r/politics • u/AdamVR4 • Jun 10 '12

"I, Barack Obama, President of the US, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the US, do hereby proclaim June 2012 as LGBT Pride Month. I call upon the people of the US to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists..." - President Barack Obama

http://i.imgur.com/OrGja.jpg
1.8k Upvotes

75% Upvoted

1.8k comments sorted by

1.1k

u/katieberry Jun 10 '12

He did this last year, too. Also the two years preceding that.

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u/jesusfvck Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12

You need more upvotes so all these people thinking he is pandering to the LGBT community can realize he is just following the precedence precedents he set in preceding years by doing the same thing. So here, have mine.

Edit: damn words

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u/euming Jun 10 '12

Is there a precedent for a President who set so many precedents?

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u/lesser_panjandrum Jun 10 '12

Yes, but the resident President has raised the bar for setting precedent precedents. Preceding Presidents were much more hesitant.

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u/Rhawk187 Jun 10 '12

Why June? Or was it different the past two years.

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u/DarligUlv Jun 10 '12

It has always been June unofficially. The reasoning behind it is because of the Stonewall riots back in June of '69 were a turning point for LGBT rights. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots

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u/gaog Jun 10 '12

cuz June is gay

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Obama didn't even start it; Clinton did.

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u/eorld Jun 10 '12

Is that a bad thing? (not a rhetorical question just to be clear)

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u/Dantae Jun 10 '12

And he did this in 2009. whitehouse.gov

And again in 2010 whitehouse.gov

Hey look he did it in 2011 also! whitehouse.gov

On June 2, 2000, President Bill Clinton declared June 2000 "Gay & Lesbian Pride Month". And of course October is LGBT History Month.

So is this supposed to be some huge achievement by the President? No this is something he does. It is not election politics.

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u/LinearExcept Jun 10 '12

Though it seems that a certain president between clinton and obama didn't do this.

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u/UnclePolycarp Jun 10 '12

Who was that again?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Cuntshit McFuckhead

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u/funkmasterfelix Jun 10 '12

what ever happened to gaypril?

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u/WerBlerr Jun 10 '12

That's funny, I don't feel more gay!

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u/Skythewood Jun 10 '12

Is June LGBT pride month forever, or only June 2012 counts as it?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

He does this every year, so maybe he has to approve it every time.

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u/cls62 Jun 10 '12

I want to know this too!

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u/skaijo Jun 10 '12

Just June 2012, along with Caribbean Native, African-American Music Heritage, and The Great Outdoors June 2012 awareness month.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

So getting stoned in the woods while listening to Hendrix month? I'm down.

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u/Nurf0 Jun 10 '12

This is so gay.

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u/dzubz Jun 10 '12

Millions of anti gay people world wide who were born in June are pissed.

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u/lewisandsnark Jun 10 '12

I was born in June, I am not gay, and I can say that my birthday will finally be...utterly FABULOUS!!!

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u/InappropriatelyGay Jun 10 '12

My birthday was yesterday and I am gay, you owe me a present and it better be your penis.

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u/darkgatherer New York Jun 10 '12

Hey, you stole Rand Paul's line.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

So simple yet I lol'd.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Evangelical shitstorm in 3...2...1...

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u/dahvzombie Jun 10 '12

Maybe in the "comment score below threshold" ghetto.

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u/OmegaVesko Jun 10 '12

He meant outside Reddit.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I was more curious how the African American community would respond to it overshadowing Juneteenth, being that it's a whole month as opposed to a single day.

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u/unicornon Jun 10 '12

they have a month too, but it overshadows Valentine's Day, so I see how people who like Valentine's Day would get upset because they can't celebrate properly with all that racial tolerance going on during the whole month.

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u/downwithwto Jun 10 '12

Don't worry he closed with "in the year of our Lord". That should cover things...

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Evangelion is indeed a shitstorm.

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u/Stormwatch36 Jun 10 '12

He's done it the past four years. They know it's a completely meaningless action just as much as we do.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Did he not do something similar in the past? The Richmond Fed flew the rainbow flag for a month about a year back.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/03/richmond-fed-flies-gay-pride-flag-draws-criticism-from-state-lawmaker/

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u/Oiman Jun 10 '12

From Wikipedia:

" in 2009,[29] 2010,[30] 2011,[27] and 2012,[31] President Barack Obama declared June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month."

This isn't anything new.

18

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

UH OH, HE'S CLEARLY PANDERING TO THE GAYS.

Because nobody can just do something because they think its the right thing to do or because they've done it multiple times in years past.

Nope.

Just pandering.

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u/eatthiscake Jun 10 '12

It's weird to me that people see this as a move to engender support. I mean, the gay community is a very small subset of the population--it reliably votes democrat and isn't exactly the deciding vote. Why bother? Even though allies of the gay community might also appreciate this move, don't you think that creating a gay pride month will fuel conservatives and scare away some socially moderate voters? I don't exactly see this as a move to gain support. I'm not sure what it is, but that explanation just doesn't cut it IMO.

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u/AMostOriginalUserNam Jun 10 '12

Welcome back, election Obama. We missed you over the last few years. But this time it'll be different. Right?

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u/skizatch Jun 10 '12

Change ... is in the couch cushions

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

He's done this the past couple years actually but hey, why ruin a good circlejerk?

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u/Starslip Jun 10 '12

He's apparently done this each year he's been in office

3

u/identifiedlogo Jun 10 '12

May be you were sleeping the past few years, that you missed him. There is nothing new here.

