President Obama has come under attack by the gay community for his slow pace in changing the gay rights situation that he pledged in his campaign.
The gay community wants acceptance of gay marriage, something Obama has never endorsed. They also want equality for gay relationships regarding retirement and health benefits, but that will require federal legislation to nullify the Defense of Marriage Act signed by President Clinton in 1996. There is no guarantee that this will happen. Additionally, gays want the end of "Don’t ask, Don’t tell" in the military to stop the loss of many gay military people who have valuable skills and talents that would be useful to our security, but instead are being drummed out of the military. This has a greater chance of occuring, but many gays are impatient to see progress.
Today, the President DID change the situation about gay partners of federal government workers, with them now getting some extension of benefits, although not covering retirement and full medical benefits. It is only a first step, but the President made it clear of his intention to move forward, and my feeling is that people need to give him time to accomplish his pledges. I am confident we are going to see changes, but remember, it is only five months since the Obama Presidency began, and as the old saying goes, "Rome was not built in a day!" Let’s have patience and give Obama slack, as there are so many issues to deal with in the most difficult Presidency since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.