What the President will say about LGBT rights tonight - and who will be there?

by: Pam Spaulding

Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 11:36:21 AM EDT

In the evening, the President will deliver brief remarks and sign a Presidential Memorandum regarding federal benefits and non-discrimination in the Oval Office. This event is pooled press.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the president was scheduled to sign the memorandum and discuss its contents at a brief ceremony in the Oval Office alongside invited guests.

What's the difference between an Executive Order and a Presidential Memorandum? Will the extension of benefits include health care and retirement? Will the transgender community receive employment protections in the Federal Workforce? Does Obama plan to announce his plan to honor his promises to the LGBT community?

These are all great questions. Some of them have been answered through the night and others will be answered throughout the day. What is certain is that there is a limit to what the President can do with the stroke of his pen.

I'm running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all - a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It's wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.

...As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws.

...I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.

...The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense.

...We also need a president who's willing to confront the stigma - too often tied to homophobia - that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

...I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together.

...Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.

So the President's photo op tonight will be the first time he's addressing our issues personally, and in the affirmative at a limited level. As a co-author of The Dallas Principles, Lane offers how the President can live up to his statements and embody those principles.

1. Extending the full range of benefits (whatever they may include) to same sex partners of Federal employees in a lasting Executive Order. According to Chuck Todd of NBC News, a Presidential Memorandum will not last past his Presidency.

2. Calling on the Congress to immediately pass legislation that would extend the balance of benefits not able to be extended via Executive Order.

3. Announcing that he will instruct the Department of Justice not to defend section 3 of DOMA, which deals with Federal benefits, that is being challenged in a federal lawsuit by the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) in Massachusetts.

4. Signing an Executive order that bans employment discrimination against transgender persons in the Federal workforce.

5. Announcing a concrete path forward on repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell

6. Calling on Congress to pass the far too long delayed Employment Non-Discrimination Act and Federal Hate Crimes Legislation.

7. Urging Congress to include the Uniting American Families Act in immigration reform legislation to be considered this year.

8. Committing the National Institute of Health to undertake a new effort for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and the Department of Health and Human Services to commit to new efforts on prevention of HIV/AIDS.

One thing you all should watch for is how the mainstream media covers this story -- I had the TV on this AM and heard how health care benefits are included -- that can't happen without legislative intervention, but that wasn't mentioned. NBC's First Read sees through the smokescreen:

This move, however, seems mostly about placating gay-rights advocates who have been angered by 1) the administration's hesitance in overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; 2) its brief defending the Defense of Marriage Act, which Obama has promised to repeal; and 3) Obama's invitation of Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the prayer at the inauguration. In fact, some wealthy gay supporters of Obama have become so mad that they're taking their names off an upcoming Biden fundraiser...[T]oday's presidential memo is a reactive attempt to quell the anger coming from the gay community.

NOTE: The Washington Blade will be at that dinner to photograph and report on who shows up to support a party and administration that endorses the DOMA hate brief.