President Barack Obama on Tuesday
headlined a major Democratic National Convention (DNC) LGBT gala in
New York City, where he touted his administration's achievements on
gay rights.
“So Pride Month is a time for
celebration, and this year we've got a lot to celebrate,” Obama
said after toasting “a lifetime of health and happiness” to a
male gay couple in attendance who had married earlier in the day.
“So now you flash back 10 years ago.
Maybe no single issue divided our country more than same-sex
marriage. In fact, the Republican Party built their entire strategy
for 2004 around this issue. You remember? They calculated that if
they put constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage on state
ballots, they'd turn out more voters, they'd win. And they, frankly,
were right. People flocked to the polls. Those amendments were on
the ballots in 11 states. They passed in every single one.”
“When I took office, only two states
had marriage equality. Today, 19 states and the District of Columbia
do.”
“But what's been remarkable is the
way Americans of all age groups are increasingly embracing marriage
equality. They understand love is love.”
Obama went on to tout some of his
administration's accomplishments, including repeal of “Don't Ask,
Don't Tell” and no longer defending the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA) in court.
Obama also made his first public
remarks about plans for an executive order barring federal
contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation and
gender identity, saying he decided to sign the order “because in
the United States of America, who you are and who you love shouldn't
be a fireable offense.”
“It would be better, by the way, if
Congress passed a more comprehensive law that didn't cover federal
contractors,” he said. “And we need to keep working on that, so
don't take the pressure off Congress.”
(Related: White
House to issue gay workplace protections order.)