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We won’t let President Obama can’t run from his promises forever. In 2008 he promised to sign an executive order granting workplace protections against discrimination over sexual orientation or gender identity. Despite taking only a single swipe of his pen to enact, in 2012 he’s let queer rights activists know this is no longer a priority and may never be signed.
We can’t wait. People suffer daily, losing their jobs and their livelihoods to discrimination. This executive order would protect the 20% of workers who work for companies with federal contracts.
Today I will be livestreaming from the first installment of an escalating series of actions being led by Get Equal. Get Equal Texas and the Occupy Austin OccuQueers will march on the Obama For America headquarters and deliver the first part of our message.
Update 2: I had some video problems on this action. I’ve replaced the media link on this post with a media interview about our action & why we did it.
Update: We had a small but enthusiastic turn out for this action this afternoon. Many people exploring the popular east side neighborhood stopped to look at our signs. We marched from a park at a train station to the Obama For America Headquarters. We carried signs which said #WeCantWait’ and explained about the need for an executive nondiscrimination order. We also taped our mouths shut with duct tape.
One of our number politely knocked on the door and were answered by two staffers from the Travis County Democrats. We delivered a letter explaining why we were taking this action, then began dropping the pens in their office. The initial hesitant welcomes quickly turned to hostility. One of the staffers grabbed my arm and pushed me to the door, telling us we were no longer welcome there.
As I said, this is just the first in a series of escalating actions around this issue coming in the near future.
4 Comments
Thanks for posting this, Kit.
The Democrats were hostile?
The nerve of you guys wanting Obama to keep a campaign promise, much less, just be a decent human being and do what is right for a freakin’ change.
Nice action, Kit. But:
“We won’t let President Obama can’t run from his promises forever.”
Can’t think what to say about that; I think the only thing that may induce him to sign is if enough LGBT folks and groups withhold political contributions long enough to make sure he does. He duz like money.
Kit, I live in Austin and support the Occupiers wholeheartedly. But, as Tip O’Neill told us, “All politics are local”. I also support the TCDP, for I believe there is a clear choice at the local and State level here in Texas. I am sorry that we disappoint.
I have absolutely no love for the big zer0, and I will not support him in any means, manner, or form. Are you against anything associated with the D party simply because of zer0 and his “Chicago Boys”? I*f you live in Austin, either you choose to vote one way or the other, or refuse to participate.
BTW, do you know who the folks were that were so hostile? I would appreciate names if possible.
I definitely want to clarify that our target here is not Travis County Democrats, but Obama For America. It’s just their offices happen to be the same place. And we were engaged in a deliberate act of civil disobedience — they stood in the doorway, so in order to give them the pens we brought we dropped them on the floor. While in a perfect world perhaps they would have instead asked us in to chat… but then again our mouths were duct taped! What I am saying is people engaged in acts of civil disobedience expect to be asked to leave, and this time we did.
I definitely believe in local politics as being the only place where elections can make any difference. I highly recommend you vote for John Duffy this year.