Bill Clinton Interrupted During Netroots Nation Keynote Speech - Answers Demanding DADT and DOMA Questions

While giving his keynote speech at the Netroots Nation plenary in Pittsburgh Thursday night, former president Bill Clinton was interrupted by blogger and activist Lane Hudson, who stood up from the audience and demanded, "Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and Don't Ask, Don't Tell? Right now?

Clinton didn't take long to respond by saying that Hudson should to go the unruly town halls on health care. "You'd do really well there," which was met with laughter and some applause.

But Hudson was not deterred and interrupted again. Clinton's tone quickly changed and gave the most direct and painfully honest answer I've ever heard him give, placing a lot of the responsibility of the passage of DADT back on the LGBT population.

"You wanna talk about ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’, I’ll tell you exactly what happened. You couldn’t deliver me any support in the Congress and they voted by a veto-proof majority in both houses against my attempt to let gays serve in the military and the media supported them. They raised all kinds of devilment. And all most of you did was to attack me instead of getting some support in the congress. Now, that’s the truth."



See a video from the view point of the audience by Jeremy Hooper of G-A-Y blog.

Thanks to reporter Rex Wockner, here's a full transcript of the exchange. It also includes Clinton's reasoning behind signing DOMA.

Lane Hudson (screaming from the audience): Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell right now? Please.

Bill Clinton: ... You want to talk about Don't Ask Don't Tell, I'll tell you exactly what happened. You couldn't deliver me any support in the Congress and they voted by a veto-proof majority in both houses against my attempt to let gays serve in the military, and the media supported them. They raised all kinds of devilment. And all most of you did was to attack me instead of getting me some support in the Congress. Now that's the truth.

Secondly -- it's true! You know, you may have noticed that presidents aren't dictators. They voted -- they were about to vote for the old policy by margins exceeding 80 percent in the House and exceeding 70 percent in the Senate. The gave test votes out there to send me a message that they were going to reverse any attempt I made by executive order to force them to accept gays in the military. And let me remind you that the public opinion now is more strongly in our favor than it was 16 years ago, and I have continued supporting it. That John Shalikashvili, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under me, was against Don't Ask -- was against letting gays serve -- is now in favor of it. This is a different world. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Let me also say something that never got sufficient publicity at the time: When General Colin Powell came up with this Don't Ask Don't Tell, it was defined while he was chairman much differently than it was implemented. He said: 'If you will accept this, here's what we'll do. We will not pursue anyone. Any military members out of uniform will be free to march in gay rights parades, go to gay bars, go to political meetings. Whatever mailings they get, whatever they do in their private lives, none of this will be a basis for dismissal.' It all turned out to be a fraud because of the enormous reaction against it among the middle-level officers and down after it was promulgated and Colin was gone. So nobody regrets how this was implemented any more than I do. But the Congress also put that into law by a veto-proof majority, and many of your friends voted for that, believing the explanation about how it would be eliminated. So, I hated what happened. I regret it. But I didn't have, I didn't think at the time, any choice if I wanted any progress to be made at all. Look, I think it's ridiculous. Can you believe they spent -- whatever they spent -- $150,000 to get rid of a valued Arabic speaker recently?

And, you know, the thing that changed me forever on Don't Ask Don't Tell was when I learned that 130 gay service people were allowed to serve and risk their lives in the first Gulf War, and all their commanders knew they were gay; they let them go out there and risk their lives because they needed them, and then as soon as the first Gulf War was over, they kicked them out. That's all I needed to know, that's all anybody needs to know, to know that this policy should be changed.

Now, while we're at it, let me just say one thing about DOMA, since you -- the reason I signed DOMA was -- and I said when I signed it -- that I thought the question of whether gays should marry should be left up to states and to religious organizations, and if any church or other religious body wanted to recognize gay marriage, they ought to. We were attempting at the time, in a very reactionary Congress, to head off an attempt to send a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to the states. And if you look at the 11 referenda much later -- in 2004, in the election -- which the Republicans put on the ballot to try to get the base vote for President Bush up, I think it's obvious that something had to be done to try to keep the Republican Congress from presenting that. The President doesn't even get to veto that. The Congress can refer constitutional amendments to the states. I didn't like signing DOMA and I certainly didn't like the constraints that were put on benefits, and I've done everything I could -- and I am proud to say that the State Department was the first federal department to restore benefits to gay partners in the Obama administration, and I think we are going forward in the right direction now for federal employees. ...

