staircase, each step upward is a step in full circle: back to facing our enemies, back to the same set of falsehoods that every campaign against us uses, back to the same slanders, the same tired old bigoted players. But I do believe that we are climbing upward, even though we have not yet achieved so many of our goals. More Americans support marriage than ever before, and even in California, Prop 8 succeeded by far less than another anti-marriage initiative just eight years ago. Young people, LGBT or not, overwhelmingly believe in our rights, and are increasingly fighting for them. Employers are treating our families equally; faith communities are embracing us. Although we find ourselves facing the same people again and again, I truly believe that with each year that passes, we do so from higher ground.

But we cannot reach the top if we do not keep the heat on the other side, calling them to task. We cannot reach the top if we do not invest the same energy, time, and even anger into federal laws and policies that we have invested in fighting Proposition 8.

I know that especially after losing California, it is difficult to imagine how working on hate crimes, or an inclusive ENDA, or family benefits, or fair federal workplace policies, is going to move the ball forward for marriage. But it's clear to me that this is our path—upward and around, steadily and surely. It's clear to the right wing, which is why they try to block every measure that would help our community at all.

Martin Luther King once said that faith is taking the first step when you don't see the whole staircase. Many of you took that first step in speaking out against Proposition 8, or volunteering for Barack Obama, or coming out. Our equality—in our families, in our workplaces, and in our communities—is that staircase. It is linked together, and one measure follows from the next.

In this holiday season, we too, the LGBT community, are linked together with one future, one path, and one monumental task: to fight hate with truth. That is the next step that we will take together.

Happy holidays, and a happy new year.

Warmly,

Colin Powell participated in a lengthy interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria that aired on Sunday. They spent a several minutes discussing Don't Ask Don't Tell. There isn't much confusion about where he stands after his interview. Watch a clip of the interview below. Powell and Zakaria begin discussing DADT around 3:06:

Here's the transcript:

ZAKARIA: Let me ask about one social issue that you were associated with, which was "don't ask, don't tell," the policy toward gay people being in the military openly. Do you feel like the country has moved to a place where we could reevaluate "don't ask, don't tell"?

POWELL: We definitely should reevaluate it. It's been 15 years since we put in "don't ask, don't tell," which was a policy that became a law. I didn't want it to become a law, but it became a law. Congress felt that strongly about it.

But it's been 15 years, and attitudes have changed. And so, I think it is time for the Congress, since it is their law, to have a full review of it. And I'm quite sure that's what President-elect Obama will want to do.

But people have said to me, well, then, what do you think? I said, well, what I think is, let's review it, but I'm not going to make a judgment as to whether it should be overturned or not until I hear from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the commanders who are responsible for our armed forces in a time of war.

And so, I have to hear what they think and what the secretary of defense thinks before I would come down on one side or the other.

Because I've always felt that the military is a unique institution. It is not like any other institution in our system. You are told who you will live with. You are told who you will share your most intimate accommodations with. You are told whether you will live or die.

And for that reason, the courts have always upheld the ability of the armed forces of the United States to put in procedures and rules that would not be acceptable in any other institution.

So, the Congress, I think, has an obligation to review the law, and I hope that it's a very spirited review. And I hope that President-elect Obama, in one of his first actions, will ask the Joint Chiefs of Staff to take a look at the policy and the law and to get their recommendations before he makes a judgment with respect to the administration position.

But times have changed. This is not 1993. It is 2008. And we should review the law.

ZAKARIA: Do you think we should consider the fact that other countries -- the Israeli army, for instance, the British army -- has gays serving openly, and it does not seem to have produced any negative effects to their morale and effectiveness?

POWELL: I certainly think we should look at all the examples of countries where this is the case, and see if it is relevant to the armed forces of the United States. We are unique not only as a country, but as an armed forces. And so, yes, I would look at all of that. But that doesn't necessarily drive the decision.

I think the president will have a view on this, many people will have a view on it. But one view that we should not ignore is the view of the Joint Chiefs of Staff representing not just themselves, not just a bunch of generals and admirals, but representing a very large, complex organization.

When we went through this in 1993, it wasn't just the generals, it was the chaplains, it was family members. You have issues of domicile. You have issues of marriage. And, you know, look at the debate we're having now with respect to same-sex marriage.

All of that comes in to the military, if you change the law. That may be fine. But let's study it carefully as we examine this 15- year-old law.

