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(1 vote, average 4.00 out of 5)
Written by Lisa Neff
Oct 7, 2011
''Every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law,'' Obama told HRC supporters in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 1. – Photo: Courtesy
President Barack Obama did not stake out any new positions during a speech Oct. 1 to the members of the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights groups. But the president did take on the Republicans who want his job, rebuking the candidates who did not defend a gay servicemember booed by the audience at a recent debate in Florida.
The commander in chief must support all U.S. servicemembers, Obama told an annual gathering of the Human Rights Campaign membership in Washington, D.C.
“You want to be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, even when it’s not politically convenient,” Obama said.
Referring to the boos generated by an active-duty gay servicemember during the GOP presidential debate in Florida on Sept. 22, the president said, “We don’t believe in standing silent when that happens.”
Obama, in the speech, celebrated the end of the policy banning gays from serving openly in the Armed Forces and promised to fight for legislation to end workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The president said “every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law,” but he did not endorse marriage equality. On that issue, Obama repeatedly has said his thoughts are evolving.
None of the GOP candidates supports marriage equality, and most do not support other LGBT civil rights reforms.
The president, rallying an active donor base, asked the more than 3,200 HRC members gathered to join his re-election campaign. “This is a contest of values,” the president said.
