Over It, Mr. President

I am infuriated with President Obama's cowardice and lack of leadership with respect to gay rights issues. This link isn't to Obama's official site for his plan for gay rights, but it may as well be.

I don't know what it will take to force the president and Congress to recognize that (1) gay people deserve as many (some might say "equal") protections under the law as any other person; (2) there is never a good time to advocate for the rights of an historically oppressed minority; and (3) there is actually majority support for several issues (but not yet gay marriage) that the LGBT community has been advocating for.

I have been content for the past few months to give Obama time to get his sea legs as president. There is a lot on his plate, blah blah blah. But enough is enough. We can't accept "maybe later," "wait till after the midterms," or "maybe at the end of the second term" as a date for possible full legal acceptance into civilized society. It's 2009 now. Seriously.

I hope everyone considers going to Washington in October -- the weekend of the 10th and 11th -- to march for the fundamental rights and liberties to which we are entitled, but denied. We need a huge, loud, fabulous turnout. We need to stand up for ourselves and for the respect and legal recognitions we are entitled to.