General Colin Powell was interviewed by CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Thursday and, in response to a question on Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, said:

We definitely should reevaluate it...it's been fifteen years since we put in 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' which was a policy that became a law. I didn't want it to become a law, but it became a law. Congress felt that strongly about it. But it's been fifteen years and attitudes have changed. I think it is time for the Congress, since it is their law, to have a full review of it, and I'm quite sure that's what President-elect Obama will want to do.

Watch the clip of Powell on The Situation Room:

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has rolled out today the results of a new survey by Harris Interactive undertaken in the aftermath of Prop 8.  In this look at American attitudes on top LGBT issues, the poll found that the majority of Americans oppose laws that would ban child adoption by gay and lesbian parents:

• Three-quarters of U.S. adults (75%) favor either marriage or domestic partnerships/civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.  Only about two in 10 (22%) say gay and lesbian couples should have no legal recognition. (Gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in two states, and comprehensive civil union or domestic partnership laws exist in only five others and the District of Columbia.)
• U.S. adults are now about evenly divided on whether they support allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry (47% favor to 49% oppose).
• Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults favor allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces. (The current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law bans military service by openly gay personnel.)
• About six in 10 (63%) U.S. adults favor expanding hate crime laws to cover gay and transgender people. (Hate crimes laws cover gay and transgender people in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and an additional – 20 states' laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
• A slight majority of U.S. adults (51%) favor protecting gay and transgender people under existing laws that prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. (Existing non-discrimination laws cover gay and transgender people in only 12 states and the District of Columbia, and eight other states' laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
• Nearly seven out of 10 U.S. adults (69%) oppose laws that would ban qualified gay and lesbian couples from adopting children. (In several states, gay and lesbian couples are banned from adopting.)

The Pulse of Equality survey results on adoption are especially encouraging considering that All Children - All Families, a program of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation Family Project, launched a recruitment intiative last week to encouarge LGBT families to consider foster parenting and adoption.

The results also show that, as more and more people come out and live their lives openly, Americans are growing in their acceptance of LGBT equality.  This also means they are continuing to reject the efforts of the religious right to divide our country at the expense of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people:

The survey also revealed that there has been greater acceptance of gay and lesbian Americans over the last five years.  Approximately two in 10 Americans (19%) reported that their feelings toward gay and lesbian people have become more favorable over the past five years, with contributing factors including:  knowing someone who is gay or lesbian (79%), the fact that laws have been passed that protect gay and lesbian people (50%), opinions of family or friends (45%) and religious leaders (21%), news coverage of gay and lesbian issues (41%), and seeing gay or lesbian characters on television (34%) and in movies (29%).   Nearly three out of four Americans (73%) personally know or work with a gay or transgender person, and half of those who know or work with someone who is gay or transgender know five or more gay or transgender people.

So. There's a lot of buzz out there about what next steps the gay rights movement should take after the 2008 election results.  One thing is for sure, we're excited to see the signs of renewed activist energy at the grassroots level and we hope that it continues and strengthens.  As we saw this past weekend in cities across the country, there is a collective power in taking our message to the streets. 

HRC President Joe Solmonese gives a Q&A interview to Metro Weekly, a Washington-DC gay publication.  In this interview, Joe looks ahead to working with the new adminstration to get key pieces of LGBT legislation passed - and talks about what the passage of Prop 8 in California means for the movement:

MW: What does the loss on same-sex marriage in California -- as well as Arizona and Florida -- plus the barring of adoption rights in Arkansas say about the state of GLBT issues in America?

On election night, our community felt the emotions of electing a pro-equality President and expanding our numbers in Congress and state houses across the country, but the next morning our hearts were broken as the dust settled and it was clear we lost the marriage ballot measures in California, Florida and Arizona as well as adoption in Arkansas. We all know that our marriages and families did not begin with a court decision and they will not end with a vote on a discriminatory amendment. Although we lost our battles in these states, we will not allow the lies and hate-the foundation on which our opponents built their campaign-to break our spirits. We are on the right side of history and the continuing movement in public opinion underscores that it is only a matter of time before we undo this loss and add more states to the march for equality.

MW: A number of rationales have emerged for the California loss -- minority voters supporting both Obama and Prop. 8, low turnout in some areas such as San Francisco, ''No on 8'' messages that avoided being too ''gay,'' etc. -- what do you think needs to be addressed among those in order to move forward in that state?

