Obama Outlines Plan for LGBT issues

[Pint0 Xtreme]

On Obama's Change.org website, he's outlined his plans regarding the LGBT community.

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.

And now we have to wait and see if he'll at least make attempts on his promises. (If this needs to be moved to an existing thread of similar relevancy, please do so)

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Mind you, I'd be cheering right now and signing up for the role of running the puppet government if genetically engineered spacenoids ruled by the atheist gaystapo took over America, but I do have to admit that this is ridiculous to the point of farce. Armed resistance might be effective if all the gay people in the country were, say, concentrated in Washington State, and the USA had a military about as effective as Russia's, so we could play Chechnya and try to win or something, but the very nature of being homosexual means that's ridiculous. The idea isn't merely ridiculous, though, but understandably offensive to the heterosexuals who, let's be honest, will in fact be required to at some point support gay rights for any improvements to be made. Because of that it crosses the line from farce to a very detrimental lunacy.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Violent resistance for LGBT rights did occur a little over 39 years ago. The Stonewall Riots manifested from mistreatment of gay and lesbian patrons and it was really bad then. Ever since then, gay rights have been moving along fairly well and we have more and better political options at our disposal than armed resistance in keeping that ball rolling.

[thejester]

The simple fact is that black militancy, no matter the respectability of its aims or motivations, failed. While organisations like the Panthers certainly helped local communities they ultimately failed to even come close to achieving their basic aims; indeed, you could make the argument that the radicalistaion of the civil rights movement was a bad thing.

I simply fail to see how anyone could make the argument that violence will help. From reading the Prop 8 threads it seemed clear that people objected to it at a moral level because it rendered them second-class citizens; fair enough, but sticking a gun in the face of your Christian neighbours and saying 'let me live the life of happily-married suburban bliss or else' doesn't seem like a realistic way of achieving that aim.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The simple fact is that black militancy, no matter the respectability of its aims or motivations, failed. While organisations like the Panthers certainly helped local communities they ultimately failed to even come close to achieving their basic aims; indeed, you could make the argument that the radicalistaion of the civil rights movement was a bad thing.

I simply fail to see how anyone could make the argument that violence will help. From reading the Prop 8 threads it seemed clear that people objected to it at a moral level because it rendered them second-class citizens; fair enough, but sticking a gun in the face of your Christian neighbours and saying 'let me live the life of happily-married suburban bliss or else' doesn't seem like a realistic way of achieving that aim.

It was, I'd submit, emotionally understandable that forming Black Panthers-style organizations might have appealed to some furiously angry people in the immediate aftermath of Prop 8, but that was a knee-jerk reaction of pure fury, the time for which past 14 days ago. That Mengsk still holds it is frankly downright terrifying--it may mean that he's serious.

[The Romulan Republic]

Didn't he also state in another thread that he wanted a career in politics?

Seriously, I wish these comments were published with his real name attached, so he could never come within a mile of any serious political campaign. Maybe he's just shooting his mouth off, but he worries me. The last thing America needs is an upswing in domestic terrorism, and the last thing the gay rights movement needs is to be associated with such garbage.

[JCady]

I had a much longer reply on this topic but it got gobbled up by the vagaries of my roaming internet connection. So this will be the short, and much less emotional, reply. The question goes to Acturus and its rather simple. I wonder if you have ever actually expereinced violent death first hand? I truly wonder because I have and I firmly beleive that no person who has ever done so will advocate the rash and utterly despicable violence you are suggesting. What gives you the right to take another person's life, by what grant of judgement do you consider your cause so righteous that you have the moral authority to END A HUMAN FUCKING LIFE?

Tell me why you have that moral authority and maybe your cause of violence has justice but until you can answer that you remain a demagouge more concerned with getting his way than in being right.

I carry a sidearm because the murder rate for transgendered women is on the order of thirteen times the national average; thanks to religious bigotry against me for who I am, I am in the highest risk demographic in the nation. But I will only ever draw that sidearm in defense of my own life or the life of an innocent.

