In Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller, The 39 Steps, a man has to go on the run to save himself. In a similar fashion, Obama and the Democratic National Committee have taken thirty-nine steps against us, running away from the LGBTQ community, in an apparent effort to save political capital and protect the 2010 and 2012 elections. Or worse, in an apparent case of just not “getting it.”
John Aravosis at AMERICAblog came up with a thirty-nine point list of “examples of how the President and Democrats have not been fierce advocates for the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans.” It’s pretty inclusive. Granted, a few are a bit iffy, but I think once you hit three dozen slights against us, well, who needs to keep counting.
So, Aravosis and his folks, along with DailyKos, Dan Savage, Michelangelo Signorile, Paul Sousa have created, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Give,” a donor boycott of the DNC.
He writes,
“It’s really more of a “pause,” than a boycott. Boycotts sounds so final, and angry. Whereas this campaign is temporary, and is only meant to help some friends – President Obama and the Democratic party – who have lost their way. We are hopeful that via this campaign, our friends will keep their promises.”
It’s also got an excellent FAQ, so take a look, sign the petition, and send the White House and The DNC a message, OK?
Here are a few of the thirty-nine examples:
- Inviting anti-gay activist Rick Warren, who helped pass Prop 8 in California, to give the invocation at the inaugural.
- Inviting a gay bishop to the inaugural festivities, then not beginning the TV broadcast until the gay bishop has finished and left.Refusing to re-establish the White House Office of LGBT Outreach and the White House LGBT Liaison (which was a Special Assistant to the President at one point).
- Continuing to discharge two gay servicemembers a day, even though he could stop it immediately by issuing a stop-loss order immediately.
- Refusing to mention Maine or Washington state, or anything of substance, in his speech to the Human Rights Campaign dinner.
- Refusing to issue a statement specifically opposing anti-gay ballot measures in Maine and Washington state.