October 25, 2010
By: Christine Nicco/TRT Reporter
By: Christine Nicco/TRT Reporter
A drastic shift in LGBT voters, who openly and wholeheartedly supported then Presidential candidate Barack Obama, is what has been happening lately. Once loyal LGBT supporters are showing signs of resentment at what they called are now President
Obama’s failed promises. Amongst those are the overturn of DADT
(which was then fought by the Obama administration recently), the
funds that he promised for HIV/AIDS research, eliminating employment
discrimination, the same-sex marriage dilemma and President Obama’s
failure to deliver the needed legislation and promises to the LGBT
community and allies.
Kim Scott, from Lowell, Ma shared her views on the current
administration’s lack of deliverance of promises to LGBT community.
“I am uncertain of who to vote for in this election,” said Scott. “The
Democrats have betrayed the LGBT community in many ways, but
voting Republican or not voting at all completely closes the door on
advancing gay rights. I just don’t know what to do.”
As such, she is representative of a growing sentiment of antipathy
towards the Obama administration and the Democrats in general. This is
something that is being seen across the country and in a recent AP
report, even the Chicago LGBT community is angry at President
Obama’s administration. These voters, like Scott, are considering voting
for other parties, like the Green Party, or not voting at all in the
upcoming elections.
A low voter turnout from the LGBT community could mean trouble for
President Obama. Although the Obama administration has extended
other LGBT rights to same-sex partners of Federal employees
domestically and abroad and has changed legislation on same-sex
couples dealing with loved ones at hospitals, these do not seem to be
enough for a community that is marginalized and continues to suffer
from oppression, lack of rights and hatred from other extremist groups.
With such indifference, what will happen in the next Presidential election
is unknown and the Democrats’ opportunity to deliver change seems to
be something that is rapidly vanishing and could be a thing of the past
come November, 6th 2012.
