Gay icon Barbra Streisand is the latest
Hollywood celebrity to express disappointment with President Barack
Obama over gay rights.
The 68-year-old singer made her
comments in an interview with Larry King on CNN's Larry King Live.
Streisand said she was disappointed by
the president's decision not to end “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the
1993 law that bans gay and bisexual troops from serving openly, by
executive order.
“At first, maybe a little, because I
would have liked to have him use his executive privilege to, if
that's possible legally, to get rid of something like 'Don't Ask,
Don't Tell,'” she said. “I think people admire real strength,
even though it's misguided.” (The video is embedded in the right
panel of this page.)
“Can you imagine? You have citizens
who want to die for their country. They want to fight for freedom.
They want to fight for their country, and are willing to die for
their country, and they're not allowed to?”
Other Hollywood celebrities who have
expressed disappointment over Obama's stance on gay issues include
Glee star Jane Lynch, Daily Show host Jon Stewart and
actor Matt Damon.
In an interview with Britain's The
Guardian, Lynch said the president was a “huge disappointment
to me.”
Streisand, however, added that Obama is
“cool” and “very smart.”