Sound The Trumpet : Optimistic Obama Touts Movement on Gay Rights, But Frustrations Remain

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“Optimistic Obama Touts Movement on Gay Rights, But Frustrations Remain”
by CNN
June 14th, 2013

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President Barack Obama hailed steps forward for gay, lesbians and transgendered people on Thursday, asserting this community’s fight for rights has reached a “turning point.”

“We’ve becoming not just more accepting, we’ve become more loving as a country and as a people,” he said. “Hearts and minds change with time; laws do, too.”

His sense of satisfaction and optimism — voiced at a White House gathering to mark Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month — follows milestone on gay marriage, the inclusion of openly gay U.S. military service members and boosting health insurance access for same-sex partners.

But as the president himself acknowledged, obstacles remain. So, too, do frustrations among some gays and lesbians who have been steadfast Obama supporters but had hoped for even more action during his first five years in office.

A CNN analysis of Obama’s biggest fundraisers, known as bundlers, during the 2012 election cycle showed that at least 33 — or about one in every 16 — was openly gay. Together, they raised at least $8 million for the campaign between January and the end of March of last year.

Even with that backing, some have challenged the president over what they see as delays in implementing such promises as an executive order that would ban federal contractors from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

That irritation erupted during a recent Democratic National Committee fundraiser when Ellen Sturtz of the gay rights group GetEQUAL heckled first lady Michelle Obama.

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well,” Obama said in his address after being sworn in.

Engaging, pushing and chiding the president doesn’t take away from the appreciation for what the administration has done for the gay rights community, said Evan Wolfson, president of the non-partisan Freedom to Marry organization.

The gay rights community will be watching closely to see if Obama follows through on a promise to sign an executive order

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