OBAMA’S STATE OF UNION ADDRESS!
By Samuel Leighton-Dore
Despite the hideous scowls of anti-gay crusader Kim Davis as fshe perched in the audience, President Barrack Obama today cemented his support for equality and the LGBTQI community in U.S. history as he delivered his final State of the Union address.
Reflecting humbly on his countless kick-ass achievements in nearly eight years of presidency, Obama expressed his gratitude that the U.S. had finally “secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love”.
He went on to celebrate and commend the “voices that help us see ourselves not first and foremost as black or white or Asian or Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born; not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans first, bound by a common – voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love.”
“It’s the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is, and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he’s been taught.” He continued, making progressive hearts coo the world over (and conservative ears burn).
“That’s the America I know. That’s the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I believe in you.”
*Wipes away single tear*
Despite his previous opposition to same-sex marriage (in a 2004 interview he stated that he didn’t believe marriage was a civil right, saying, “I’m a Christian. I do believe that tradition and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman”) and initial hesitance on the subject of openly gay men serving in the military, there’s no doubt that Obama has grown into a much-needed champion to the LGBTQI community.
Bravely admitting that his personal views and beliefs were “always evolving”, Obama announced his support of marriage equality on the ABC in 2012 – and never looked back.
As Richard Socarides, President Clinton’s main advisor on gay issues, told the National Journal in 2014, Obama’s “record on gay rights will be one of his most important and lasting accomplishments.
He has turned out to be the fierce advocate he told us he wanted to be.”
And thank God for that. Next up, President Trump?