Opinion Piece: President Obama & the LGBT Community

[Carolyn Marie]

Much has been done. Much more needs to be done.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/toni-newman/obama-transgender-rights_b_1420542.html

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Lacey Lynne]

This is bigtime, Carolyn!

Toni's so right. Maya Angelou! One of Oprah's faves ... and mine too! Anyway:

Institutional change, like this, is where it's at. Pride parades and young and beautiful transpeople getting out and about the general population is great too for exposure of our community. However, system change is really where the action is. This is very good stuff. Obama's got it going on in so many ways. People cannot seem to realize that he can only do so much and is facing a system that needs a complete overhaul and rebuild practically from the ground up, so to speak.

The system (power structure) is bases on GREED & GRAB and exists soley to advance the power and wealth of the ruling elite (generally unknown to the common people and in extremely deep stealth inasmuch as they do not want to be known). Five-thousand years of empire (the system) has brought mayhem and misery to the world. It's got to stop ... now.

People like Obama, many of us on here and many, many millions of people, actually, who want to build a new system based on SHARE & CARE will face a momentous task in change the present system. How to do it? We'll talk about that sometime. Lots of people are already doing lots of great things to make this so.

Anyway, when we move to SHARE & CARE as the way of the world, matters like these will moreorless fall into place naturally. However, yes, advocates for our community and other persecuted communities will certainly have much to do too.

As usual, Carolyn, you're on the leading edge! Thanks for making us aware, girl. You rock!

Peace Lacey

[Guest LauraJen]

Unfortunately I think more needs to be done than what has been done. I'm not in the US and have never really seen where Obama stands with us, but I'm not so naive to look at what he has achieved and think he's a true ally. We have the same thing with our government at the moment. Yes they're doing things to help us, but how much do they *really* care about us? I'm not so sure, personally.

[Guest LizMarie]

Many people in the GLBT community seem to think highly of Obama but I don't. Why? I'm going to point to Lacey's post and state that I follow the financial side of the world in a lot of detail. That's where the movers and shakers are. And when I compare Obama's actions in the financial world with Bush's actions, they bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. Bailing out Wall Street, dithering on prosecuting blatant documented fraud (so the statute of limitations runs out), allowing companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, and Bank of America to privatize their profits but then spew their massive losses back on us? That's where it counts, people, because that is where the true power is. And Obama just pays us lip service all while he's down on his knees servicing his Wall Street masters just like Bush did. Yeah, that's an ugly image, isn't it? But it's the truth.

I'll believe some politician really cares about GLBT issues when I see him also take on the existing power structure directly, and sends some of those white collar frauds to jail. Until then, for me at least, actions speak louder than words and Obama's actions call him a liar.

[Guest rikkicd64]

Many people in the GLBT community seem to think highly of Obama but I don't. Why? I'm going to point to Lacey's post and state that I follow the financial side of the world in a lot of detail. That's where the movers and shakers are. And when I compare Obama's actions in the financial world with Bush's actions, they bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. Bailing out Wall Street, dithering on prosecuting blatant documented fraud (so the statute of limitations runs out), allowing companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, and Bank of America to privatize their profits but then spew their massive losses back on us? That's where it counts, people, because that is where the true power is. And Obama just pays us lip service all while he's down on his knees servicing his Wall Street masters just like Bush did. Yeah, that's an ugly image, isn't it? But it's the truth.

I'll believe some politician really cares about GLBT issues when I see him also take on the existing power structure directly, and sends some of those white collar frauds to jail. Until then, for me at least, actions speak louder than words and Obama's actions call him a liar.

Oh LizMarie ,you are so right on girl, I have studied history and politics and what you have stated is the truth and is factual, just follow the money.

Thanks .

Rikki...

[JJ]

Having been part of the society of those on the inside I know things can change and that you have to go slow and carefully or you end up with the problems Clinton had. He wasn't an insider and didn't play the game and got hurt. Second term is when most presidents really make changes. First term you lay the ground work but you have to always be aware of that election that is coming up. Of not alienating those who can tie your hands. Second term you don't have that and you go all out for your agenda.

And anyone who steps up and fights big money head on isn't going to win or make ANY changes. Money and power do talk. But there are other voices and slowly but surely they are being heard and having an effect.

We are far ahead of where we were in Eisenhower or Nixon's time. People have a great deal more control of the government. We aren't a perfect system but we do manage to stumble along and eventually even progress in things like civil Rights and Women's rights and now LGBT rights. I don't think most people are aware how little political power most people had till the late 60s or how near we really came to a revolution in 1967-68.

Think about this-when my grandmother was born she didn't have the right to vote! And when I was young though they had the right to vote minorities in the South where I lived didn't have the ability to exercise that right. Or any other rights for that matter. The police routinely refused to even investigate minority murders unless a white person was involved in some way. There were no minorities in any of the schools I attended till the last year of high school and then they caved to pressure and let the African American basketball star actually attend my school. There were 703 white kids in my graduating class-and 1 black.

And "Smear the Queer" was the high school boys favorite game when they thought they could find one. They bragged openly about it-except in our house where my step brother found out in a hurry his dad took a far dimmer view of that than he had of stealing the hubcaps which had been he previous most heinous act. My step-brother didn't stop but he learned to keep his mouth shut at home.

So we have and are making progress. Society changes slowly. In terms of the usual rate of change we are moving a lightening speed. I have been amazed at the changes in awareness and attitude in the 23 months I have been here and been reading about trans issues

Obama has to be careful not to stir up too much opposition for LGBT rights by going too fast and he has to win that so vital to really accomplishing an agenda second term so right now he has to be particularly careful. That is just political reality.

Johnny

[Guest LizMarie]

You know, JJ, Obama didn't have to prosecute all of Wall Street. All he had to do was turn off the bailout money and prosecute ONE high profile executive. The rest would have fallen in line pronto. But he didn't. And now you, me, our children, and our grandchildren are on the hook for a minimum of $7 trillion dollars in addition to the federal debt (because that's what the Federal Reserve has committed to bailing out insolvent banks).

Those banks should have been allowed to fail. Let both the stock holders and bond holders eat the losses. That's how the system is supposed to work, not protect the losers. The only people who needed to be protected in this mess were depositors. And yes that may have required more money than the FDIC had but it would have been about $2 trillion, not $7 trillion and climbing.

Obama is not being careful. He's kissing Wall Street's hiney in broad daylight and daring us to do something about it. Unfortunately, Romney is even worse.

My advice to everyone is find a third party candidate you like and vote for them. Send both parties a giant message that corruption and stealing from us and our kids isn't going to stand.

It's either that or we become Greece and if the United States goes the way of Greece, then the 1930s are going to look like a picnic.

[JJ]

Actually you could start a thread about it.

But I think this one needs to stay about Obama's record on LGBT primarily because that was the subject of the original post and I don't want to hijack the thread with an economic discussion

Thanks

Johnny