What an amazing speech and what a fabulous night for Cleveland's LGBTA community!
From the young people who were not old enough to vote in the last election to the senior citizens who have never missed one, from the man who arrived early, decked out in red, white & blue with his Obama buttons proudly displayed ("am I in the right place?" he slyly asked at the door) to the Clinton die-hard who's still heartbroken that her candidate is not on the ticket, who wore an Obama Pride sticker for the first time last night--this evening was about uniting our community behind our candidate. It was a huge success, thanks to everyone who came out & to the teamwork of the Ohio Democratic Party's LGBT Caucus, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Equality Ohio, and our local Human Rights Campaign chapter.
The crowd broke in with applause when Obama took on the Republican party's failed economic & foreign policies, then let out a huge roar of approval when he declared "I know there are differences on same sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in a hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."
But for me, the highlight of the evening was watching the reaction on the face of our new volunteer, Tammy, her hands folded expectantly, hopefully in front of her face, her eyes glued to the screen, shining with a mix of joy and astonishment, as she watched the first African American and the best LGBT rights candidate the we have ever had accept the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States.
A big shout out to our fabulous co-hosts and volunteers--John, Tammy, Rob, Alli, Jenn, Brian, Emma, Doug, Kathy, Keli, and Patrick--to our friends at the LGBT Caucus in Columbus, James & Sean, & to the terrific support from Union Station's waitstaff, bartenders, and management. And to the beautiful drag queen who will vote for the first time in this election & who wants EVERYONE to register & volunteer: THANK YOU.
For more pictures of the event, check out Cleveland Stonewall Democrats on Facebook!
Don't miss the big convention watch party at Union Station this coming Thursday night, August 28th, as Obama Pride, Equality Ohio, Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, the Human Rights Campaign, & the Ohio Democratic Party LGBT Caucus co-host this event to unite the Northeast Ohio lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, & allied communities in support of Sen. Obama!
Check out the details @
Contact obamapridecleveland@gmail.com if you'd like to help out the night of the event!
I'm still hearing from undecided voters who want to know where Barack Obama stands on LGBT rights—not the only issue I care about, but one on which I can speak with some authority.
Barack Obama strongly advocates LGBT rights & has championed LGBT issues during his tenure as an Illinois State Senator and as a member of the U.S. Senate. Consider but a few of his policy positions, a fuller slate of which can be found at “On the Issues” above the lead blog entry @ http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome:
* Obama has been & remains a vocal proponent of the repeal of Don't Ask-Don't Tell. This past November, when the Human Rights Campaign and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network marked the 14th anniversary of DADT, Obama distinguished himself as the only presidential candidate who publicly endorsed the Military Readiness Enhancement Act—a bill currently pending in the House of Representatives that would repeal DADT and replace it with a policy forbidding discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the military.
* Obama supports the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. He supports full civil unions and the extension of all 1,110+ federal legal rights and benefits provided on the basis of marital status to same-sex couples in legally-recognized unions.
* Obama has been & remains committed to fully inclusive employment non-discrimination laws. In Illinois, he sponsored an anti-discrimination bill that covered both sexual orientation and gender identity; during the recent battle over the scope of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Obama affirmed his commitment to a fully inclusive law that protects against workplace discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity.
* Obama has proven himself again and again to be a champion in the continuing struggle against HIV/AIDS in the United States and worldwide.
Barack Obama's policy positions on LGBT issues are as strong as any serious contender we’ve ever had for the presidency. Yet I'm most impressed not just by Barack Obama's positions on LGBT issues, but by his willingness to expend political capital to make progress on LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS.
Those less familiar with his record may not know that Obama took considerable political risks during his tenure as an Illinois State Senator on behalf of LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS legislation, and continues to do so as a member of the U.S. Senate. To take but two examples that resonate with me:
* During the legislative process that led to the eventual passage of the Illinois Gender Violence Act, Obama fought for the inclusion of language explicitly covering violence in same-sex relationships, against steadfast opposition by a Republican majority that ultimately blocked the preferred language. His willingness to expend political capital on this issue in the face of insurmountable odds attests to the depth of Obama's commitment to LGBT rights. The outcome of that battle—the eventual passage of what is widely considered the nation's strongest civil rights law for survivors of sexual assault and gender violence—demonstrates Obama's political skills and accomplishments. * Obama's political courage came through as well in his efforts to pass legislation in Illinois establishing a needle exchange program that has been credited with dramatic declines in the HIV-infection rate among IV-drug users. Since becoming a member of the U.S. Senate, Obama has worked to lift the ban on federal funding for regulated needle exchange programs, and to establish age-appropriate education to teach young people how to protect themselves from acquiring HIV, in spite of the considerable political risk involved in publicly supporting such measures.
