[1]WASHINGTON (BP)–President Obama has once again proclaimed June as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Month,” a declaration critics say marginalizes the beliefs of conservative Christians and also ignores the fact that countless number of people have left homosexuality and consider themselves ex-gay.
Obama’s proclamation is similar to the one he issued last year, although it does break new ground by calling for the repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a law that requires the federal government to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. If it is overturned, then state laws that prohibit “gay marriage” also could be repealed.
The proclamation recounts Obama’s accomplishments for the homosexual community — including his signing of a sexual orientation hate crimes law — and says Obama is committed to helping the community reach “full equality.” Openly homosexual employees “are serving at every level” of his administration, it says.
Although President Clinton issued such proclamations — becoming the first chief executive to do so — President George W. Bush did not. Obama’s 2009 proclamation was the first to mention bisexuals and transgendereds.
“Much work remains to fulfill our Nation’s promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans,” the 2010 proclamation reads. “That is why we must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. We must protect the rights of LGBT families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment discrimination against LGBT Americans, and ensuring Federal employees receive equal benefits. We must create safer schools so all our children may learn in a supportive environment. I am also committed to ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military leadership to accomplish that goal.”
The proclamation calls on Americans to “observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.”
[2]Bob Stith, the Southern Baptist national strategist for gender issues, said Obama’s proclamation is disappointing and also “marginalizes” the beliefs of not only Christianity but also other religions.
“Some of the most joyful, Christ-like Christians I know are those who’ve walked out of homosexuality,” said Stith, who also is a representative of the denomination’s Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals. “Those of us who have never struggled with this issue could learn much from them. Unfortunately their story is not accorded the same respect either by this administration or the secular media.”
It is not prejudiced or discriminatory, Stith said, to stand up for biblical teachings about marriage and the family. Obama’s proclamation “doesn’t allow for a genuine sincerely thought-out opinion” based on Scripture, he said.
“This issue for most evangelical Christians is not bias or prejudice,” Stith said. “It is simply maintaining the freedom to speak the truth about Scripture. It is one thing to be loving and tolerant. It is something else altogether to encourage pride in what God clearly says is sin.
“The bottom line,” Stith said, “is that if God defines something as sin, we do no one any favors by attempting to blur those lines. Nor will we be doing future generations any favors by obliterating barriers God has put up for our protection. On several occasions the Bible uses the phrase ‘every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ In every case it turned out badly.”
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Michael Foust is an assistant editor of Baptist Press. The proclamation is available on the White House website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-pride-month. The Southern Baptist Convention has a ministry to homosexuals. Find more information at www.sbcthewayout.com.
The complete text of Obama’s proclamation follows:
“Presidential Proclamation–Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
“As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities. Since our earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that promise. An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.
“LGBT Americans have enriched and strengthened the fabric of our national life. From business leaders and professors to athletes and first responders, LGBT individuals have achieved success and prominence in every discipline. They are our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, and our friends and neighbors. Across my Administration, openly LGBT employees are serving at every level. Thanks to those who came before us the brave men and women who marched, stood up to injustice, and brought change through acts of compassion or defiance we have made enormous progress and continue to strive for a more perfect union.
“My Administration has advanced our journey by signing into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which strengthens Federal protections against crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation. We renewed the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides life saving medical services and support to Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and finally eliminated the HIV entry ban. I also signed a Presidential Memorandum directing hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds to give LGBT patients the compassion and security they deserve in their time of need, including the ability to choose someone other than an immediate family member to visit them and make medical decisions.
“In other areas, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a series of proposals to ensure core housing programs are open to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. HUD also announced the first ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services has created a National Resource Center for LGBT Elders.
“Much work remains to fulfill our Nation’s promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans. That is why we must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. We must protect the rights of LGBT families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment discrimination against LGBT Americans, and ensuring Federal employees receive equal benefits. We must create safer schools so all our children may learn in a supportive environment. I am also committed to ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military leadership to accomplish that goal.
“As we honor the LGBT Americans who have given so much to our Nation, let us remember that if one of us is unable to realize full equality, we all fall short of our founding principles. Our Nation draws its strength from our diversity, with each of us contributing to the greater whole. By affirming these rights and values, each American benefits from the further advancement of liberty and justice for all.
“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2010 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.
“IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.”