GetEQUAL badgers Obama, Congress

GetEQUAL badgers Obama, Congress
by Rex Wockner
Copyright by The Windy City Times
2010-04-28
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=26341



The LGBT community's new activist pit bulls, GetEQUAL, upped the pressure on President Barack Obama on April 19, 20 and 21 over his failure to keep major campaign promises to LGBT Americans.
Although Obama has taken several smaller steps seen as favorable or helpful to LGBT Americans, he has yet to secure passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, or repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.

GetEQUAL's latest broadside started April 19 at a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in Los Angeles.

Activists David John Fleck, Dan Fotou, Laura Kanter, Zoe Nicholson and Michelle Wright paid their way into the event and then repeatedly shouted at Obama about repealing DADT as he tried to address the gathering.

"We are going to do that. Hey! Hold on a second! Hold on a second! We are going to do that!" Obama responded. "All right. Guys. Guys. All right. I agree. I agree. I agree. ... What the young man was talking about was we need to—we need to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which I agree with and which we have begun to do. But let me say this: When you've got an ally like Barbara Boxer and you've got an ally like me who are standing for the same thing, then you don't know exactly why you've got to holler, because we already hear you, all right? I mean, it would make more sense to holler that at the people who oppose it."

A few moments later, more shouting ensued.

"I'm sorry, do you want to come up here?" Obama said directly to a protester. "Can I just say once again, Barbara and I are supportive of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, so I don't know why you're hollerin'."

Obama then stepped away from the microphone and spoke with Boxer. He returned to the mic and stated: "I just checked with Barbara, so if anybody else is thinking about starting a chant, Barbara didn't even vote for Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the first place, so you know she's going to be in favor of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The protesters were eventually removed from the room.

"President Obama has been AWOL on DADT," said Fotou. "We had to remind him of the promises he made to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community during his campaign and several times during his presidency—that DADT will be repealed because, as he's stated, 'it's the right thing to do.'"

Added Wright, "We made it clear our community will hold accountable our president for unkept promises."

In response to Obama's questioning why gays are shouting at him over DADT, blogger Andrew Sullivan explained: "Because, Mr. President, it is not enough to be 'supportive' of ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' When you have the presidency and your party controls both houses of Congress, it's a matter of having the political will to end it. Not all gay people are HRC fundraisers. Some are even risking their lives every day for this country, in uniform, only to be treated like second class human beings and citizens by their own government. Their own government? That means you, Mr. President and Senator Boxer."

Chained to the White House fence

The following day, April 20, GetEQUAL protesters returned to the White House for a second round of handcuffing themselves to the fence and getting arrested, a month after the group's initial action there.

This time, six people locked themselves up. They were identified by GetEQUAL as "Lt. Dan Choi ( and ) LGBT discharged veterans Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd and Cpl. Evelyn Thomas."

"We are handcuffing ourselves to the White House gates once again to demand that President Obama show leadership on repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell," said Choi. "If the president were serious about keeping his promise to repeal this year, he would put the repeal language in his defense authorization budget. The president gave us an order at the Human Rights Campaign dinner ( in October ) to keep pressure on him and we will continue to return to the White House, in larger numbers, until the president keeps his promise to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell this year."

Thomas said: "A few weeks ago I saw Lt. Dan Choi take dramatic action at the White House and it made me realize that I needed to do something to stand up for all the black female soldiers who have been discharged under DADT. Many people don't know that we black women are discharged disproportionately more than others under DADT."

The six protesters were taken into custody and charged with refusing to obey a police order. Choi and Pietrangelo later pleaded not guilty and face trial July 14. The other four demonstrators each agreed to pay a $100 fine within 30 days and to stay away from the streets around the White House until they've paid their fines.

"They have served their country again today, and they deserve better than DADT," GetEQUAL said.

Media blocked from covering protest

In an unusual development, media covering the White House protest were pushed far into Lafayette Park and away from the action.

"The park's closed. Back up," a U.S. Park Police officer yelled repeatedly as he herded journalists through the park.

Reporters and camerapeople attempted to resist the eviction, walking backward slowly and arguing with the officer. In a video provided by AMERICAblog ( see tinyurl.com/backupclosed ) , members of the media can be heard saying:

"If you want to kick the public out, that's fine, but let us do our job."

"To where? ... You're backing us up *into* the park. ... All the way back to what?"

One unidentified reporter placed a cell-phone call to Brian Bond, the openly gay deputy director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. The reporter ended up talking to someone named Fred and said: "They're pushing the media back like two blocks ... all the way back across Lafayette Park. It's really pretty outrageous. ... This is just kind of ridiculous. I mean, it's one thing to push the public back, but not to let the media film is just ridiculous. ... They're just saying, 'The park is closed, you've got to push back.' They've got us as far back as the Jackson statue, and they're still pushing us back. ... This is really ridiculous."

The following day, Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser told Politico.com that his department "screwed up."

"We had some young officers who, when they were told to move the people back—which we typically do when we're going to make arrests—they moved the people back a lot further than we typically do," Schlosser said. "That was a rookie, amateur error and they screwed up on that. ... It's just embarrassing."

AMERICAblog's John Aravosis, who was among the media people pushed away from the protest, rejected Schlosser's explanation.

"We're to believe that rookies who make mistakes are working the White House beat for the Park Service?" Aravosis asked. "If you watch the video, it sure looks like several different branches of White House security start discussing what to do, then some guys who look much older than rookies start telling everyone the park is closed."

Congressional hearing disrupted

On April 21, GetEQUAL continued its onslaught, disrupting a hearing of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee to demand that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act be marked up and sent to the House floor for an immediate vote.

During the action ( video at tinyurl.com/uwantmarker ) , GetEQUAL co-founder Robin McGehee tried to give committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., a magic marker so he could "mark up" ENDA.

"I'd just like to deliver this marker," McGehee said. "I don't know if because of the recession that you guys can't afford markers or whatever the issue is but in our community there are people being fired because they are lesbian, gay, bi or transgender."

"As you know," Miller replied, "we're working very hard on that legislation. ... I will not accept that marker. We're working on that as expeditiously as we can. Thank you very much."

Someone else on the committee then can be heard off-camera saying: "This is the problem with this. There's no end to it. You're never going to satisfy them all."

The protesters—including Mark Reed, Kelsey Phipps, Natasha Dillon, Alan Bounville, Sergio Llanos and Ali Lozano—were not arrested. Gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., escorted them from the hearing room.

"Every day that ENDA is not passed is another day when someone in our community will be fired, especially transgender individuals and those living in states that have struck down employment protections," said Reed. "We are determined to continue fighting for this bill and intend to use non-violent civil disobedience and people-powered actions to bring attention to the injustice."

ENDA has been stuck in Miller's committee since last year, even though gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said it would be voted on by the end of 2009. More recently, Frank, Polis, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have said the bill is a priority and that they have the votes to pass it.

Who's paying for this activism?

GetEQUAL's activities have been funded to date by Jonathan Lewis, the son of one of the founders of the Progressive auto insurance group. McGehee didn't provide a precise dollar figure, but said Lewis' "seed money," given to the group in January, was enough to allow McGehee and GetEQUAL co-founder Kip Williams both to take a six-month sabbatical from their jobs.

The seed money also paid for the 45-person retreat in January at the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee, where GetEQUAL was born, and has covered the group's travel expenses, other expenses and bail amounts to date.