Given the popularity of Obama's speeches, and the frequency with which he discusses LGBT rights during public appearances, it's likely many of you have heard Obama speak out on behalf of LGBT rights and against homophobia—the videos referenced in the second attached PDF offer several examples. Sadly, including LGBT rights in major speeches before broad-ranging audiences remains a matter of political courage in this country. To Obama's credit, he's done this consistently.
This isn't just symbolic: Obama's speeches are instrumental parts of his solution to anti-gay beliefs and practices. Speeches like these help to shift the cultural landscape in ways that create greater room for political progress on LGBT rights. I agree 100% with Obama when he says that we cannot make that progress just by having a president who has the correct stances on these issues; we also need a president who will "bring the message of LGBT equality to people who are not yet convinced" and help them to come around.
Every one of us who has been actively engaged in the struggle for LGBT rights knows how much the possibility of institutional victories depends upon reaching the hearts and changing the minds of those who stand in our way. Obama understands this as well, as he made clear in this op-ed piece: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post_group/LGBTBlog/C5zH
Unfortunately, Barack Obama's considerable commitment to LGBT rights has frequently been overshadowed by an aberration: the campaign's decision to book an extremely popular gospel singer, Donnie McClurkin, to perform at an event in South Carolina last fall. (It was in the wake of this incident that Obama issued the aforementioned op-ed piece.) When it came out that McClurkin espoused the view that homosexuality can be "cured" through prayers, many in the LGBT community voiced disgust at what appeared to be yet another example of a politician ready to abandon LGBT people in order to win favor with conservative voters.
To be honest, I voiced that disgust myself; it wasn't until I learned more about Obama's sustained commitment to LGBT rights that I was able to put aside the concerns that incident initially raised for me. In the process, though, I realized that my own readiness to seize upon any suggestion of disloyalty to the LGBT cause was rooted in past experiences of substantive policy betrayals by Democratic political leaders at the local, state, and federal levels. There's much for LGBT rights advocates to be angry about in our recent political history—but it's misplaced to direct that anger at Obama, whose full record reveals him to be an astoundingly strong LGBT rights advocate.
No candidate is perfect—not even Obama, whose opposition to same-sex marriage has drawn angry cries from some in the LGBT rights community. I would not silence those voice this protest. Rather, I would ask them to speak their minds about the importance of full legal equality for LGBT Americans, and to speak loudly about the chasm separating Barack Obama from John McCain on DOMA, civic unions & domestic partnerships, California’s Proposition 8, family benefits, adoption, employment non-discrimination, hate crime legislation, HIV/AIDS, and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. We can still be a bit critical as we support our candidate (who among us has never had a quibble or even a serious disagreement with our favorite politicians?), as long as we lend the support that’s critical to our candidate.
Besides, perfection isn’t my standard. Rather, I'm seeking the candidate who I believe will do the most to make possible the change I hope to see in the world, the change I work to build in the world—including, but certainly not limited to, the achievement of full legal equality for LGBT Americans.
In Obama, I've found a candidate far more dedicated to that goal than I expected, and far more capable of helping to reach that goal that I ever imagined in a presidential candidate. I hope you will join me in supporting him for president.
Cleveland's LGBT community mourns the loss of our representative and our friend, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. From her work to prevent predatory lending to her advocacy of affordable health care to her support of equality for LGBT people to her stand against election fraud to her opposition to the Iraq war, Stephanie Tubbs Jones didn't just stand for us--she stood with us.
Many across the nation will remember her as an energetic figure on the national political stage during this election cycle, smiling and waving to the applause of large crowds. But those of us in the 11th district are just as likely to remember Stephanie Tubbs Jones working on the ground with the rest of us, bringing her enthusiasm and commitment to the grassroots work of persuading voters, one by one, doing whatever needed to be done to elect the candidates we believe in.
This morning, we mourn the loss of Stephanie Tubbs Jones to our community, our state, and our nation. As we move forward this election season, registering voters and knocking on doors and getting out the vote, we'll be honoring her life and carrying on her legacy. And we will miss her dearly.
This weekend, Obama Pride Cleveland will launch our local LGBT Canvass for Change program in conjunction with the Ohio Democratic Party's LGBT Caucus. Check out the Events link for details!
Each LGBT Canvass for Change will enlist volunteers from the local LGBTA community to knock doors for Barack Obama & local Democratic candidates such as Jennifer Brady & Matt Patten, two terrific progressive candidates competing in key Ohio House races in the west suburbs of Cleveland. This is a great, fun way to help the campaign by educating voters about our fabulous candidates, all while meeting new people from local LGBT political groups like Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Equality Ohio, & HRC.
Check back for updates about future LGBT Canvass for Change events!
Volunteers from Obama Pride Cleveland enjoyed a beautiful August afternoon at the Black Gay & Proud picnic this past Sunday.
The relatively small size of this event gave us a chance to have great conversations with everyone, and people are FIRED UP to elect Barack Obama this November!
