Feeling Better About Obama: Selling Gay Equality

Ok, I can hold a grudge. There's been a part of me that has been angry at Barack Obama for a very long time for McClurkinGate. I still don't think he handled the aftermath of it well. I still think Obama should have called out  McClurkin more strongly and vocally after the things he said while MCing the campaign event in South Carolina.

But it's beginning to become clear to me that, no matter what Obama's shortcomings may have been regarding McClurkin, he's the real deal when it comes to fighting against homophobia.

And I'm not talking about the impressive open letter Obama wrote to the gay community. That's nice and all, but actions speak louder than words. Follow me over the jump to hear about Obama's actions in Beaumont, Texas.

Obama had a rally yesterday in Beaumont, and Politico reports an interesting moment during the rally:

Obama's rally in Beaumont today was the highest-energy of this Texas swing, with a crowd that was about three-quarters black cheering at almost every turn.

An interesting moment came when he was asked a question about LGBT rights and delivered an answer that seemed to suit the questioner, listing the various attributes — race, gender, etc. — that shouldn't trigger discrimination, to successive cheers. When he came to saying that gays and lesbians deserve equality, though, the crowd fell silent.

So he took a different tack:

"Now I’m a Christian, and I praise Jesus every Sunday," he said, to a sudden wave of noisy applause and cheers.

"I hear people saying things that I don’t think are very Christian with respect to people who are gay and lesbian," he said, and the crowd seemed to come along with him this time.

I have to admit, I'm impressed. I'm not simply impressed that he's talking about homophobia in Black churches. I'm impressed that he's not backing down when the position becomes unpopular. He's taking different tacks to communicate with an audience that, frankly, has some fundamental hostility to the LGBT community. He's working to communicate with them, in terms they can and should understand, why homophobia is wrong. Why it's a problem.

Yes, he's the clear frontrunner now, but his nomination isn't a slam dunk. And he's still charting a more politically daring course than he has to vis-a-vis homophobia and LGBT rights.

I won't say all is forgiven for McClurkin. But I will say that I'm impressed, and I'm comfortable that when it comes to the substance of what Obama will do, the substance of how he will act, he would be the best ally the LGBT community has ever seen in the White House if he's elected.

Now, I also think Clinton would be the best ally the LGBT community has ever seen in the White House if she's elected. And I'm ultimately not sure which would be the better choice from the LGBT perspective. But that's a wonderful place to be sitting as a gay man; in a place where I think both of our candidates would be outstanding on our issues.

So kudos to Obama for the bravery and leadership he's showing on LGBT issues.

•  You could have done better on McClurkin

  but I'll be damned if you're not impressing me on LGBT issues these days.

  by dedmonds on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:23:53 AM PDT

  •  McClurkin was the only thing that made me angry

    It was the only thing during this entire campaign that made me angry at Obama.  I hope he learned from it.  I'm ready to move on and trust that he will not repeat an episode like that.

    by zed on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:37:11 AM PDT

•  Not to play into the Repub attack machine

  But i've already heard rumors spewing out of McCain people (paid and unpaid)

  That they've "heard" Obama is on the Down Low.

  Not that it should matter (although it will) Obama will have to tread lightly since he's not yet the nominee and I've heard th gossip being spewed that hes a DL gay man for weeks.

  Awful ... but it must be handled.

  by justiceleague on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:26:53 AM PDT

  •  It must be "handled"?

    Sorry about that. I'm totally gay.

    I don't think this is going to get any traction though.  This is not one that needs a response, since the Repugs hardly have any high ground to stand on when it comes to closeted politicians.  He is rubber they are glue.  (Why does that read like innuendo too?)

    Besides, the people who would be in the least affected by this rumor are gonna vote for Insane McCain anyway.

    by spotDawa on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:34:18 AM PDT

  •  that's probably based on that youtube guy but

    he just failed a lie detector test.  He put up a youtube video saying he was Obama's driver or something and did coke and had sex with him a couple years ago.  It's been floating around the dregs of the online right for several months now, to the point that some right wing website had him do a polygraph test, but he failed.

    by duha on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:35:21 AM PDT

  •  You should watch the youtube.

    I think it'll make you feel better once you see its sheer implausibility. The accuser is clearly unstable and/or on drugs. Not very convincing. Its been floating around for years.

    by brklyngrl on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:40:36 AM PDT

    •  He's also...

      ...not in Obama's league.  I mean, they should have at least come up with someone hot.

      by zed on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:43:07 AM PDT

      •  Yeah, or if they couldn't

        find someone hot, at least someone with decent hygiene.

        by brklyngrl on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:49:56 AM PDT

    •  That, plus

      it's a really good laugh.

      by dedmonds on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:44:22 AM PDT

      •  Too true!

