Now this really takes the cake!
Thanks to The Daily Dish for bringing this to my attention: Bill Clinton is now claiming that he only meant for his 1993 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to apply to gay and lesbian service members while in uniform. Watch the video here.
Now that is the biggest load of bullshit that I've heard so far from the Clinton campaign.
The late 80s through the mid-90s were the most political period of my life. I marched in gay pride parades and with ACT UP. I took part in Queer Nation protests. I was in the streets during the Rodney King beating riots and after Pete Wilson vetoed a gay rights bill (AB101) that he promised to sign while running for California governor. And I helped to form the gay and lesbian employee group at Oracle.
I also took a day off from work in 1992 to walk precincts in San Francisco and get out the vote for Bill Clinton. I did so because I had listened to a videotape from the campaign in which he talked about what he would do on behalf of gay people.
His victory that November night was one of my fondest memories of that period... I remember coming up the stairs at the Castro MUNI station and hearing "Ding dong the witch is dead" being blasted from loudspeakers.
So trust me, I was very tuned in when the issue of gays serving in the military heated up early in Bill's presidency, and I know (as does most anyone else who was paying attention back then) that Bill was chastened by the military's response to his proposal to allow gays to serve openly. And I am 100% positive that his lame DO/DT policy wasn't explained the way he is now claiming.
Bill also signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. For me, this was the final proof that Mr. Clinton wasn't about to do anything for me as a gay man. He could have simply allowed the bill to become law without his signature, but instead he chose to sign it. And I've heard that he subsequently ran ads in conservative districts reminding voters of his signature when he was running for re-election.
Note to Hillary: I ended up voting for Ralph Nader that year.
Now that is the biggest load of bullshit that I've heard so far from the Clinton campaign.
The late 80s through the mid-90s were the most political period of my life. I marched in gay pride parades and with ACT UP. I took part in Queer Nation protests. I was in the streets during the Rodney King beating riots and after Pete Wilson vetoed a gay rights bill (AB101) that he promised to sign while running for California governor. And I helped to form the gay and lesbian employee group at Oracle.
I also took a day off from work in 1992 to walk precincts in San Francisco and get out the vote for Bill Clinton. I did so because I had listened to a videotape from the campaign in which he talked about what he would do on behalf of gay people.
His victory that November night was one of my fondest memories of that period... I remember coming up the stairs at the Castro MUNI station and hearing "Ding dong the witch is dead" being blasted from loudspeakers.
So trust me, I was very tuned in when the issue of gays serving in the military heated up early in Bill's presidency, and I know (as does most anyone else who was paying attention back then) that Bill was chastened by the military's response to his proposal to allow gays to serve openly. And I am 100% positive that his lame DO/DT policy wasn't explained the way he is now claiming.
Bill also signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. For me, this was the final proof that Mr. Clinton wasn't about to do anything for me as a gay man. He could have simply allowed the bill to become law without his signature, but instead he chose to sign it. And I've heard that he subsequently ran ads in conservative districts reminding voters of his signature when he was running for re-election.
Note to Hillary: I ended up voting for Ralph Nader that year.
Labels: election2008, LGBT
posted by michael at 4:17 PM
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