Obama in L.A., But No Prop 8 Comment

A Democratic fund-raiser at the Beverly Hilton hotel, located in a rush-hour gridlock zone in Beverly Hills, drew several different groups of protesters Wednesday.

As gay activists and antiwar protesters chanted along Wilshire Boulevard, bringing traffic to a snail's pace, President Obama addressed the celebrity-packed crowd inside the swanky hotel. Without identifying which group he noticed, Obama joked about one of the protesters outside.

"One of them said, 'Obama keep your promise,'" he said, according to The New York Times. "I thought that's fair. I don't know which promise he was talking about."

Throughout the 2008 campaign, then-senator Obama voiced his opposition to California's anti-gay-marriage measure Proposition 8 while still maintaining that he supported civil unions over marriage equality. He also pledged to repeal the federal law barring openly gay and lesbian service members from the military, and endorsed an antidiscrimination law and a handful of other gay-related legislative actions.

However, during the president's trip to the Los Angeles area, he avoided talking about the state supreme court's decision to uphold Proposition 8, which was handed down the day before.

Keywords: Barack Obama Prop 8

Related stories from Advocate.com

2004-11-04: Get real or SHUT UP!
2004-11-05: ....I love maple leaves too!!
2009-07-02: The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
2009-06-20: The Great Undoing?
2009-06-03: The Upside of Prop. 8

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: Tyler
Date posted: 2009-05-29 2:57 PM
Hometown: San Luis Obispo, California

Comment:

I think this is being completely taken out of context, what's not in here is the whole speech and when you watch it, you can hear that Obama says in his speech at the podium that when he drove up he saw protesters, but couldn't see or hear what they were protesting, all he saw was some sign held up high that said, "keep your promise". Now imagine you see that in the distance, you don't know what they're protesting. This is a man who moves from city to city where their are herds of protesters for every cause. Yes, Prop 8 is a cause that's close to our or your hearts, but for him, he's got a whole list of things he's trying to fix, so let's just cut him a little slack. He's come far for G&L rights in comparison to other Presidents, we now have our very own section on the White House website, let's not make him an enemy just yet.

Name: Tim
Date posted: 2009-05-29 10:04 AM
Hometown: New York

Comment:

“More out of control and show our anger and rage”? Just think about that statement. Instead of continuing to work to increase the public support for LGBT rights, we should become rabid? We should appear irrational? In other words, we should potentially lose all that we have worked so hard to establish? There have been times when this strategy has worked, especially during the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Do you actually think that the current situation is a dire as the unexplained, untreated deaths during that time? We are not waiting for “religious bigots to confer on us a few rights.” We are waiting for the rational center to continue to shift, as they have been doing for years.

Name: Tim
Date posted: 2009-05-29 10:02 AM
Hometown: New York

Comment:

Obama ex machina. Why is it that people think that Obama can wave his magic wand and make everything alright? He is not our father, nor is he a dictator or the Messiah. He is but one branch of a three branch government and his true power rests in the public’s perception of his legitimacy. Without that he has little power. Sure, in some cases he could sign an executive order. In many cases, an executive order would be considered a misuse of power – and chip away at this legitimacy. if we want our civil rights – and if we want them to be permanent – we have to build public support. Just look at the example of California. The courts came to one decision and the public – as a backlash – came to another decision. Now in California the LGBT movement is working to shift public opinion. Not only is that what needs to be done; it is the ONLY way to get it done.

Name: Tim
Date posted: 2009-05-29 9:56 AM
Hometown: New York

Comment:

�More out of control and show our anger and rage�? Just think about that statement. Instead of continuing to work to increase the public support for LGBT rights, we should become rabid? We should appear irrational? In other words, we should potentially lose all that we have worked so hard to establish? There have been times when this strategy has worked, especially during the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Do you actually think that the current situation is a dire as the unexplained, untreated deaths during that time? We are not waiting for �religious bigots to confer on us a few rights.� We are waiting for the rational center to continue to shift, as they have been doing for years.

Name: Tim
Date posted: 2009-05-28 10:09 PM
Hometown: New York

Comment:

I’m as frustrated as the next person – we’ve fought for decades on all fronts to advance LGBT civil rights. Due to DOMA and other discriminatory practices, my foreign partner and I have lived apart for years. That said, I support Obama. How many presidents have come into office to face economic, health, and immigration crises, not to mention the resurging threat of a new nuclear menace? How about giving him a break; he's only completed 8% of his term. To top it all off, he faces a Republican party that is willing to cut off America's nose to spite its face. It would be even worse if LGBTs were willing to cut off our own nose to spite our face. Every day public support grows for LGBT rights. Keep in mind that we are only about 5% of the population and we need public support. In this time of multiple crises, let's not lose this growing support by crying that we suffer more than others. If we want others to have empathy for us, we have to have empathy for them too.