        Where did they even find that guy? Yowsers.

        by brklyngrl on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:53:27 AM PDT

  •  I don't understand your post at all Justice

    what are you actually trying to say here???

    by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:49:04 AM PDT

•  Clinton would be hamstrung

  After "Don't Ask Don't Tell" crippled the first year of the Clinton Administration, I wouldn't expect Hillary to touch LGBT issues until at least the last days of her first term.

  -fink

  by fink on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:26:54 AM PDT

  •  well if she is claiming Bills Presidency as her

    experience then she owns a piece of "don't ask, don't tell".

    by MadAsHellMaddie on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:50:21 AM PDT

  •  Add to that

    That he told Al Gore to stay away from the issue in his campaign.

    by B P Pgh on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:10:49 AM PDT

•  all i know is when it counted the clintons failed

  the LGBT community because it was politically expediant for them ,like they did to anyone who helped get them elected then was inconvienent to help in the manner they promised

  by TAPayne on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:27:28 AM PDT

  •  i have no tolerance for political wh*res

    by TAPayne on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:29:02 AM PDT

  •  Don't Ask Don't Tell

    was a lot more complicated than you're painting it to be. Clinton expended considerable political capital trying to get the ban on gay service in the military lifted, and he failed. DADT was an unfortunate compromise, but I really don't think any better outcome was possible in the early 90's.

    Happily (from the perspective of gay rights, if not from the perspective of my no-longer-rock-hard-abs), it's no longer the early 90's, and I'm confident that both candidates would be good on LGBT issues.

    by dedmonds on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:30:37 AM PDT

    •  I don't know.

      It seemed to me at the time that when he realized he would have to spend do much of his political capital that he back off fairly quickly.  

      Though I understood what he did since he was facing the prospect of the Joint Chiefs resigning and Colin Powell was quite popular at the time, I was disappointed he never revisited the issue as his popularity grew or at least as his Presidency was ending.

      by Same As It Ever Was on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:34:04 AM PDT

    •  I'm inclined to agree with you.

      The shift was at least begun then, and at this point just a few years later, our young soldiers are embarrassed by their NATO counterparts who serve alongside gay soldiers with no problem.

      by spotDawa on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:36:52 AM PDT

•  Obama has a long track record on GLBT issues

  So this doesn't surprise me.  Thanks for sharing your story.

  by davidkc on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:32:26 AM PDT

•  Sullivan has similar thoughts on this event

  Andrew Sullivan

  Yes, the McClurkin flap was poorly handled and a casualty of the usual gay-straight tensions in the African American south. But it is overwhelmed by Obama's clear support and understanding of gay people and willingness to support our dignity at times and in places where others have not. I've seen it unprompted in private and unapologetically in public. I never saw it in the Clinton years...

  by ManahManah on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:33:30 AM PDT

  •  Wait, Sully agree with me?

    I may have to delete my diary! ;-)

    by dedmonds on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:38:09 AM PDT

    •  Seriously

      one of the strangest things for me lately has been adjusting to agreeing with Sullivan.

      I laughed so hard when he posted this.

      by MingPicket on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:54:11 AM PDT

  •  Sullivan also strongly supports the Iraq war and

    unsafe sex.

    by ExStr8 on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:29:39 AM PDT

    •  I'm only going to go so far in defending AS,

      but he no longer supports the Iraq war.  Also, I don't view his comments through a prism of his personal behavior.

      Sullivan is a good writer and I find him more inellectually honest than 99% of Republicans.  I mean no disrespect to the diarist by comparing Sully's comments, and I think this is clear.  

      by ManahManah on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:45:43 AM PDT

      •  Hillary Clinton does not support the Iraq war.

        You gonna let her off the hook for the ONE vote?

        Sullivan was a MAJOR supporter/cheerleader FOR
        the Iraq war. But that's ok if he hangs with
        the cheering throng on this one issue?

        by ExStr8 on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:50:17 AM PDT

        •  The excerpt I posted

          had nothing to do with Iraq.  I'm not supporting Sullivan for any public office, nor will I ever.  I don't think someone needs to have been right about Iraq to speek intelligently on LGBT issues.

          by ManahManah on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:57:19 AM PDT

          •  The dart board school of intelligence?

            In logic and reasoning, a history of dementia is
            generally considered telling.

            by ExStr8 on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:59:45 AM PDT

      •  To be clear

        I took no disrespect from the comment.

        by dedmonds on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 01:25:35 PM PDT

•  I don't get

  all the support that Clinton has in LGBT circles, seeing as how the Clinton administration threw the LGBT community under the bus during their administration.
  Don't ask don't tell? Is there a more atrociously worded policy out there? The thing basically says if enough people think you're gay, then you're out. (Note that it's not about sex, since it also states that you can have gay sex, just as long as you'd prefer to have straight sex. I'm paraphrasing, but still . . .)
  You can serve in the military, as long as you stay waaay back in that closet and don't have any romantic relationships of any kind for the duration of your career.
  DOMA? Seriously? And Clinton STILL doesn't want to eliminate the bill, she just wants to 'change' it. How? Doesn't say.
  Maybe I'm missing something. Besides lip service, what has Clinton done . . . EVER for the LGBT community?

  by EvilAsh on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:37:01 AM PDT

  •  The LGBT community

    is largely aware of political reality. As I say in a comment above, the political reality of the early 90's made Clinton's initial plan to allow open service impossible. The Joint Chiefs of Staff were opposed. Congress was opposed.

