Local gays say Obama hasn't made good on promises so far
Suburban gays and their supporters have a question for President Obama: So where's all this "change" you promised?
So far, the president has not been the champion for gay rights that some suburbanites had hoped he'd be. Earlier this month, the administration defended the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a law that Obama said during the presidential campaign he'd try to repeal. Gay-rights advocates are also still waiting for the president to take steps to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents gays from serving openly in the military.
"I really believed his whole 'change' talk," said Naperville resident Pati DiDiana. "But we're a little disheartened so far."
That feeling is sure to be expressed at the 40th annual Pride Parade taking place today in Chicago. The parade, which steps off at noon, will include a sizable suburban contingent.
"I think the parade will be more political than usual this year," said DiDiana, who will be marching today as a member of the Naperville-based Stonewall Association of Illinois, a support group for gay, bisexual and transgender people. "A giant was awakened, and it will not be going back to sleep."
Despite their disappointment, suburban gay-rights advocates say they haven't given up on the president yet.
"We're holding on to our faith that (Obama) will eventually make the right decisions," said Palatine resident Mary Ryan-Darrah, co-moderator of the Congregational United Church of Christ in Arlington Heights. The church is one of several suburban members of the Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches, which will march in today's parade.
Obama pledged during the campaign to work for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits how state, local and federal bodies can recognize partnerships and determine benefits.
In a letter sent to gay-rights groups in February 2008, the president said: "I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate."
But lawyers in his administration defended the law in a court brief. White House aides said they were only doing their jobs to back a law that is on the books.
Obama also hasn't taken any concrete steps to change the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"I think that's a huge issue," said Winfield resident Gail Hanson, member of the DuPage County chapter of PFLAG - Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays. "Everyone who's a citizen should have the opportunity to serve, and that includes gays and lesbians. This is their country, why shouldn't they be allowed to defend it?
"In this age of security concerns and terrorism, the military should not be turning qualified people away."
Recent news hasn't been all bad for gay-rights advocates.
This month, for example, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that same-sex couples will be counted as such in 2010. And Obama signed an order that grants limited benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, though some say the last measure, which stops short of delivering full health benefits, does too little.
Today's Pride Parade marks the 40-year anniversary of violent clashes between police and gays at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in 1969, the event considered to be the start of the gay-rights movement. Ryan-Darrah, who said she was "ostracized" by her family and faith after coming out, believes a lot of progress has been made in the past 10 years.
"It's slow-moving, but it is moving," she said, citing the number of gay-friendly churches in the city and suburbs.
Hanson, whose daughter is a lesbian, said even more progress will come when more "straight allies" like her get involved.
"I think that will be the key," she said. "It comes down to a simple question. Either all men are created equal, or they're not."
• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.