Chris Barron, the chairman of gay GOP
group GOProud, has suggested President Barack Obama is pandering to
the gay community.
The president on Saturday addressed
3,000 people in Washington at the 15th annual Human Rights
Campaign's (HRC) National Dinner. Obama also spoke to the group in
2009.
In
his speech, the president touted his record on gay rights, which
includes repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the law that for 18
years banned gay and lesbian troops from serving openly, passage of a
gay-inclusive hate crimes law, and repeal of the HIV travel ban.
Obama also reiterated his support for
repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the law that forbids
federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and
lesbian couples, and backed passage of the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would outlaw workplace
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Every single American – gay,
straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender – every single American
deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes
of our society,” Obama told the crowd. “It's a pretty simple
proposition.”
However, the president did not, as
activists have urged him to do, endorse full marriage for gay
couples. He supports civil unions and says he's “evolving” on
marriage.
“Barack Obama to the gays – fuck
you, not for marriage, vote for me,” Barron, who married his
boyfriend Shawn Gardner in the District of Columbia last year,
tweeted to his more than 3,000 followers.
“my candidate – Herman Cain – has
the EXACT same position on marriage as Obama,” he added about an
hour later in response to a tweet.
According to Marriage
Equality USA, Cain does not support any form of legal recognition
for gay couples.