    Hillary Clinton, in particular, has been a staunch and consistent ally of the LGBT community. She has been a mentor for many up-and-coming LGBT politicians and political operatives. She has been unwavering in her support for the community.

    That being said, this diary is about my being impressed with Obama. You admit you don't understand the LGBT support for Clinton; perhaps at some other point I'll write a more detailed diary explaining it. For now I'll just say that I'm of the opinion that it is both real and deserved, especially for Hillary who, contrary reports notwithstanding, actually is a distinct individual from her husband.

    by dedmonds on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:42:48 AM PDT

    •  Please do.

      Write that diary, that is.

      by EvilAsh on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:06:19 AM PDT

  •  There were other issues

    When enacted, DADT was an improvement. Not all we wanted but made things better. Clintons also opened up federal jobs for gay people, doing away with discrimination on orientation grounds. And let gay people have security clearances which was an enormous improvement.

    Hillary lead the procedural fight against the marriage amendment. Big accomplishment.

    by DaleA on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:46:19 AM PDT

    •  Bill Clinton did more for LGBT folks than ALL

      other presidents in the history of the US.

      by ExStr8 on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 10:26:47 AM PDT

      •  And what would that be exactly?

        by tomjones on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 07:58:45 PM PDT

  •  The enemy you know...

    Not to call Clinton an enemy, but it's understandable that people move to known quantities. People really don't know Obama that well, which is fortunately changing.

    by johnsonwax on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:46:35 AM PDT

  •  Clinton was the first

    to appoint openly gay people to positions in his administration for one thing.  There are other examples of things they did, and I think it is important to remember that no matter how touchy the subject might be now, it was much much harder to be gay friendly then.  The Clintons did expel political capital for gay people and I think gay people remember that, even though there were obvious shortcomings.

    by zed on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:48:35 AM PDT

•  Thanks for this.

  Its nice to see Obama walking the walk on this issue - it means a lot to me. Dan Savage says it better than I can.

  Obama could have moved on here, hurrying off to his next point, returning to some safer piece of ground. Obama, being a Democrat, said what he had to say about gay rights; basically, “I’m for ‘em, even if makes some people that are for me uncomfortable.” A lot of politicians, having done the bare minimum for the gays, would have refrained from pressing the point, and opted to quickly toss out something to get the crowd cheering again. But Obama didn’t do that. He took in the crowd’s silence, recognized it for what it was (an expression of bigotry), and proceeded to challenge the largely African American crowd its homophobia—and he did it using explicitly religious language.

  ***

  Obama isn’t just able to sell gay rights to blacks that have been exposed to the virulent homophobia peddled by African American churches. He seems willing to do it—and willing to do it at a particularly crucial stage in the campaign

  I’m impressed. I’m used to seeing viable Democratic presidential candidates give us a little lip service, a little hushed support around the margins—maybe a speech at the HRC dinner, maybe a quick mention during the general election. But never before has a Democratic candidate on the verge of winning the nomination risked votes by coming out so strongly and so publicly for gay rights.

  by brklyngrl on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:37:52 AM PDT

•  What I see in Obama

  is a person who is not comfortable at all with demonizing anyone.  He's a very open person most likely due to his upbringing.  He has a ear for all sides of the story.  I believe he knows where his moral compass lies and uses his voice to communicate that with others.  I wish I was more like that.  

  by Hope08 on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:39:45 AM PDT

•  Thanks dedmonds!

  THis is just the thing I like to hear.  I have to admit I have been pleasantly surprised by Obama's tone and directness toward the GLBT community as of late.  

  The response yesterday in Beaumont is huge.  For him to speak like that among a crowd of mostly African Americans is impressive.  This demographic has been some of the most vocal opponents of gay rights.  I'm sure his thoughts were not shared by some, but he stood tall and spoke as a true Christian and citizen for justice and equality.  

  Proud of Obama!

  by gchap33 on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:42:53 AM PDT

  •  What I like the best

    is how he says that homophobia is un-christian. As a christian myself I have become disgusted watching my faith used by many to promote hate and intolerance. This entire dialog is the beginning of taking back our values and our faith.

    by weddedgay on Fri Feb 29, 2008 at 09:51:14 AM PDT