Washington D.C., Jul 1, 2009 / 02:12 am
President Barack Obama on Monday addressed an “LGBT Pride” reception at the White House, characterizing opponents of homosexual political issues as holding fast to “worn arguments and old attitudes.” One critical observer said the event aimed to placate the president’s donors but was “insulting” to mainstream Americans.
The president began his comments by saying “Welcome to your White House.” Praising what he considered the “extraordinary progress that we have made,” he said there were “unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop.”
“[T]here are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones, who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; and who would deny you the rights that most Americans take for granted.”
Noting the effect of the 1969 Stonewall riots and the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the LGBT movement, the president said the push for “basic equality” will continue. He said he has required all federal agencies to extend “as many federal benefits as possible” to “LGBT families” and also noted his advocacy of repealing “the so-called Defense of Marriage Act” to help end “discrimination.”