The LGBT community's new activist pit bulls, GetEQUAL, dramatically upped the pressure on President Barack Obama on April 19 and 20 over his failure to succeed in keeping major campaign promises to LGBT Americans.
Although Obama has taken several small steps seen as favorable or helpful to LGBT Americans, he has yet to engineer the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, or the 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bisexual and transgender community during his campaign and several times during his presidency -- that DADT will be repealed because, as he's stated, 'it's the right thing to do.'"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."
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 chained themselves to the gates -- Lt. Dan Choi, 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 commented: "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."
At press time, according to GetEQUAL's Twitter feed: "All six servicemembers have been taken into custody. They have served their country again today, and they deserve better than "DADT."
