The president's remarks yesterday on same-sex marriage are absolutely welcome, but not entirely surprising, given his record so far. Even Greenwald gave ample credit where credit is due:
President Obama today became the first American president to endorse same-sex marriage, telling ABC News‘s Robin Roberts: “it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” His record on LGBT equality has not been perfect, but it is one area where he has been quite impressive. He engineered the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. His Justice Department is refusing to defend the constitutionality of DOMA in court, a very unusual step. He has ushered in a series of important federal spousal benefits for gay employees of the federal government. And now, for the first time, the office of the American President is officially supporting a policy that a mere decade ago was deemed truly radical: same-sex marriage. Those are real achievements. And, as virtually all polls reflect – underscored by last night’s landslide defeat for marriage equality in North Carolina — they carry genuine political risk. He deserves credit for his actions in this civil rights realm.
-President Obama signs the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law — the first federal civil rights legislation to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”
-President Obama releases the first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy
-President Obama signs the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act
-HHS issues recommendations to improve the health and well-being of LGBT communities
-Despite challenging budgetary times, the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget not only maintains, butincreases domestic HIV/AIDS funding
-The Department of Commerce signs a Memorandum of Understanding with National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to support federal contracting and exporting
-The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announces that gender identity is a prohibited basis of discrimination in federal employment
-President Obama expands federal benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees
-OPM allows same-sex domestic partners to apply for long-term care insurance
-President Obama sends the first U.S. Executive branch official to testify in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) before Congress
-President Obama continues to appoint LGBT Americans to positions at every level throughout his Administration
-President Obama signs the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, which will allow gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans to serve openly and with integrity
-The U.S. lifts the discriminatory entry ban for individuals with HIV
-President Obama and his administration play active roles in protecting LGBT populations in Uganda,Honduras, Malawi and other countries
-The U.S. leads an effort at the United Nations resulting in 85 countries supporting a resolution to end violence and human rights violations related to sexual orientation and gender identity
-President Obama honors the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall riots
-President Obama awards the Medal of Freedom to Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King Supporting LGBT Progress
-President Obama has called for the Congressional repeal of the discriminatory “Defense of Marriage Act” and has announced that in his view, Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional
That last one? That was from February.