[JCady]

Violent resistance for LGBT rights did occur a little over 39 years ago. The Stonewall Riots manifested from mistreatment of gay and lesbian patrons and it was really bad then. Ever since then, gay rights have been moving along fairly well and we have more and better political options at our disposal than armed resistance in keeping that ball rolling.

The Stonewall Riots were police brutality against gay, lesbian, AND TRANSGENDER persons. Pardon me for jumping on you, but I am exceedingly sick and tired of having to correct the misconception that it was "gay rights only" at Stonewall and transgender/transexual rights is something "new" that's been added since then.

[Adrian Laguna]

The Stonewall Riots were police brutality against gay, lesbian, AND TRANSGENDER persons. Pardon me for jumping on you, but I am exceedingly sick and tired of having to correct the misconception that it was "gay rights only" at Stonewall and transgender/transexual rights is something "new" that's been added since then.

It may have actually been started by the transgender patrons, since they were the worse ones off, often being carted down to the police station for city dress code violations. I think it is important to note that the root of much hatred against gays and lesbians has to do with visceral reactions to behaviour that is considered gender inappropriate: men acting effeminately, women acting macho. You can see it in men who fuck other men but sternly and loudly insist that they are not gay. That is why trangedered folks are treated the worst, in a certain way they embody what the bigots hate most.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Violent resistance for LGBT rights did occur a little over 39 years ago. The Stonewall Riots manifested from mistreatment of gay and lesbian patrons and it was really bad then. Ever since then, gay rights have been moving along fairly well and we have more and better political options at our disposal than armed resistance in keeping that ball rolling.

The Stonewall Riots were police brutality against gay, lesbian, AND TRANSGENDER persons. Pardon me for jumping on you, but I am exceedingly sick and tired of having to correct the misconception that it was "gay rights only" at Stonewall and transgender/transexual rights is something "new" that's been added since then.

Jesus Christ, that's why I put the T in LGBT. I don't feel right typing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender every single fucking time I refer to the LGBT community. I am on your freakin' side so please... I am probably one of the last few people you should jump on.

[JCady]

Violent resistance for LGBT rights did occur a little over 39 years ago. The Stonewall Riots manifested from mistreatment of gay and lesbian patrons and it was really bad then. Ever since then, gay rights have been moving along fairly well and we have more and better political options at our disposal than armed resistance in keeping that ball rolling.

The Stonewall Riots were police brutality against gay, lesbian, AND TRANSGENDER persons. Pardon me for jumping on you, but I am exceedingly sick and tired of having to correct the misconception that it was "gay rights only" at Stonewall and transgender/transexual rights is something "new" that's been added since then.

Jesus Christ, that's why I put the T in LGBT. I don't feel right typing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender every single fucking time I refer to the LGBT community. I am on your freakin' side so please... I am probably one of the last few people you should jump on.

You may not have meant it, but referring to Stonewall as just "gay and lesbian" and "gay rights" is exactly the sort of language we see from types like Barney Frank, who intentionally rewrite the history to cut trans rights out and make them sound like a new issue which was added to "LGBT" at a later time.Frank.

[Samuel]

Mengtsk... oh boy, where to begin. Well, for starters, some of us do think similarly like you... and have come to differant conclusions. Why is radical anti-theism and bloodshed not a good idea? Look at the French Revolution- specifically Maximillian Robspierre.

When you have a similar thought process to a man who screwed up and killed a bunch of people... it is time to check your thought process. Specifically curb your self righteousness- sure, there a people who are total dicks in the world. It doesn't give you the right to pre-emptively kill them. Not to mention Christians aren't the top of the list- Objectivists, Scientologists.... it is a long list.

And, of course, there is the fact that you would be engaging in domestic terrorism. Lets not try to make the world a better plae by killing everyone who disagrees- all previous attempts have lead to... less than ideal results. Yes, I know- your ideas are rational. That only makes them true, not morally imperitive.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

You may not have meant it, but referring to Stonewall as just "gay and lesbian" and "gay rights" is exactly the sort of language we see from types like Barney Frank, who intentionally rewrite the history to cut trans rights out and make them sound like a new issue which was added to "LGBT" at a later time.Frank.

