OBAMA: LGBT AMERICANS: TOP 10 OF 2011

Top 10 of 2011

By Deepa on January 4, 2012

As we gear up for 2012, it’s worth looking back at the progress President Obama made for the LGBT community in America, as well as the nation as a whole, over the course of 2011. These actions represent real follow-through on the campaign promises he made four years ago. Here are just ten of the steps the President has made toward equality for gay and lesbian couples, transgender veterans, and all Americans seeking equality and justice.

#10: On June 9, the Veterans Health Administration established policies that ensured respectful and equal treatment for transgender veterans.

#9: In his presidential proclamation of National Adoption Month, President Obama called for equal treatment of same-sex couples as adoptive parents and LGBT foster children “regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or marital status”.

#8: December 1st, World AIDS Day: President Obama re-committed the United States to creating an AIDS-free generation – check out Phil’s story about living with HIV.

#7: After receiving counsel from President Obama, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued guidelines protecting transgender federal employees from workplace discrimination. Hear Dee Dee Chamblee’s story.

#6: On March 10, 2011, President Obama and the First Lady hosted the first-ever White House conference to combat bullying in America’s schools. Watch their message to young people.

#5: On December 6th, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum creating the first-ever U.S. government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad.

#4: President Obama backed a legislative effort to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. This news came only a short time after the administration announced that it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the law in court.

#3: 2.5 million more young Americans are insured under the Affordable Care Act – Emily, a college student from Nebraska, explains how President Obama’s work for health care reform affects her life every day.

#2: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed – gay and lesbian servicemembers can now serve their country openly.

#1: December 14, 2011: “And in the quiet of night, you will recall that your heart was once touched by fire. You will know that you answered when your country called; you served a cause greater than yourselves; you helped forge a just and lasting peace with Iraq, and among all nations. I could not be prouder of you, and America could not be prouder of you.” – President Barack Obama at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, honoring combat veterans coming home from Iraq.