Obama to Extend Some Benefits to LGBT Federal Employees. It's not Enough.

While there's debate about whether or not this is a response to increased pressure on his administration from LGBT voters, President Barack Obama is set to announce today that his administration will extend some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.  It's certainly a welcome move, although there's a wave of skepticism about the announcement.

Here's Politico's take on the bill:

The move, which begins to mirror the policy of many large corporations, will have an immediate effect for many workers, but it is a deeply reactive response to a core Democratic group whose concerns have been festering for six months. The presidential memorandum  -- scheduled for signing tomorrow at 5:45 p.m., may in the short term, give Joe Biden something positive to say at a June 25 fundraiser that has seen prominent guests drop out, a host sharply attack the administration, and which is expected to be marked by protests.

However, the Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from extending health and retirement benefits to same-sex couples, so the benefits are more likely to be marginal -- like relocation assistance.

Make no mistake - I'm pleased that this is happening.  But I certainly hope the Obama administration isn't thinking that this is a bone they can throw the LGBT community to get us to keep quiet for a few weeks.  There are hundreds of other benefits not available to LGBT federal employees, and Obama's presidential order isn't going to change that.  Repealing DOMA will (or, well, will at least head us toward that path).  And while this is a move in the right direction, Obama's decision today is only going to impact those who work directly for the federal government.  It will do very little, outside of being symbolic, for those living outside the Beltway or outside the realm of a federal job.

And as usual, Americablog nails a homerun when describing Obama's move:

Unfortunately, federal benefits for gay federal employees is not even one of the eight campaign promises Obama made to our community (there are only seven now on the White House Web site - the DOMA promise went down the memory hole about two months ago).

Joe and I have written about this before. We had predicted that Obama would either give us the hate crimes bill or benefits for federal employees as a means of showing how much he's doing on his gay rights promises, without actually doing anything on any of the eight gay rights promises he made. (And guess what? After the DOMA brief controversy exploded, they suddenly announced plans to do hate crimes in the Senate this week. And now, poof, the bill is dead again until at least August. And remember folks, this is the easy one - it already passed the House and Senate, and survived a Senate filibuster, in the last Congress.)

I think the moral of this story is twofold.  One, the pressure that the Obama administration (and the DNC) is facing from LGBT voters is very real, and potentially very damaging.  Two, the politics of LGBT rights have changed, to the point where moves like this - which maybe fifteen years ago would have scored the president some political points and silenced his detractors for a few months - simply can't clear the hurdle of political opportunism.  Yes, it's a good move.  But no, it's not enough.

Increasingly, my thoughts are that LGBT voters are experiencing a "fierce urgency of now" moment, where we've been asked to wait for too long on things like repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," passing federal hate crimes legislation (which has now been delayed until AT LEAST August), repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, and passing an Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  Not to mention that over the past decade, we've watched as dozens of states have put our rights on a ballot, while many Democrats sat silent, or even supported banning the right for gays and lesbians to marry.  After that road trip, it's no wonder that LGBT voters are impatient with a man who said he'd be the "fiercest advocate" for LGBT rights.

"The Fierce Urgency of Now."  It's a line that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave, and also a line that a certain President used when he was running for the nation's highest office. It's now a moment that LGBT voters are experiencing.  How Obama responds in the coming days and weeks is going to say a lot about his leadership on LGBT rights.  If the past few weeks are any indication, it's not going to be smooth.