White House Does Diplomacy With Gay Rights Community - Sam Stein/HuffPo

[WillyT]

White House Does Diplomacy With Gay Rights Community
Sam Stein
First Posted: 06-21-10 04:31 PM | Updated: 06-21-10 04:44 PM

<snip>

The Obama administration is making a series of diplomatic and political gestures of good will this week to the gay rights community with which it has occasionally clashed. On Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder was cheered by a crowd of gay and lesbian employees at the Department of Justice after he pledged to use newly enacted laws to protect their presence in the workplace. "The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which the president signed into law last October, finally protects our nation's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals from the most brutal forms of bias-motivated violence," Holder said.

The remarks were part of a broader outreach by the administration to LGBT employees. On Tuesday, the White House is set to host an event celebrating LBGT Pride Month. There was some confusion as to whether the president would show up at the ceremony. But an administration official tells the Huffington Post that he will give short remarks.

"He is expected to deliver brief remarks," the aide said. "Invited guests include elected officials, state and local community leaders, and LGBT Americans from communities across the country -- including many youth -- who have stood up for equality."

The actually invitation list is not yet known, nor would the administration official elaborate. But it stands to reason that it will be chosen delicately. The president has been interrupted routinely in public forums by gay rights protesters who insist he hasn't gone far enough on the topic of repealing the military's ban on open service. Don't Ask Don't Tell has receded as a political issue after the House was able to put gradual repeal of the policy into the defense authorization bill. But there are certainly other contentious topics.

<snip>

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/21/white-house-does-diplomac_n_619974.html

:shrug:

[xchrom]

1. Don't really care - it amounts to new drapes in the parlor to me.

To be blunt about it.

[WillyT]

3. Sorry... Post #2 Was Meamt For You...

Had a very long day.

:beer:

[WillyT]

2. I Hear Ya... I'm Just Delivering The News...

for whatever it's worth.

:hi:

[donco6]

4. self delete

better article in another post.