White House Claims It’s “99% Supportive Of Gay Issues.”

In which country?

AmericaBlog’s John Aravosis writes “of a White House meeting last week with state-based equality groups.”

“Brian Bond, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and liaison to the LGBT community… expressed frustration at the often intense criticism levied, particularly by bloggers, against an administration that is “99 percent supportive of your issues.”

Really, Mr. Bond?

This, upon the heels of Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary, who last week in an interview with The Hill, excoriated the “professional left.”

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”
The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.”

What IS reality is this: President Obama has been playing games with the “professional left,” and with the issues the LGBT community holds most dear: among them, marriage equality, ENDA, repeal of DADT, repeal of DOMA. Even immigration, especially as it relates to same-sex couples.

Obama didn’t make any friends in the LGBT community when the Prop 8 decision was released two weeks ago. Via Politico:

“He supports civil unions, doesn’t personally support gay marriage though he supports repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, and has opposed divisive and discriminatory initiatives like Prop. 8 in other states,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

So, if the LGBT community wants marriage equality, and the president will only voice mild support for civil unions, I’d call that at least a 20% deficit of support overall right there. Add milquetoast support of DOMA repeal, his utter silence on ENDA and LGBT immigration issues, and we’re up to at least a 35% deficit.

In truth, this president doesn’t truly believe in full equality for his LGBT constituents. And with all due deference to Aravosis, who wrote, “We don’t want your support in words, we want you to keep your promises,” it would be nice for President Obama to keep his promises to the LGBT community, but he cannot bring himself now to even voice promises.

And those promises — false or otherwise –  aren’t enough.