Take the Pledge:<br>Don't Ask, Don't Give
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Take the Pledge:
Don't Ask, Don't Give

"It is not enough to look back in wonder at how far we have come; those who came before us did not strike a blow against injustice only so that we would allow injustice to fester in our time. That means removing the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that still exist in America." - Democratic Party Platform, 2008

President Obama promised to be a "fierce advocate" for LGBT Americans.  But while making modest progress on a scant few issues, on the major campaign promises made to our community, the President and the Democratic party have failed to keep their commitments.

There has been little, if any, pressure from the White House for votes on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).  The administration continues to send mixed signals on the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT).  And we've been told not to expect the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to even be considered until President Obama's second term.  In the last two weeks alone, we were angered that the Obama administration continued to defend DOMA in the courts -- last June, the administration's lawyers even compared loving gay relationships to incest and pedophilia -- and we were saddened that the White House and the Democratic party refused to help us defeat anti-gay ballot initiatives in Maine and Washington state.  LGBT Americans, our families, and our friends kept our promise at the ballot box, we now expect President Obama to keep his in the White House.

Until the Democratic Congress passes, and President Obama signs, legislation enacting ENDA, repealing DADT, and repealing DOMA, we ask you to join us in pledging to postpone contributions to the Democratic National Committee, Organizing for America, and the Obama campaign.  This temporary (we hope) boycott is sponsored by AMERICAblog, and cosponsored by Daily Kos, Michelangelo Signorile, and Paul Sousa, among others.

This isn't forever, the Democrats have it in their power to end this today -- all it takes is choosing to keep their promise.

Please join us in taking the pledge, below.  And find out more about why we believe this action to be important and necessary in the post below the pledge.  Thank you so much for your support.






Why the Pledge?

Hope, but verify.

A year ago, the LGBT community, our families, friends and allies across the country were elated by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.  We poured our hearts and wallets out to elect a Democratic president and Congress, and on November 4th, 2008 we had great hopes for the future of our country and our community.

Over the past year our joy has turned to frustration as President Obama and the Democratic Party have moved away from their campaign commitments to gay and lesbian Americans.  While President Obama repeatedly promised to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT), and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), he has now backtracked on all three commitments.

There has been little, if any, pressure from the White House for votes on ENDA.  The administration continues to send mixed signals on the repeal of DADT.  And we've been told not to expect DOMA to even be addressed until President Obama's second term.  All the while, the administration continues to defend DOMA in the courts, harming our families' access to benefits from health insurance reform, to federal employee benefits and immigration reform.

Democratic leaders see the LGBT community as a guaranteed source of cash, regardless of their broken promises.  They think we, and those who support us, have nowhere else to go, that there's nothing we can do.  It's time to draw our own line in the sand, and use the one thing that matters to the Democratic party: our money.  

Until the President and the party fulfill their promises to gay Americans, fair-minded Democrats should postpone their contributions to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Organizing for America (OFA), and the Obama campaign.

That's the pledge we make today: Don't Ask, Don't Give.  Don't ask us for any more money -- the GayTM has run dry until your promises have been kept.  Our basic civil rights and our humanity are on the line.  We shouldn't have to wait at the back of the bus, we shouldn't have to feel like a political pariah in our own party.

The three commitments that must be met are:

  • Passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA);
  • Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT); and
  • Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Unless the LGBT community, our families, friends, and allies show that we're serious about LGBT rights, that we will no longer accept broken promises, that we will no longer tolerate the Obama administration defending anti-gay laws in court -- laws the President once called "abhorrent" -- LGBT equality will be treated like just another political issue.  It's not.  It's about our lives.  And we've had enough.

Sign the pledge.  Make LGBT rights a priority.  Have hope that the Democrats will keep their promise as espoused in the 2008 platform:

It is not enough to look back in wonder at how far we have come; those who came before us did not strike a blow against injustice only so that we would allow injustice to fester in our time. That means removing the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that still exist in America. We support the full inclusion of all families, including same-sex couples, in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections. We will enact a comprehensive bipartisan employment non-discrimination act. We oppose the Defense of Marriage Act and all attempts to use this issue to divide us.

Hope, but verify.  We have great hope for our President, our party, and our future.  But, we have to verify that the President and the Democratic Party are keeping their promises before continuing our open-ended support.  It's that simple.  This is our time.  We cannot let injustice continue to fester while those with the power to help millions sit idly by.

Thank you so much for supporting this effort.  We will be contacting you in the coming days to follow up and let you know other actions you can take to help.

JOHN ARAVOSIS and JOE SUDBAY
AMERICAblog.com

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25-50 of 10329 signatures
Number Date Name
10304 March 29, 2011 Annie Ory
10303 March 23, 2011 Diana Dull
10302 March 07, 2011 Erin Stevenson
10301 February 27, 2011 Naomi Luppescu
10300 February 16, 2011 Kali Kalis
10299 February 12, 2011 Christian Birmele
10298 February 09, 2011 Kathryn Matlack
10297 February 09, 2011 thomas kelty
10296 February 04, 2011 Leagh Barkley
10295 February 04, 2011 Bob Steinburgh
10294 February 03, 2011 Buck Blessing
10293 February 03, 2011 Phillip Mauracher
10292 January 25, 2011 Robert Morris
10291 January 25, 2011 Stephanie Cockrell
10290 January 24, 2011 Jessica Murphy
10289 January 23, 2011 Loretta Bengivenga
10288 January 23, 2011 Rachel Waller
10287 January 11, 2011 Margaret Bateman
10286 January 10, 2011 John Puchniak
10285 January 10, 2011 John Smith
10284 January 09, 2011 Jenny Morton
10283 January 07, 2011 Veronica Hilby
10282 January 04, 2011 James Cheyne
10281 January 01, 2011 M Hatfield
10280 December 30, 2010 wendy f
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