First: You’re all voting next Tuesday, right? No, no candidate is perfect. Sometimes we need to choose the better of two (or more) evils. I think it’s still important to make that choice, though.
- President Obama met with five progressive bloggers, who grilled him on marriage equality and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Joe Sudbay, who was there, has a transcript. Among other things, the President said he didn’t think the LGBT community’s disillusionment with his administration was justified.Regarding marriage, he said, “You’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. . . . And so while I’m not prepared to reverse myself here, sitting in the Roosevelt Room at 3:30 in the afternoon, I think it’s fair to say that it’s something that I think a lot about,” and “The one thing I will say today is I think it’s pretty clear where the trendlines are going.”On DADT, he said that he did have a strategy for repeal in the lame-duck session of Congress.
- A new Defense Department survey found that most active-duty and reserve servicemembers would not mind serving and living with openly gay troops.
- One of the key election battles next week will be in Iowa, where anti-LGBT forces are attempting to oust the three judges up for a retention vote who ruled in favor of marriage equality.
- Wisconsin candidate for lieutenant governor Rebecca Kleefisch apologized for comments about the perils of redefining marriage. In a discussion about domestic partner benefits for state employees, she had said, “This is a slippery slope in addition to that—at what point are we going to OK marrying inanimate objects? Can I marry this table, or this, you know, clock? Can we marry dogs?” No comment.
Around the world:
- A gay rights group in Spain is planning to stage a kiss-in during the Pope’s visit next month.
- The Ugandan MP who introduced a bill calling for gay people to be jailed or executed, says his bill will soon become law. Let’s hope this is just political posturing.
- The U.K. LGBT rights group Stonewall, following a number of other groups, has added civil marriage for same-sex couples to its campaigning objectives. Same-sex couples in the country can currently enter legally recognized civil partnerships.