According to Obama, Gay People Hold Greater Importance Than Martin Luther King, Jr.
Written by Daisy // June 11, 2009 // The Makeover And/Or Miscellaneous // 32 Comments
So, a clever and competent reader forwarded us a note to let us know that the White House just came out (no pun intended) with this press release on June 1 that proclaims June 2009 the first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
Now before you go all crazy-liberal on me, lefties, I like gay people. I think gay people should be able to have civil unions with rights like married couples. I have gay relatives who I love. I have gay friends who I love just as much as my gay relatives. And moreover, before Mr. Daisy and I were married, we actually lived “in sin” for a while and went through the proper channels to become a domestic partnership, enjoying the fruits of our own “civil union.” I don’t give two craps what YOU do in the privacy of your bedroom or whom or what you choose to love. So there’s my preamble.
I have an issue here. And my issue is the month thing. Why is it that Martin Luther King, Jr. only gets a day? Why do veterans, who were wounded and/or lost their freakin’ lives – only get one day? I don’t get that.
I’m a woman – I still make 80 cents to a man’s dollar. Where’s my friggin day? Let alone a month? I’m just sayin…
I appreciate Obama’s political correctness in all of this, even though I lean towards being anti-politically correct myself. I appreciate that even though he acts like a hero for hiring gays in his “first 100 days of office” (oooh…someone get him a medal!), I don’t understand why this cause – this sect of our country full of immigrants, minorities, and people who have suffered arguably as much – should get 30 times more recognition than, say, the most notorious leader of the civil rights movement?
In the last paragraph, Obama writes, “I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.”
That’s a coincidence, seeing as how that’s precisely what Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to do.
But yeah. He just gets a day.
32 Comments on "According to Obama, Gay People Hold Greater Importance Than Martin Luther King, Jr."
Well, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a pretty big national holiday, in which they give all federal government offices a day off and many businesses and schools close…
And, there is ‘Black History Month,’ in which a lot of festivals and classes and blah, blah, blah… take place…
Oh! And there is also ‘Women’s History Month,’ which a lot of the same things that happen during the ‘Black History Month’ happen… Only about women. Oh, and ‘Hispanic Heritage Month’ and there is likely a minority group to have claimed a month in every month of the year…
Well, except the Gays. There is the ‘National Day of Silence,’ but no one gets that day off and I know when I was in school we weren’t allowed to have a ‘Gay Pride’ club… and I’m pretty sure this is still the case at many public schools.
So, I don’t think that having a ‘Gay Pride Month’ is such a big deal… No gays are taking the whole month off of work, are they?
I’m going to agree with QC here. I think there’s another important distinction…generally, months are given to groups (Hispanics, African-Americans, women, etc.) while days are given to people (President’s Day, MLK Day, etc.). I don’t think anyone is claiming that “gay people” are more important than Martin Luther King. MLK day is a day of rememberance, given in honor of someone, while GPM (Gay Pride Month) is a monthlong celebration of diversity.
Anyway, seems like we’re comparing apples to oranges here.
Shoot, I used “here” twice and it made my whole post sound gauche…I need more sleep and less work!
You get the day off of school for Veteran’s Day and MLK Day. Therefore it trumps the month of awareness. I don’t think you could get away with taking off school for Pride Month. Although school is usually out by the second or third week of June, so you could claim it I guess.
And March is Women’s History Month. Remember to be inquisitive about women’s history next March.
No offense to women…but you’re freakin’ 52% of the population! Shouldn’t we have Men’s History Month?
HA! Good points, everyone. EVERYONE gets to celebrate MLK day with a holiday off of work. This is true.
And I DO think we need a Men’s History Month, if there’s a Woman’s one. I also think we need a Conservative-Chicks-On-The-Right-Who-Run-A-Kickass-Blog Month.
Still, the whole thing really is kind of silly.
I kinda think all the gays should get a month off of work/school. Because I would have a half-month then!
Woo!
ok, I’m just being silly now.
About everybody and group has some sort of day or month of recognition except for the Single white straight American adult male. How about some recognition for us.
Must resist…the urge to…make crass…politically incorrect…statement. AAARGGGHHH.
Yes, the National Holiday for MLK is a bigger deal than the month of awareness.
The school where I teach (NOT AT ALL cosmopolitan) resisted the Gay and Lesbian Club, but we did create a Diversity Club. All the kids know what it is and it’s pretty much a non-issue. The resistence to calling it Gay and Lesbian or whatever had more to do with the reaction that some parents would have than the administrative take on things.
Mustn’t…close…with the…comment….aaarrrgghhh.
While I have no problem with another xyz-month for something, I have to agree with Buckeye. I can’t keep track of all these days and/or months and there are just more and more of them. When I was younger, I used to ask my mom on Mother’s day when MY day was-when is Kid’s day? She said every day is Kid’s day. So, Bob, with my mom’s logic, I guess every day is Single White American Adult Fe/Male day. Should we celebrate?
I would just settle for a little 2-hour siesta every day around lunch. Seriously.
QC you are cracking me up baby!
Hmmm….
Currently for Hispanic Heritage Month on Disney Channel and Nick, etc. they do a great tribute to Hispanics w/ a nice photo montage, facts about national contributions…it gives the fam a lovely chance to discuss at home while watching….
Same kind of tribute for Black History Month, showing the sacrifices that those such as Rosa Parks have made to advance freedom and equality for all (which, by the way, I am 100% for).
But am I wrong to be a little…uh…concerned about what photo montage might be shown for for the particular “Month” in question????
And maybe the Prez should be worrying about some other issues right now besides this????? Really, Sir, are you just trying to distract us away from what you’re really doing?
Oh man! Can I make a photo collage for Gay Pride Month!?
OMGOODNESS!
You could have drag queens and the Village People… Oooo, and all kinds of fashion designers, makeup artists, musicians, hair stylists!
PLESE MOCK AND DAISY!?
MAKE A GAY PRIDE COLLAGE FOR GAY PRIDE MONTH!
Yes. Please make a collage that we can then shrink into a postable size for everyone to enjoy. Please include Adam Lambert, and soon to be transgendered Chastity Bono.
I am starting to really like this idea.
I am a conservative Christian. I firmly believe that God so loved the world (and that includes homosexuals) that He gave His only son to die for everyone. We all aren’t equally bad… but we are all equally bad off, and I’m grateful that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. So I’m not judging here; I am not morally superior. The only good thing in me is Jesus. Period.
President Obama says he is a Christian. Our country was founded on Judo-Christian values. Those values are slowly being set aside. I am disappointed that our president had little to no participation in the National Day of Prayer events but has pride in a lifestyle that goes against what God says is best for His creation and goes against the traditional values on which our country was built.
There may be people out there who disagree with me. But when I was a kid, signing a proclamation like this was unthinkable. Now most people in our government and society are numb to this type of action. What’s next? National Pedophile Month? Laugh if you like, but if we as a nation embrace gay pride, what is next?
My prayer for our President, for whom I did not cast my vote, is that he honor God and lead our nation under God’s authority.
GEG,
Do you really feel that two consenting adults that decide to live their life according to a standard set by a God, they may or may not believe in, is the same as a person that steals the innocence and purity of a child?
Because I don’t.
In America, you can pretty much be any faith you want, these days… And no one will kidnap you and tie you behind their truck and drag you for miles… to your death.
I think awareness and acceptance of other beliefs is a big part of what makes America so amazing for Christians (both like you and me) and every other faith, to live here together.
In the same way I wouldn’t want someone to define my worth by my faith, my gender or my race… I wouldn’t want my sexuality to a factor either.
So, while you may not agree with homosexuality… In the same way that you want to have the freedom to express your faith through prayer, many gay people want the freedom to express something that they feel is very much a part of themselves.
And, as long as it’s two consenting adults… It’s really none of my business what they do in the privacy of their home. Be it pray or be intimate.
Also, every Sunday, government agencies and many businesses all over the U.S. close down for one ‘National Day of Prayer’… if you ask me… That’s pretty cool that our nation basically recognizes the place of faith in our lives on a weekly basis.
QC — If you read what I said, my problem isn’t with homosexuals per se. I’m not judging them; I think the Bible is very clear, and that includes the scripture I quoted — God so loved THE WORLD.
My problem is that my president didn’t have as much pride in our National Day of Prayer as he seems to have in signing a proclamation for an entire month of tolerance for homosexuality.
No, I’m NOT ok w/perverts who prey on children. But, “tolerance” and “acceptance” may someday include perversions we can’t even imagine right now. I’m sure my great grandparents would roll over in their graves if they knew America tolerated the murder of babies by the millions for the sake of convenience and turned their heads when our government allows same sex marriage.
I’m totally cool with the fact that I can express my opinions w/o being jailed and very thankful that I can express my faith. I have family members, as I’m sure many of you do, who have spilled their blood to allow me that right. I’m simply saying that our president has let me down and I think Christians need to stand up and speak the truth on which we place our faith.
Our last president made a big to-do about the National Day of Prayer, but started a war of choice and aggression that tripped off a ****-show that has left thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens dead, which subsequently distracted our country from the real task at hand, fighting a war in a country that actually had responsibility for 9/11. Christian deeds speak a lot louder than Christian words.
Didn’t take long for someone to open up a can of
“OH Yeah ! Well bush did this and Bush did that.”
Great response. Got any more of those originals.
Bravo Bob.
What about Cordial Disagreer’s statement is irrelevant to this argument?
Where’s Heterosexual Celebration Month? Green-eyed-girl may be a little harsh with her statement, but I agree with the overall point. Why is this even being considered right now, with all of the more dire situations that are at hand? I’m not trying to be mean, but really, who cares about this right now, when there’s so much spending, job loss, etc. This should be on a back burner.
I think it’s obvious that George W Bush is the better Christian than Obama. Was that ridiculous enough?
This is an impressive group of theologians we’ve assembled here.
Yes, sarcasm intended.
Folks, let us not get into a discussion of whose sin is worse. Sin is sin and it is not the job of any one of you to determine who is sinning and whose sin is worse. “All sin and fall short of the glory of God.”
My point was intended to show that Obama’s observance of Pride month, very much like Bush’s attention to National Day of Prayer, is a cheap gesture to appeal to his base. No real action gets taken to advance anyone’s agenda, no one gets hurt, and the base gets to feel good about itself. Does anyone pray harder on National Day of Prayer? If so, kudos. But, its intended to be an acknowledgment. Does anyone become gay-er because of the Pride month thing? No. Yeah, there are a lot of pride things going on this month, so if you’re gay, you’re a little more gay proud. The month thing is just an acknowledgment.
I am sure the National Day of Prayer seems just as baffling to the 15% of Americans that claim no religion as those who don’t understand why there should be a month acknowledging gay pride. It’s a big world people, and we have a short-time here. Let them have their cheap gesture and lets just enjoy our time while we have it.
I am sick to death of all of these groups! The more the groups the more divided we become.
Did anyone here study the fall of the Roman Empire?!
BTW..what in the heck was so harsh about green eyed girl’s comment? Oh yeah she had the nerve to disagree….I forgot! I am offended therefore I am.
I love that the party of Gaia goes against everything that is natural. The hypocrisy is amazing. Let’s apply homosexuality and abortion to all nature and see how long we last.
CD:”I am sure the National Day of Prayer seems just as baffling to the 15% of Americans that claim no religion as those who don’t understand why there should be a month acknowledging gay pride. It’s a big world people, and we have a short-time here. Let them have their cheap gesture and lets just enjoy our time while we have it.”
Okay let’s celebrate all that is totally wrong in the world due to our short time on earth. Why don’t we have “Serial Killer Month”? After all the contributions to the psychiatric community are enormous! Why are you baffled at National Day of Prayer? Seems to me it is obvious that you are a minority. Did someone make you drop to your knees or something? Oh and gays are a minority too.
I am not for stuffing gays back in the closet. I did vote for civil unions and do think it is discriminatory that they don’t get equal benefits. Tax reform would solve a lot of everyone’s problems. However I am not going to celebrate what is wrong in the world and give any credence to it so as to warp what is right.
Mostly I am sick to death of groups. Modern day tribalism is all these groups are. No wonder man is still in his infancy after all these years.
im with you QC! i couldnt have said it better!
Oh goodness, I am tired of people saying that this country was founded on “Judo-Christian values,” as GEG stated.
The words “Jesus Christ, Christianity, Bible, and God” are never mentioned in the Constitution– not once.
Most of the Founders were Deists, which is to say they thought the universe had a creator, but that he does not concern himself with the daily lives of humans, and does not directly communicate with humans, either by revelation or by sacred books. They spoke often of God, (Nature’s God or the God of Nature), but this was not the God of the bible. They did not deny that there was a person called Jesus, and praised him for his benevolent teachings, but they flatly denied his divinity. Most of them were stoutly opposed to the bible, and the teachings of Christianity in particular.
We need to be aware of our origins as a country before we get up in arms about what “fundamental values” are being tampered with.
Yeah, you’re right Eva. In fact, we shouldn’t stop at awareness. Let’s also do the following*:
1. Carve out the “Holiness to the Lord” words from the Washington Monument.
2. Knock down the Moses sculpture (the one holding the Ten Commandments) from the east portico of the Supreme Court
3. Scrape off Psalm 19:1 from the wall of the Library of Congress.
4. Remove “In God We Trust” from our currency.
5. Get rid of that pesky prayer by John Adams from the White House State Dining Room fireplace. Incidentally, it was he who said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
You’re right. I can’t imagine why people would be so terribly misguided about our country’s origins.
*Credit to Newt Gingrich for the examples, which barely scratch the surface!
America was declared independent in 1776.
The Washington Monument was erected in 1848, over 70 years later.
According to snopes.com, the Moses figure symbolizes Moses as a lawgiver, NOT a religious figure.
The Library of Congress, in its current incarnation, was built in 1897, so any engravings are at least that old.
“In God We Trust” was added to paper money in 1957, nearly TWO HUNDRED YEARS after we declared our independence.
And yes, John Adams was religious. But that quote is ambiguous as to WHICH religion he is referring to.
Though our founding fathers were, as I mentioned, a mixed theological bag, the examples that you have provided do not prove that this country was founded as a christian nation, merely that it has been shaped into one after the fact.
Well then, Eva, I suppose my point still stands. We need to get busy removing all of those incredibly offensive references to God, which have been so insidiously injected into our decidedly un-Christian nation. Who cares about the 75% of Americans who are Christian, anyway.
In fact, perhaps we should begin an affirmative action movement for government buildings and national monuments, and erect one for every single possible faith a human could ascribe to, so that everyone is all accounted for and no one’s feeeeelings get hurt.
As the partner of one of the aforementioned gay relatives, I appreciate what I know to be the sincere sensitivity in the second paragraph. (Mockarena needs to study it.) But this post was disappointing.
The sensitivity represented by the second paragraph should have prompted a little more caution–and research–before launching into the really strident complaint that followed. As several commenters have correctly pointed out, LGBT Pride Month is just the gay parallel to National African American History Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, National American Indian Heritage Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, Older Americans Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Women’s History Month. (That’s where women’s “friggin day” is–see also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.)
What’s troubling about the strident complaint here is that, without much investigation, it just played on the tired, old canard that gay people are out demanding some kind of preferential treatment. But that view rests on a perverse understanding of “preferential treatment.” Presidents can proclaim things like National Family Caregivers Month, National Adoption Month, Great Outdoors Month, Black Music Month, National Oceans Month, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and National Homeownership Month, but to proclaim anything gay-related suddenly becomes “militant homosexuals demanding special rights.” The underlying ideology is that anything other than hiding in the closet and pretending to be ashamed is being “uppity” and “demanding special rights.” That’s not what Daisy meant, but it is the ideology underlying the preferential treatment canard that influenced her criticism.
But as Justice Kennedy explained in 1996 in response to a similar (and similarly baseless) accusastion, gay people are just seeking thing that are “taken for granted by most people either because they already have them or do not need them; these are protections against exclusion from an almost limitless number of transactions and endeavors that constitute ordinary civic life in a free society.”
The biggest complaint here, frankly, should be that for eight years President Bush pandered to the vehemently anti-gay lunatic fringe by, among many other things, refusing to issue a Pride Month proclamation, as President Clinton had done. Far from gay people seeking special treatment, the history of this issue is one of Republicans singling out gay people for discriminatory refusals to issue proclamations.
Lastly, while I genuinely respect Daisy’s position in favor of civil unions instead of equal access to civil marriage, it is a little ironic to complain about supposed preferential treatment of gay people while arguing that we should be given an inferior substitute in order to keep civil marriage as a preferred, straights-only institution. With respect, gay people aren’t the ones seeking preferential treatment with respect to that issue.