Obama makes history with powerful call for gay equality

New York: In a move that signals the rise of liberal America, President Barack Obama used the occasion of his second inaugural address to give the most important gay-rights speech in American history. During his 19-minute address, Obama referred to Stonewall, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village where, in 1969, a police raid provoked a riot, on a par with other historical moments in American history, including the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, in 1848 and the civil rights march in Selma in 1965. “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall,” said Obama. He didn’t just stop with comparing the women’s and African-American civil-rights movements to the gay-rights struggle but called for full equality for “our gay brothers and sisters.” “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” said Obama. [caption id=“attachment_597281” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave to onlookers as the presidential inaugural parade. Getty Images[/caption] Not only was this a call to end discrimination, but an unambiguous argument for the recognition of same-sex marriage across America. The US media noted that the comment was intended for the justices of the Supreme Court gathered on the inaugural platform and members of Congress who sat nearby. The court agreed last month to hear arguments on two cases involving same-sex marriage, opening the door for a ruling with sweeping implications. “For a President who announced his support for marriage equality less than a year ago, after more reluctance (and suggestions about what could be left to the states) than many would have liked, this was a bold declaration from perhaps the boldest platform of all,” said The New Yorker. “President Obama used the occasion to make the first direct reference to gay-rights in an Inaugural Address, and he did so with a power and forthrightness we have not heard before, even from him,” it added. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, said Obama’s remarks were particularly important as the momentum for marriage equality continues to build. “As the merits of marriage equality come up for debate from state houses to the halls of the US Supreme Court, and a broad majority of Americans are standing up for liberty and fairness, the President’s unequivocal support for equality is a clarion call that all Americans should receive with celebration,” Griffin said. In March, the Supreme Court will hear a number of cases dealing with same-sex marriage. The 2012 presidential election was a victory for liberalism and showed more Americans now support same-sex marriage. In November, voters in Washington, Maryland, and Maine approved same-sex marriage, while in Minnesota voters rejected a constitutional amendment to ban it. These were the first ballot-box victories for marriage equality. Now gay couples can marry in nine states, including New York. “This year, gay rights activists are looking to run that number up, waging legislative battles in five key states: Illinois, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Delaware. All have Democratic majorities, supportive governors, and good odds. By the end of the year, gay and lesbian couples may have marriage rights in more than one-quarter of the country,” said The American Prospect. The higher court will also hear a case challenging a federal law that bans providing benefits to federal workers whose spouses are of the same sex. Obama’s speech was not the only signal of an evolving America. Pro-gay Reverend Luis Leon of St John’s Episcopal Church delivered the benediction. “We pray for your blessing, because without it, we will see only what the eye can see, but with your blessing, we will see that we are created in your image, whether brown, black or white; male or female; first-generation immigrant American or Daughter of the American Revolution; gay or straight, rich or poor,” Leon said. Leon replaced Reverend Louie Giglio, who withdrew from the ceremony after an anti-gay sermon he delivered in the mid 1990s was unearthed by ThinkProgress. Giglio had given a sermon in which he said homosexuality is a sin and advocated “gay conversion” therapy. Obama came into office with expectations he would be a transformational president. On the issue of gay rights, at least, that is what he is becoming. This is the most pro-gay rights presidency in history. Obama repealed the Pentagon’s long-standing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in September 2011. Gays, lesbians and bisexuals are now allowed to join or serve openly in the military. Obama became the first sitting president to advocate for same-sex marriage during an interview last May with ABC News. “At a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” said Obama. Gays say it feels good to finally have a president who is batting for them. In a poll released last month by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, 51 percent of Americans said they now back same-sex marriage. That was the first time a majority indicated support, up from just three in 10 Americans supporting gay marriage in 2004.