LGBT people remain ‘second-class’ citizens

By CAMERON O’CONNOR

Photo: Courtesy of blogamole.tr3s.com/ tag/state-of-the-union
President Obama’s State of the Union speech touched on everything from “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell,” job creation, the economy, LGBT equality and more.

It only took President Obama a little more than an hour to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress and the nation. It took even less time for everyone else to chime in on the speech that touched on everything from “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” job creation, the economy, LGBT equality and more.

“Our troops come from every corner of this country -– they’re black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American. They are Christian and Hindu, Jewish and Muslim. And, yes, we know that some of them are gay,” said the president during his speech. “Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love. And with that change, I call on all our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and ROTC. It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation.”

So how did the president do? That all depends on who you ask and what political party they are from. But gay rights groups wasted no time weighing in regarding the president’s comments on equality and the military.

“Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) is pleased the president expects that gays and lesbians will be able to serve their country openly this year. In fact, we think there should be certification from the president, Secretary Robert Gates and JCS Chairman Michael Mullen in this quarter,” said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director for SLDN. “We need to make ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal a reality sooner rather than later. It is also encouraging to see that the president and first lady recognize that LGBT troops are very much part of the fabric of our military families. However, we need to bring more visibility and awareness to that reality too.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, also reacted to the president’s assertion that open service by gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the U.S. Armed Forces would begin this year. HRC President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement:

“Very soon, what will matter in the U.S. military is how you do your job, not your sexual orientation. Last year the president committed to working with Congress to repeal the ban on open service by gay, lesbian and bisexual people and [the] announcement is welcome news for all Americans ready to close the book on discrimination in the ranks. Not only does repeal mean troops will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, but our nation will be stronger with the best and brightest able to serve in uniform.

Beyond gays in the military, Solmonese expressed his concern over economic stability for LGBT people, which includes unfair taxation of health benefits and workplace discrimination..

“The issue most prevalent in [the] speech was jobs, and with discrimination in the military soon behind us, there remain a number of pressing issues for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community when it comes to economic security,” said Solmonese. “The president and Congress can do much more to ensure the economic empowerment of LGBT people including ending the unfair taxation of partner health benefits, prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and ensuring that all married couples have access to the same federal benefits and protections for their families.”

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), echoed the comments from the HRC, and added that LGBT American are still second-class citizens who still have to deal with inequality on a daily basis, whether be at the local, state or federal levels of government. To grow the economy, said Carey, the president must ensure that the talents of LGBT people are not overlooked.

“President Obama spoke pointedly … of the dire need to get our economy moving again. We couldn’t agree more and urge his administration and Congress to work together to ensure that everybody — including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people — have the opportunity to contribute their talents, skills and expertise to this nation’s workforce. The repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ which the president noted, was a tremendous victory that will put an end to systemic discrimination against competent, qualified lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. But let us not settle there,” Carey said. “Fact is, the state of the union for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remains largely one of inequality, as we can still be fired from or denied employment in many parts of the country for nothing other than bias, and marriage inequality relegates our families to second- class status. If the president is truly serious about job creation and boosting America’s economic well-being, he must provide leadership and action in helping to pass employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and ending the costly and unjust federal marriage ban.”