To be honest, I'm so sick and tired of people assuming that I think that because I use the words "gay rights", that I'm how excluding transgendered or bisexual individuals. It's common language and it's far quicker to type. I've consistently advocated for greater rights and protections for transgendered people. There are many individuals within the gay community that are far less sympathetic to transgendered issues than I am. Why don't you go jump on people who aren't your freakin' supporters for a change?

[Pint0 Xtreme]

On that note, I'm also not downplaying the historical significance transgendered individuals in the LGBT rights movement. It's gets really annoying when people like you assume I do. You're not doing yourself or anyone any favors by doing so.

[Invictus ChiKen]

To be honest, I'm so sick and tired of people assuming that I think that because I use the words "gay rights", that I'm how excluding transgendered or bisexual individuals. It's common language and it's far quicker to type. I've consistently advocated for greater rights and protections for transgendered people. There are many individuals within the gay community that are far less sympathetic to transgendered issues than I am. Why don't you go jump on people who aren't your freakin' supporters for a change?

It never fails to amaze me how many in the LGBT community will turn on there own supporters over the smallest of things, and I think the Anti-LGBT movement should give them medals.

After all these pricks in the LGBT movement are doing the Anti's jobs for them.

[FuncoWilkerbean]

Violent resistance for LGBT rights did occur a little over 39 years ago. The Stonewall Riots manifested from mistreatment of gay and lesbian patrons and it was really bad then. Ever since then, gay rights have been moving along fairly well and we have more and better political options at our disposal than armed resistance in keeping that ball rolling.

The Stonewall Riots were police brutality against gay, lesbian, AND TRANSGENDER persons. Pardon me for jumping on you, but I am exceedingly sick and tired of having to correct the misconception that it was "gay rights only" at Stonewall and transgender/transexual rights is something "new" that's been added since then.

Geez, all he did was use an acronym.

[Ender]

To be honest, I'm so sick and tired of people assuming that I think that because I use the words "gay rights", that I'm how excluding transgendered or bisexual individuals. It's common language and it's far quicker to type. I've consistently advocated for greater rights and protections for transgendered people. There are many individuals within the gay community that are far less sympathetic to transgendered issues than I am. Why don't you go jump on people who aren't your freakin' supporters for a change?

It never fails to amaze me how many in the LGBT community will turn on there own supporters over the smallest of things, and I think the Anti-LGBT movement should give them medals.

After all these pricks in the LGBT movement are doing the Anti's jobs for them.

I realize green is the traditional sarcasm color on the internet, but I agree with this statement. The actions here for the past few weeks have been more effective than 13 years of catholic schooling in terms or generating ill will from me.

I now eagerly await more self righteous self martyring for attention over this post. Because we all know it is coming.

[Invictus ChiKen]

I realize green is the traditional sarcasm color on the internet, but I agree with this statement. The actions here for the past few weeks have been more effective than 13 years of catholic schooling in terms or generating ill will from me.

I now eagerly await more self righteous self martyring for attention over this post. Because we all know it is coming.

Wanna borrow a suit of ice armour? It is excellent against flame based attacks !

[Coyote]

And you continue to sit on your butt, basking in the illumination provided by your LCD screen rather than stand up for what you profess to believe in. So yeah, you are another wuss who just likes to talk big on the internet. Thanks for proving me right. Man, that happens a lot.

Jesus, are you going to hold up any standard of debate or logical discussion here, or just engage him in a HURR HURR HE MAN YOU REALLY TOO PUSSY TO MEAN YOUR SHIT contest? There's plenty to point out as flawed by him and his reasoning, but you don't debate and then go for the jugular as he repeats himself, you started out with "Ok internet tough guy, you first." Thanks, Esteemed Senator, for showing us the way to productive debate. I know you may think you're really putting him in his place, but we have mods, we have a Mike already. How is this really increasing the quality of discourse and contributing to a conflict of ideas? This is just garden-variety cock-measuring. Its no more becoming on you than it is on him.

