Obama has been antagonistic towards gays since he realized that he could be president in 2004. He has made a few notable efforts to distance himself from gays and people who recognize their worth as citizens. From recoiling from Gavin Newsome to having the ex-gay poster child Donnie McClurkin on the campaign trail, Obama has made it clear that he repudiates gays without coming out and using slurs or outrageous language. I would prefer to deal with people who are proudly and openly homophobic. As odious as I find their views, I can respect their honesty and I know who I am dealing with. By beating up on gays, Obama can say that he is reaching out to religious conservatives.

The line will be that if Obama goes too far to the left (because supporting equal rights is radical), he will not be able to get things done with the economy, health care, social security, etc. Mistreating gays will be his way of "reaching across the aisle." It is still okay to be homophobic and it is preferable if a politician, especially a Democrat who wants to prove that he isn't a crazy lefty, expresses discomfort with the notion of full rights for gays.

In the 1980s-90s, blacks were the people to denounce and mistreat. Willie Horton, the welfare queen, the violent and shiftless black male, the unworthy black student or professional who only got anywhere in life because of affirmative action, the black youth who were unwed and pregnant or constantly getting women pregnant were tearing down this country's moral fiber. Reagan, Bush, and Clinton had gays to offer up to the country on a silver platter. Since Obama self-identifies as black and has everything to lose by mentioning blackness, he hops on the gay bashing bandwagon. That is what is with him and gays. He never has to utter the words faggot, dyke, pedophile, pervert, or whatever. All he has to do is politely decline to support equal rights for gays and to act like we do not exist. My rights, indeed stripping me of my rights, are his bargaining chip with the right.

I hate to rain on the parade of Obama groupies, but he is and has always been a cynical politician. You know, what makes this all worse is that in 1995, Obama expressed support for gay marriage. Now that that is no longer politically helpful, he doesn't. I have put up with discrimination all my life, so this is nothing new. It is most certainly not change I can believe in.

I was never with Obama, so I cannot abandon him. But had I been with him, it would be accurate to say that he abandoned me.

Look, it terms of my rights, Obama does not say anything much different from Palin except for calling on a constitutional ban on gay marriage. But, Obama is more masterful in pulling off the agenda of homophobes of the right: he need not loudly call me a deviant, he can smile at me while he strips me of my rights. Palin tries to be polite about her homophobia, but again, at least I know who I am dealing with. I feel sorry for gay people I know who have put so much faith in Obama. I think it is incredibly naive of anyone to presume that anyone who was elected president would recognize our rights as full citizens. Obama has been waving the banner of discrimination since 2004. I do not know why anyone is surprised by his attitudes towards gays. He has never acted as a friend toward our community, indeed has has acted, though not talked, in a rather hostile manner.

I do not feel that this incident or even the Warren selection (and based on that prayer, it was a bad choice) was throwing gays under the bus. We were never on that bus, not even in the back of it.

I think that gays should just accept the realities of American life. First of all, stop sucking up to and "palling around with" people who think you are a second class citizen. Show some self-respect and pride. Protect yourself as much as you can with lawyers, if you are a lawyer offer your services to those who cannot afford it, and if you are wealthy, be generous with your money to help GLBT people who have less than you. We will never have full rights nor full recognition of our humanity in this nation. Live in areas in which you can enjoy the closet thing to full rights. Make sure your paperwork is up to date. Whining and feeling bad will get us nothing. Fuck hope and screw platitudes about change that the politicians peddle. Make your own change and protect yourselves and your families. In the end, having your feelings hurt by a politician who has never liked you anyway does not protect your property rights, control over your health care, parental rights, or death benefits. Focus on those things and let the rest of the country do what it does.