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Apparently, this is the news rumored to break before the upcoming LGBT fundraiser for the DNC:
An Obama administration official has confirmed to The Advocate that President Barack Obama will be signing a presidential memorandum Wednesday to provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
The signing is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. in the Oval Office, and the president is scheduled to make brief remarks.
I guess this is good news. I mean, it is progress and LGBT federal employees have been waiting quite some time for domestic partner benefits. But if President Obama is doing this just to placate the community to get the money flowing out of our wallets again for the June 26 DNC fundraiser, this isn’t enough.
We want out full civil rights, and we’re tired of small token gestures and nice words followed by inaction. We want full equality, and we want it NOW!
Again, this is good start. LGBT federal employees deserve this kind of respect and protection. And yes, I’ll commend the President for doing it. I just hope tomorrow we’ll also get word of when the rest of us will get some equality as well.
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Will this include health benefits and, if so, how without running afoul of DOMA? And even if it is health benefits, congratulations on catching up with 90% of the Fortune 500.
This should have been done in January.
And if it’s just relocation allowances, well — big whoop. And if it’s just a Memorandum and not an Executive Order? Well, little whoop.
We are STILL due an apology and recompense for the horrific language in Friday’s DOMA defense.
Good luck with that Obama.
This is going to make people really really mad. I’m not gay and *I* feel royally jerked around on this. It’s a civil rights issue. With this country’s instructive history on the pattern of denying and winning civil rights this fight should be over. It’s 2009. And this is abusive behavior.
Federal benefits don’t jive with the disgraceful DOMA defense language. And if it’s so easy, why is it taking so long. People are *still* being fired for DADT. Obama is going to have to specifically retract the slurs and fire someone before this goes away. Or is a 747 photo op over NYC considered worse?
People will want to be decent and grateful, but I think it’s too late and so muddy as to be seen as dishonest. It’s going to make people really really angry. Which may be a real shock to the WH that chould have had this one right from the start and even his political staff’s handwringing would be forgotten by now.