President Barack Obama's speech to the 3,000 people attending the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) national dinner on Oct. 10 was well-crafted and well delivered, but many believed it contained nothing that he did not say during the course of the campaign for that office.
It was only the second time a president had addressed a gay group. Bill Clinton addressed the HRC in 1997. Obama said he was ready to fight for LGBT equality.
“I'm here with you in that fight,” Obama said.
“It's important to remember that there is not a single issue that my administration deals with on a daily basis that does not touch on the lives of the LGBT community,” Obama said. “I will end Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”
But the President stopped short of giving a timeline for that action. Many within the community argue that he has the authority to stop implementation of the discharges and suspend them under “stop loss” provisions until Congress repeals the law.
Obama also restated his support for equal rights for gay families, but he did not use the word “marriage” while speaking about LGBT families.
“The president gave a speech he could have given at any point in the last three years,” said gay pundit Andrew Sullivan. “No one in that room could disagree with any of the things he said.”