Anger directed at any group of people is completely misdirected. Have we directed our anger at white men, who voted for Prop. 8 51 percent to 41 percent? At rural people? At voters over age 49? Should we spray paint an assisted living facility? No. We must reject our instinct to lay blame at the feet of any group. There is no denying, as we pick ourselves up after losing this most recent, hard-fought battle, that we've been injured, many of us by neighbors who claim to respect us. But we are moving in the right direction. In 2000, California voters passed Proposition 22 by a margin of 61.4 percent to 38.6 percent. On Election Day, fully 48 percent of Californians rejected Proposition 8. Everything we've learned points to one simple fact: people who know us are more likely to support our equality.

Read the full interview here.

President-elect Obama's transition team has newly published their vision of support for the civil rights and LGBT community in a straightforward - and timely - plan outlined at Change.gov.

This series of supportive statements on key LGBT issues, including the full repeal of DOMA, is an encouraging sign that our community will indeed have a seat at the new administration's table:

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

The Obama-Biden Plan:

• 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. Barack 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, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
• Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack 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. Obama 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: Barack 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: Barack 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: Barack 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. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
• Expand Adoption Rights: Barack 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, Barack 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. Obama 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. Obama also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. He will continue to speak out on this issue as president.
• 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. Barack 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.

NOTE FROM CHRIS: My colleague Trevor Thomas reminded me that the above outline is identical to Obama's statement of support for the LGBT community that he posted on his campaign site months ago. In other words, President-elect Obama has been declaring his support for LGBT inclusion since the beginning of his campaign - and he's essentially reiterating his long-held vision for expanding LGBT rights now as he prepares to become the next president of the United States.  That's a great point to note. Thanks, Trev!

It was a lovely evening indeed at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner on Saturday at the Washington Convention Center. Over 3,000 guests from around the country gathered to enjoy a night of encouraging speeches and videos highlighting the contributions of leading LGBT activists and the challenges ahead in this important election year. Sen. Hillary Clinton graciously stepped in to give a video address from California at the beginning of the dinner program after Sen. Joe Biden had to cancel his appearance due to a family emergency.

Personal finance expert Suze Orman looked amazing and gave a fired-up (and ready to go!) speech on her behind-the-scenes dealing with financial power players on behalf of LGBT fairness.  She spoke from the heart when she charged the audience to save and use their money to directly influence the political and social decisions that affect their lives. As an added bonus, Suze brought her life partner, Kathy "K.T." Travis, on stage to introduce her to the LGBT community and share her honor in receiving the National Equality Award.  This was the first time that Suze has spoken so publicly about being a lesbian and her relationship with K.T., who the crowd enthusiastically welcomed with a standing ovation. And let's not forget: the legendary Crystal Waters closed the evening with a couple of her high-energy dance songs that had guests dancing and waving as they exited the dinner and headed to the adjacent after party.

Here are some photos from the event:

Sen. Hillary Clinton addressed the dinner (VIDEO) in the absence of Sen. Joe Biden.

Left: HRC Business Council member Meghan Stabler. Right: Lesbian comedienne Suzanne Westenhoefer moderated the live auction.

Left: HRC President Joe Solmonese (VIDEO). Right: HRC Foundation board member Edie Cofrin and Elizabeth Birch, former HRC president, introduced National Legacy Award recipient Terry Bean.

Left: Singer Jennifer Holliday sings "And I Am Telling You" in honor of Bruce Bastian. Bruce Bastian, recipient of the HRC National Leadership Award.

Left: Terry Bean, one of the founders of the Human Rights Campaign, receives the National Legacy Award.  Right: Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City, gave a tribute to Utah's Bruce Bastian.

Personal finance expert Suze Orman gave an impassioned speech on the importance of LGBT financial empowerment.

 

Crystal Waters and her dancers turn up the energy at the end of the dinner.

NEW: Senator Obama gives an interview to the Philadelphia Gay News and answers questions on a range of topics including DADT,  DOMA, and hate crimes.  This is an interesting development indeed, considering that PGN publisher Mark Segal made a big stink in April accusing Obama of only wanting to "talk at the LGBT community than with them."  Anyway, I guess some fences have mended because here are excerpts from Segal's Obama interview that will headline this week's paper:

PGN: You are the most LGBT-friendly candidate running for president in history. Are you concerned that John McCain and the Republicans might use this as a divisive issue as they did in 2004?
BARACK OBAMA: No. I think they can try but I don’t think it will work for a couple of reasons. Number one, I think that the American people’s attitudes with respect to LGBT issues are continuing to evolve. I think people are becoming more and more aware of the need to treat all people equally regardless of sexual orientation. There are some people who disagree with that, but frankly those folks — many of them — probably have already made their minds up about this election earlier.

PGN: The current President Bush has used signing orders to change military rules and regulations. If White House counsel advised you that you could end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” by attaching a signing order to a military appropriations bill, would you?

