Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

BREAKING: President Obama to Extend Benefits to Federal Workers' Partners

Apparently, this is the news rumored to break before the upcoming LGBT fundraiser for the DNC:

An Obama administration official has confirmed to The Advocate that President Barack Obama will be signing a presidential memorandum Wednesday to provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

The signing is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. in the Oval Office, and the president is scheduled to make brief remarks.

I guess this is good news. I mean, it is progress and LGBT federal employees have been waiting quite some time for domestic partner benefits. But if President Obama is doing this just to placate the community to get the money flowing out of our wallets again for the June 26 DNC fundraiser, this isn’t enough.

We want out full civil rights, and we’re tired of small token gestures and nice words followed by inaction. We want full equality, and we want it NOW!

Again, this is good start. LGBT federal employees deserve this kind of respect and protection. And yes, I’ll commend the President for doing it. I just hope tomorrow we’ll also get word of when the rest of us will get some equality as well.


Categories: General.

/ 8 Comments

8 comments

  2. sricki

    More than likely, no health benefits (NYT) and no retirement, due to DOMA.

    And from the Advocate

    The White House press office declined to detail which benefits would be included, but people familiar with the legal obstacles posed by the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, said health benefits are not likely to be a part of the package. The Lieberman-Baldwin Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, a bi-cameral bill that was introduced last month, will still need to be passed by Congress in order for full benefits to be extended to domestic partners of federal workers

    “…it will take an act of Congress for the full suite of benefits such as health benefits and retirement benefits to be provided for same-sex couples and families,” said Leonard Hirsch, president of Federal Globe: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Employees of the Federal Government.

Comments are closed.