Name: David
Date posted: 2009-05-28 9:25 PM
Hometown: Seattle

Comment:

... see, given context, does that mean he doesn't know which of his broken promises the person was referring to? Kind of mixed messages there. To be fair, he has said time and time again that he is against gay marriage. As unfortunate as this is, and as much as I would like to see him change his mind and begin supporting marriage equality, it is not surprising that this is the sort of response he has. I'm not sure I'm necessarily understanding the response to Lynn, other than the obvious ignorance regarding naturally occurring animal behavior. Whatever she meant by it, I'm all for getting the issue of marriage equality taken to the Federal level and being done with it once and for all instead of this state-by-state crap. I just think I want a different outcome than Lynn seems to want. Sure, it's not practical, and probably will be a while before that is a possibility, but I'd still like to see that too.

Name: Laurent
Date posted: 2009-05-28 8:14 PM
Hometown: Ottawa, Canada

Comment:

Lynn, what rock are you living under, it must be near the Le Breya tarpits, you state (by the way animals of the same sex do not mate nor do they reproduce I guess Mother Nature got that wrong to). It has been observed that all mammals practice same sex attraction including dogs and cats. They make the best foster parents for offspring that for one reason or another are abandoned by their parents. Eerily similar to human beings wouldn't you say. And as for Obahma, which political promise hasn't he broken, I sit to the North and don't see any difference yet from him and President Bush, Guantamo is still there, DADT and DOMA are nowhere close to be recsinded and Equal Protections cannot get passed by a democraticaly controlled Senate. His appointees are the same stupid mistakes of their predecessors. And our stupid gov. is about to get thrown under the bus while stil protecting oil supplies.

Name: Lynn
Date posted: 2009-05-28 7:26 PM
Hometown: Los Angeles

Comment:

He dosen't need to comment on Prop 8 since he already made it clear that he supports civil unions what else is there to say. this is and issue for the U.s. Supreme Court to decide. California do not need to waste the money raised to campaign and vote on this issue again He doesn’t need to comment on Prop 8 since he already made it clear that he supports civil unions what else is there to say. This is and issue for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide. California does not need to waste the money raised to campaign and vote on this issue again for it to be contested again. Ever heard of a dog chasing his tail (by the way animals of the same sex do not mate nor do they reproduce I guess Mother Nature got that wrong to)? Take it to the U.S. Supreme court and be done with it doing this state by state is an unnecessary distraction from more pressing issues that are equally and more important.

Name: Chris Sullivan
Date posted: 2009-05-28 4:11 PM
Hometown: Chicago, IL

Comment:

To date, Obama has only given words and token symbolic gestures toward the GLBT community. If he does not respond to this decision, by his silence, he is endorsing it. ... and there will most definitely be a price to pay for that - greater than he realizes right now. Unlike most of America, the GLBT community has a long memory. It was quite convenient that he decided to announce his Supreme Court nominee of tha day he KNEW the CA Supreme Court was handing down its decision. We're watching you Obama and to date, you have done vitrually NOTHING for our community! I wonder how he would feel if interracial marriage were put up to a popular vote!

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

Two Nude Mags Vie for Levi's Johnston
Playgirl.com and Unzipped both want a piece of Levi Johnston naked -- and according to the manager for Sarah Palin's would-be son-in-law, he's interested.

Why Ben & Jerry's Honored Marriage Equality
Ben & Jerry's grand pooh-bah of PR talks to Advocate.com about his company’s decision to honor Vermont marriage equality with peanut butter and fudge.

On Set: BearCity
Out actors, horny extras, and dirty jocks keep the fur flying as Advocate.com visits the set of BearCity, a romantic comedy set in the bear scene, on the last day of filming in New York City.

Dairy Queen
NYC’s latest foodie obsession is frigid and flamboyant.

Maine Marriage: Following the Money
As the same-sex marriage battle heats up in Maine, the Roman Catholic Church has stepped up its financial support to put the kibosh on marriage equality -- even as churches shut down because of dwindling membership.

One Traumatic Soprano
Ira Siff's alter ego Madame Vera Galupe-Broszkh may be an over-the-top tribute to the opera world, but it hasn't stopped legends including Leontyne Price and Joan Sutherland from embracing the show.

Matt in the Middle
Gay assistants may be a Hollywood must-have, but E! News host Giuliana Rancic's assistant Matt Jacobi takes his “gay husband” duties to a new level on Style Network's Giuliana & Bill.

Hot Sheet: Charlize, Whitney, and Sandra
In this week's installment of what's hot in entertainment, Whitney's long-awaited comeback gets us dancing in our seats, Chris Pine freaks us out in an upcoming thriller, and the charming Mila Kunis keeps us entertained in Extract.

View From Washington: Ted Kennedy
Sen. Ted Kennedy's unfaltering devotion to the LGBT community during the AIDS crisis typified the wealth of humanity he offered to all.

Gossip Check
Robert Rave makes some pretty wild allegations in his debut novel, Spin. We put some of his claims to the test -- and reveal a little extra, like, Which Oscar winner does bong hits out of fruit? -- with National Enquirer gossip hound Rick Egusquiza.