BO: I would not do it that way. The reason is because I want to make sure that when we reverse “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” it’s gone through a process and we’ve built a consensus or at least a clarity of that, of what my expectations are, so that it works. My first obligation as the president is to make sure that I keep the American people safe and that our military is functioning effectively. Although I have consistently said I would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be. That’s how we were able to integrate the armed services to get women more actively involved in the armed services. At some point, you’ve got to make a decision that that’s the right thing to do, but you always want to make sure that you are doing it in a way that maintains our core mission in our military.

PGN: Many lawyers contend that the Defense of Marriage Act passed by Congress is unconstitutional. It takes away over 1,100 rights, including IRS joint filings. If a suit is filed in federal court, would you expect or instruct your attorney general to join in that suit with an amicus brief questioning its legality?

BO: I would want to review carefully any lawsuit that was filed. This is probably my carryover from being a constitutional lawyer. Here’s where I can tell you [what] my principle is: DOMA was an unnecessary encroachment by the federal government in an area traditionally reserved for the state. I think that it was primarily sent as a message to score political points instead of work through these difficult issues. I recognize why it was done. I’m sympathetic to the political pressures involved, but I think that we need to bring it to a close and my preference would be to work through a legislative solution. I would also point out that if it’s going before this court, I’m not sure what chances it would have to be overturned. I think we’re going to have to take a different approach, but I am absolutely committed to the concept it is not necessary.

PGN has also posted audio of the Obama interview. Here's the direct link: http://www.epgn.com/Obama.mp3

****UPDATE (2:30 pm): Mark Segal wrote me to say that the interview was done for The Gay History Project, a collaboration of over 40 local LGBT publications like San Francisco's BAR or the Dallas Voice.  (It's also on DC's Metro Weekly's web site.)   The interview will be carried either in their print editions that came out Thursday or Friday and started appearing on web sites Thursday.

With less than 60 (teeth-chattering....) days remaining until the presidential election, Senator Barack Obama this week submitted written answers to a series of questions on LGBT issues from William Kapfer, co-president of Washington/New York Blade parent company Window Media.

The complete Q&A is here but I've included an excerpt of Senator Obama's answers on key LGBT legislative issues below:

Blade: Important gay rights legislation unrelated to marriage has been stalled in Congress for quite some time. The gay community has high expectations for an Obama administration. What are reasonable expectations for a first-term Obama administration: How aggressively would you push for Congress to pass ENDA, the hate crimes bill, repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and other gay-related bills in your first year in office, and would you mention those bills in your State of the Union address?

Obama: These bills are all important priorities for me. Senator Biden and I have long committed ourselves to supporting fundamental civil rights for all. In addition to the issues you mentioned, I also support full repeal of DOMA to provide equal federal rights and benefits to LGBT couples. America must live up to our founding principle of equality for all, and it’s wrong to have millions of LGBT Americans living as second‐class citizens in this nation.

I support these efforts because I know that equality is a moral imperative. Back when I was in the Illinois Senate, I co‐sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. The non-discrimination bill has become law in Illinois.  If I am honored to serve as your President, I will continue to do what I’ve done throughout my career and in this campaign: speak out on behalf of the cause for equal justice and opportunity for LGBT Americans.

Blade: What is your advice to gay rights activists as to what they should pursue and realistically expect to pass in 2009 with regard to the issues listed above?

Obama: A large part of what I can do for LGBT Americans depends on what actions Congress takes. That is why we need greater Democratic majorities in both chambers. I can say that if elected, I will work with the leaders in Congress to enact legislation that will better protect the rights of LGBT Americans. I know ENDA has been stalled in Congress for many years, and I will work to pass a fully inclusive version of it as President.

...

Blade: If DOMA is repealed fully or in part, the federal government most likely still could not recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships performed by states. Would you ask Congress to pass federal enabling legislation that would require the federal government to recognize civil unions and/or domestic partnerships performed by states so that same-sex couples joined in civil unions or domestic partnerships could obtain the same federal rights and benefits of marriage that you have called for?

Obama: I support the notion that all people — gay or straight — deserve the same rights and responsibilities to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, deserve equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to heterosexual married couples, and deserve the same property rights as anyone else.

If elected, I would call on Congress to enact legislation that would repeal DOMA and ensure that the over 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.

As you may know, HRC PAC produced a fantastic video featuring a few of Senator Obama's LGBT friends talking about their relationships with Obama and his ongoing support of the LGBT community. I posted it again below because it's definitely not to be missed: