Wednesday, January 25, 2012

My Rant: LGBT issues in the State of the Union Address


As I look out in LGBT blog world, I noticed some sour faces over the President's State of the Union address. Some are very upset that he said "gay" once and spoke nothing about LGBT issues.

But I beg to differ, I believe he did speak about our issues. The economy is our issue, being in the 99% is our issue, having a home is our issue and finding/keeping a job is our issue. We should not forget those issues hurt us too. I know folks were hoping to hear about marriage, but let's be real; marriage is not the overall deal. In fact, the majority of our (LGBT) community don't see marriage as a top priority. Job security has become the major issue. Now, more than ever people are trying to stay afloat in this country. Sure marriage equality would be great, but the need for financial and economical stability trumps all. Also, a recent study backs this notion, providing reasons why many in the LGBT community don't place marriage so high.   

And just because the President didn't mention marriage equality, doesn't mean he's against it. I think it's ridiculous to read that he doesn't care or he flip-flopped. His actions has been in step with his promises, he's on our side.

Please remember, he spoke to the nation. Not just Blacks, Asians and Gays... The nation. The issues he spoke about are our issues. We need to stop looking drama and start envisioning hope.

7 comments:

Sozo's Blog.com said...

I absolutely agree with you. I was surprised to see people so upset about it myself. Like you already mentioned it was an address to the nation, not individuals.

Bob said...

I agree 1005.
He needn't spend the entire SOTU talking up LGBT issues. He had an entire country to think about, and all the issues that affect us all....like the economy....like the environment....like the inequalities in the tax system.

Kyle Leach said...

He did talk about us, often. We are so much more than the labels people affix to us. Those labels can't possible hold or define a people as diverse as we are. If people can't see that then they do really have a narrow view of who we are as a community.

The address puts him in a good position for the campaign trial. We'll see how much help he gets from other Dems.

Anonymous said...

Like I had said earlier my friends say they really like what they were all hearing and didn't want to show it so they all looked like they shitted themselves. I just love the way this man speaks. I get chills.

Roger Poladopoulos said...

The address was not the place to mention GLBT specific concerns. There is a limited amount of time to address a plethora of issues. You are absolutely right, my blogger brother. The items he focused on affect us all, equally. Marriage equality, at the moment, isn't a federal matter. It's the respective states that regulate marriage laws. President Obama has already made public his views on DOMA. With a GOP House majority, we all know that one item isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Ian said...

Well said V!

Ian said...

Well said V!

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Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.