But, actually, all these things illustrate the point I'm trying to make. America has rapidly moved to a different place on a lot of these issues, and so what we have to decide is what we are going to do about it. Right now, the Republicans are sitting around rooting for the president to fail, as nearly as I can see.

On UStream, you can listen to the rest of Clinton's speech which touches on the healtch care debate, the Obama administration, the involvement of bloggers and activists and their role in ensuring a progressive future for the nation. (Click on the tag marker to skip directly to Clinton.)

Lane Hudson, the blogger activist who stood up and challenged Clinton, has written a piece on the Huffington Post, "Why I interrupted Bill Clinton's speech at Netroots Nation."

So what do you make of Clinton's response? Did we, the LGBT population, drop the ball when it came to DADT and DOMA? I don't think that anyone can argue that Clinton didn't stick his neck out for us, but has history twisted the story a bit, putting the blame more on him for the passage of DADT and DOMA? Or should we be equally to blame, if not more, for not going full force in stopping them, since those laws directly affect us?

Can we learn something from this? Both HRC and Equality Across America have campaigns (the latter kicking into gear after the National Equality March) in place for us to lobby our representatives. If a DADT or DOMA repeal actually hit the Senate and House floors, will we have learned enough from history to do everything we can to garner support from Congress?

Despite this amazing resurgence of grassroots activity, there's still lots of complacency within our communities. How can we get them to call and email their representatives? What can we do to get them more involved?

At this critical juncture for our rights and the hope of a progressive future, we can't take any chances.

Photo by Andrés Duque of Blabbeando. Additional photos here.

VIDEO: Sen. Eichelberger Refuses to Apologize for His Remarks Against LGBT When Delivered Apology Petition on Camera

Sen. Eichelberger, who currently submitted legislation that would ban same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania, recently offended thousands of LGBT people and allies with his horrendous remarks in a marriage equality radio debate on WHYY.org. In the debate, in which he attempted to counter Pennsylvania Sen. Daylin Leach and his bill for marriage equality, Eichelberger stated that society "allowed gay people to exist."

Below is a video of LGBT citizens and allies delivering him a petition with thousands of names demanding an apology.

Sen. Eichelberger Issues Statement on His Quote "We're Allowing Gays to Exist."

In what has been coined, "One of the Best Marriage Equality Debates You Will Ever Hear," Pennsylvania's Sen. Daylin Leach, who has proposed a marriage equality bill for his state, and Sen. John Eichelberger, who has proposed banning same-sex marriage, argued their sides of the issue on WHYY.org. In the debate, Sen. Eichelberger, who struggled to support his argument without actual data and research said, "We're allowing the gays to exist."

In the news video below provided by NG Blog, Sen. Eichelberger claims his quote was taken out of context and states his issue with Keystone Progress, who has started a petition demanding he apologize for his comments.



His comment:

"This group is a politically active group that goes around the country targeting people that are involved in this issue. If this is an example of how they conduct themselves then it's difficult to continue dialogue and discussion if people intentionally misportray the truth."

I listened to the whole debate, which you can hear in full at WHYY.org, and Sen. Eichelberger struggled to stand his ground with the well-prepared Sen. Leach. Whether or not he meant it, Sen. Eichelberger did in fact make his offensive comments, underscoring the flaws of his position and proving, yet again, that opposition to same-sex marriage is based on discrimination and homophobia and not fact.

And don't get me started on his remarks about Keystone Progress twisting the truth when he's on record of doing that himself. How can one engage this man in an honest dialogue when he argues based off of hearsay, bigoted feelings and no facts?

Oh, and "misportray"? Is that even a word?

Once again, another politician decides to be on the wrong side of history. Do they ever learn?

"One of the Best Marriage Equality Debates" Between Two Pennsylvania Senators

Pennsylvania State Sen. Daylin Leach recently introduced a marriage equality bill that is countered by Sen. John Eichelberger and his bill to ban same-sex marriage in the Keystone State.

This week, they debated the bill on WHYY in Philadelphia and the result is being called "One of the Best Marriage Equality Debates You'll Ever Listen To."