Umm, Ender's got the right idea; we do indeed tend to frown on Internet Toughguy-ism here and he's daring AM to either put up or shut up.

Mengsk, you need to cool out about advocating violence as opposed to a discussion of its ideological merits in intellectual scenarios; you cannot advocate religious violence from a community hosted in Mike's room. That goes beyond your rights.

Dude, you bag on Ender for "playing mod" and then get into stern finger-wagging mode yourself?

[Edi]

ArcturusMengsk seems to be back to his past form. This kind of insanity and uncompromising positions that he can find no ethically sound justifications for are not entirely new for him. He has some real gems among the posts before he went on the lengthy hiatus that he just recently ended. I am not surprised in the least.

I'd HoS this thread, because that's what it deserves, but I'm still waiting to be given the power to do so.

[JCady]

Violent resistance for LGBT rights did occur a little over 39 years ago. The Stonewall Riots manifested from mistreatment of gay and lesbian patrons and it was really bad then. Ever since then, gay rights have been moving along fairly well and we have more and better political options at our disposal than armed resistance in keeping that ball rolling.

The Stonewall Riots were police brutality against gay, lesbian, AND TRANSGENDER persons. Pardon me for jumping on you, but I am exceedingly sick and tired of having to correct the misconception that it was "gay rights only" at Stonewall and transgender/transexual rights is something "new" that's been added since then.

Geez, all he did was use an acronym.

Transgender and transexual people are very suspicious of anyone who talks about just "gay rights", because there is a consistent pattern of gays actively and maliciously trying to cut transgender and transexual people out of the movement. Representative Barney Frank is on record as saying that that the LGBT movement must focus exclusively on gay rights and can "reconsider" trans rights in FIFTY YEARS, and that anyone who supports trans rights is a "rabid ideological purist" who should be ignored.

Pint0 Xtreme is using the EXACT SAME LANGUAGE that Barney and his crowd use to describe Stonewall, claiming that it was purely a gay-rights event and that trans is a "Johnny Come Lately" issue which was tacked onto the gay rights movement at a later time.

[Kanastrous]

Quite frankly, I don't think there's anything that radical about organizing and arming if you're LGBTQ or atheistic

Assuming it's not a typo, what's the "Q" for, in "LGBTQ?"

[Kodiak]

Quite frankly, I don't think there's anything that radical about organizing and arming if you're LGBTQ or atheistic

Assuming it's not a typo, what's the "Q" for, in "LGBTQ?"

Q is for "Queer". I'm not sure what the distinction is, but I'm sure there are folks here who can educate us.

[General Zod]

Transgender and transexual people are very suspicious of anyone who talks about just "gay rights", because there is a consistent pattern of gays actively and maliciously trying to cut transgender and transexual people out of the movement. Representative Barney Frank is on record as saying that that the LGBT movement must focus exclusively on gay rights and can "reconsider" trans rights in FIFTY YEARS, and that anyone who supports trans rights is a "rabid ideological purist" who should be ignored.

Pint0 Xtreme is using the EXACT SAME LANGUAGE that Barney and his crowd use to describe Stonewall, claiming that it was purely a gay-rights event and that trans is a "Johnny Come Lately" issue which was tacked onto the gay rights movement at a later time.

You know, after reading this I think I'm going to just use "gay rights" from now on every time I describe the LGBT rights movement as a whole just to piss you off. Quite frankly you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

*yawns*

Jacie, speaking to you as a friend, go dunk your head in cold water, okay?

You're being way to confrontational, even if I can understand where you're coming from.

People, she's got a point. HRC did through us under the bus like so much rotten meat, so there's plenty of people in the gay rights movement who are enormously bigoted against the transgendered. She's been at the receiving end of some of that bigotry before and has a short fuse over it.