Some of you may remember that a couple months ago, after the Department of Justice filed that brief defending DOMA, I sent Obama a letter about that with a picture of our family, and encouraged others to do the same. After a while I assumed it had gone straight into the memory hole. However, last week I got a letter back from the White House. Here's what it says, in its entirety. My comments are after the letter.
* * * * * *
Dear Friend,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate your perspective.

Every American deserves equal protection under our laws, and neither Federal nor state law should discriminate against any American. The issue of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights has all too often been used to divide our country. We must treat all of our citizens with dignity and respect, and stand united in our protection of equality--a founding principle of our Nation and a moral imperative.

I continue to oppose a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. We must also extend the over 1,100 Federal marital rights and benefits to same-sex couples, because every American should be able to visit a loved one in the hospital, transfer property, and receive equal health insurance and other employment benefits.

My Administraiton is committed to addressing a full spectrum of issues important to the LGBT community. We can reduce discrimination by strengthening hate crimes statutes; supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; ensuring adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation; and opposing discrimination in public accommodations. To combat HIV/AIDS, we need policies that support people living with this illness and increased funding for prevention, care, and research. I also support repealing the current Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in a sensible way that strengthens our Armed Forces an our national security. Please join me online to learn more about my civil rights agenda at: www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights .

Together, we can create a more open and tolerant society that protects and values all people. Thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
* * * * * *
So.

First of all, it must be acknowledged that no Republican president would ever have written that letter, let alone Obama's Predecessor Who Shall Not Be Named (hereafter OPWSHNBN). It must also be acknowledged that on an issue like this, to some extent, talk itself does actually matter. By that I mean that there is a material difference between having a president who implicitly and explicitly encourages public hatred of you and your kind, and having a president whose public pronouncements on the issue start from the premise that LGBT people are human and should have human rights.

Nevertheless, I cannot help thinking that this letter reads more like a campaign statement than like a letter from a sitting president. It does not talk about what his administration has done; nor does it say anything specific about what his administration will do, or when. It talks a lot about things that his administration "supports" or "opposes" and things that we "can do" (but of course haven't yet done). And so one does think, at the end of it, "You're the President of the United States. If you 'support' all this stuff, shouldn't you be making it happen?"

All in all, there's nothing in this letter to give me any reason to believe he'll do much for us. And in that, as I have said before, there is nothing new. We are important enough to help these guys get elected but we are clearly not important enough for them to take political risks over.

Is it possible that I am misjudging him, and that time will prove me wrong? Sure. It's possible. Indeed I hope I am wrong. But it should be understood that I, and I'm sure many of my GBLT Democratic brethren and sistren, will continue to hold this view of him and his administration *until something is actually done.*

Ah well,

The Plaid Adder