Sen. Leach addressed all the ol' homophobic standby arguments that the right wing has used for years against LGBT, especially those surrounding marriage equality. Even better, Sen. Eichelberger exposed how truly a hateful homophobe that he is.

You can listen to the whole debate on WHYY.org.

Here's a bit of the transcripts thanks to Towleroad:

LEACH: How would he [Eichelberger] want to encourage stability in gay couples?

EICHELBERGER: I wouldn’t. I mean they can practice whatever sexual activity they like to practice, but there’s no reason to give them special consideration. We don’t give them special consideration in Pennsylvania for any reason. Why in the world would we allow them to marry?

LEACH: How would you encourage gay couples to be able to provide for their families?

EICHELBERGER: Well, I wouldn't.

LEACH: What would you expect of them?

EICHELBERGER: There is no reason to encourage that type of behavior in Pennsylvania...That comes back to the definition of family and that’s where we differ. We can call all kinds of things families. I mean, we can say a 3 party marriage is a family, or 7 or 8 people or marrying younger and younger children these days .

HOST: Are you saying that by their very nature homosexual relationships are dysfunctional?

EICHELBERGER: [Pause] Um. I guess I would say that. I would say that.

LEACH: Should our only policy towards [same-sex] couples be one of punishment, to somehow prove that they’ve done something wrong? Eichelberger: They’re not being punished. We’re allowing them to exist, and do what every American can do. We’re just not rewarding them with any special designation.

Eichelberger was asked about the children that were currently being raised in same-sex homes in Pennsylvania and what could be done to protect them. His answer: "Nothing."

Wow. Just wow. I can't fit the whole transcript on here, but Sen. Eichelberger is unreal. If you need fresh motivation to keep up the fight for equal rights, just listen to this guy.

ACTION: Keystone Progress has a petition demanding that Sen. Eichelberger apologize online.

Dueling Marriage Equality Bills in Pennsylvania - One For, One Against

Recently, Unite the Fight reported on Pennsylvania State Senator John Eichelberger's introduction of a bill banning same-sex marriage in his state.

Thankfully, he won't have the last say.

Sen. Daylin Leach today announced plans to introduce a bill that would offer "full and equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in Pennsylvania." The measure also would recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.

"There has never been a more propitious time for Pennsylvania to embrace equality and enshrine the civil right of all Pennsylvanians to marry," Sen. Leach said.

Contact Sen. Leach and thank him for his proactive step to secure equality in Pennsylvania!

PA Senator Eichelberger to Introduce Bill Banning Same-Sex Marriage

Pennsylvania State Senator John Eichelberger is announcing today his intentions to introduce a bill banning same-sex marriage in his state. According to the the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"Similar measures in the last two sessions of the legislature have failed. Pennsylvania law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. But Eichelberger and other proponents of the amendment say writing the ban into the constitution would prevent a judge from overturning the law. Opponents say the measure would enshrine discrimination into the constitution. Amending the constitution requires approval from both the House and Senate in two consecutive two-year sessions before the measure goes to voters for final approval in a statewide referendum."

The Philadelphia Daily News does a good job reporting on the chances marriage equality has in a state where the demographic is highly senior (third oldest state in the nation) and Catholic (not to mention Pennsylvania Amish and other "conservative, religious sects"), with these groups overwhelmingly disapproving of same-sex marriage. Thought the support is high among those 40 and under, the demographic shift has yet to mature.

"Clearly, Pennsylvania is among Alabama and Mississippi in terms of gay rights," Malcolm Lazin, the executive director of the Equality Forum, the gay-rights-advocacy group based in Philadelphia, told the Daily News.

"Lazin and other activists say that same-sex marriage will need to wait until the issue garners more local support and that their main priority is to promote legislation that will add Pennsylvania to the ranks of a majority of other states in offering full workplace protection to gays and lesbians," the Daily News reports.

ACTION! If you live in Pennsylvania, contact Sen. John Eichelberger through his homepage email form and tell him you disapprove!

If you have friends in Pennsylvania, especially LGBT allies, call them and urge them to contact their representatives with disapproval for this discriminatory bill.

EVENT: National Equality Rally, May 3rd

For more information, go to National Equality Rally website.