WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama was given a hero’s welcome last night as he addressed the nation’s most powerful homosexual group.
The estimated crowd of three thousand homosexuals and supporters attending the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign gave Obama a standing ovation as he repeated his pledges to meet some long-standing demands of homosexual activists.
Obama restated his campaign pledge to allow homosexual men and women to serve openly in the military. ” I will end ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ he told the crowd.
He offered no timetable or specifics and he acknowledged some may be growing impatient.
“I appreciate that many of you don’t believe progress has come fast enough,” Obama said. “Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach.”
Some advocates said they already have heard Obama’s promises and now they want a timeline. Cleve Jones, a pioneer activist and creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, said Obama delivered a brilliant speech, but added “it lacked the answer to our most pressing question, which is when.”
“He repeated his promises that he’s made to us before, but he did not indicate when he would accomplish these goals and we’ve been waiting for a while now,” said Jones, national co-chair of a major gay-rights rally scheduled for Sunday on the National Mall.
Obama also called on Congress to repeal the Defense Of Marriage Act, which limits how state, local and federal bodies can recognize partnerships and determine benefits. He also called for a law to extend benefits to domestic partners.
He expressed strong support for the HRC agenda of ending discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people but stopped short of laying out a detailed plan for how to get there.
“My expectation is that when you look back on these years you will look back and see a time when we put a stop against discrimination … whether in the office or the battlefield,” Obama said.
“We have never had a stronger ally in the White House. Never,” Joe Solmonese, the group’s president, said at the dinner before the president spoke.
Christine Simmons – Associated Press Writer