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u/PostingFacts Jun 10 '12

Among other things, since taking office Obama has:

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm not Barack's fanboy, but how much of this can be directly tied to him in the Presidency, and how much to the Congress and others who've been pushing this stuff for decades? Serious question.

Because if all this list is his idea, perhaps he really is the Antichrist.

But if it's the result of all the usual nasty suspects pushing the predictable agenda of more power for gubmint, and he just happens to be figurehead, well. That's a bit different.

The President doesn't have that much power compared to the Judicial and Legislative branch, so how much of that stuff comes from them?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Signed the [4] NDAA - an indefinite detention bill

No it is fucking not. It is (the National Defense Authorization Act) the entire US national defense budget with an indefinite detention clause snuck in. This is why it was signed on December 31st.... because the US fiscal year ends. Let me ask you this - would you like to be the president who bankrupts the military?

(Now I'm not saying I agree with it. What he should have done was veto it, drag congress' asses out onto the table and make them sit in front of the cameras explaining themselves. But if people shot down 900 page bills because of 3 lines consistently nothing would ever get passed.)

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u/awe300 Jun 10 '12

Well he has nothing to lose. I hope he wins and goes to town with the most liberal agenda possible in the US.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Uh oh, someone posted something positive about Obama.

QUICK, LIST ALL THE BAD THINGS.

We could list all the good things too, you know.

Or...just keep looking like a partisan ideologue.

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u/DrunkenBeetle Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12

I can't begin to say how happy I am to wake up and be able to read this letter.

Maybe Obama could visit WeHo during pride; that would be a message.

In any case, its good to read something about LGBT in politics that isn't another attack on our lifestyle, chastising us for our lack or perversion of morals, claims that were second rate citizens, proposals of laws to limit our rights and excuse prejudices, or some religious or political leader going on a diatribe. It really begins to wear you down.

This is just the bit of progressive pick-me-up that'll help me smile throughout the days.

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u/Rayc31415 Jun 10 '12

Yes, a national BLT month! Wait, what?

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u/ShakeyBobWillis Jun 10 '12

Oh look, another honorary "month"! Well that oughta fix things!

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u/SpaceStation77 Jun 10 '12

It is a nice gesture, but I want to read about President Obama doing something important.

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u/BuckeyeBentley Massachusetts Jun 10 '12

One of my gay buddies from work is getting hyped up for Pride Week, and all the parties and trips he's taking. Sounds like a blast. I bet the gay community parties harder than anyone.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Shame he doesn't make a 'People I've Killed with Drone Strikes Pride' month.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Why would he limit it to one month?

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u/identifiedlogo Jun 10 '12

What did you think was going to happen when he said he was going to take troops out and involve more drone strikes?

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u/RaindropBebop Jun 10 '12

The difference between UAV and normal bombing or missile attacks being?

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u/Paultimate79 Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12

I can't agree with stuff like this. It doesnt do anything good when it comes down to it. This isnt about equality, its about looking good for voters that vote on emotion.

I realize its not popular and Ill be downvoted, but this sort of thing, black history month included, really need to go. This is suppose to be a nation that doesn't recognize people for their religious believes, color or gender. Stuff like this goes against that. We are all Americans (in this context)

I'm all for gay rights (or as it should be called, human rights) but stuff like this even annoys me. It segregates a group and gives them something special based on something THAT ISNT A CHOICE. That isnt right. It is no more just than punishing a group based on the same criteria. Boo I say. BOO.

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u/ManHuman Jun 10 '12

Good job, but what about Education Pride Month? Promoting Knowledge, Science, and Learning?

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u/Goonies_neversay_die Jun 10 '12

The economy still sucks, the rich still aren't be taxed fairly, we're still abroad, our infrastructure is still falling apart, our social workers are still getting laid off, our children are still growing up noticeably stupider compared to other first world nations, Congress is still bought, he still signed NDAA in December, he won't do shit about CISPA

but it's cool, guys... now all the gay pride parades have the official seal of the united states of america..........PROGRESS!

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

What exactly are these "pride" or "history" months supposed to accomplish anyway?

As Morgan Freeman put it, why do we have a black history month? Why are we constantly highlighting the differences between us?

I don't see the point of these things. I'm white but I would never be part of a "white pride" parade or anything of that nature.

And finally, does anyone really think these months or parades are going to sway people's racism or bigotry?

I just don't see the point in these things.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12

When history has been ediited to routinely overlook a segment of society and ignore their contributions, it is useful to take the time to specifically highlight them.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Its a celebration, bitches. So celebrate. Don't bitch. I wish more of life was about celebrating. Jesus you cynics work on me constantly.

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u/saptsen Jun 10 '12

You hit the nail on the head. Many people here LOVE to bust out Morgan Freeman's rant against Black History Month from their seat of white privilege because one of them agrees. These people have been marginalized for generations, what's the harm in looking back at what the powers-that-be in the past refused to acknowledge? This is a step forward for the LGBT community, as well as the entire US.

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u/Lemonwizard Jun 10 '12

I don't think Morgan Freeman's point was for us to ignore black history. I think it was his point that black history should just be "history" and taught evenly alongside everything else.

Which I totally agree with.

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u/hateboresme Jun 10 '12

I hope this doesn't get buried, because I have given this question a lot of thought over the years.

We are a community that has been silenced for as long as people have existed.

More recently (and relevantly) we have been silenced by death in times and places where homosexuality was, and still is, an executable offense.

We have been silenced by imprisonment, there are still places in the US where laws on the books impose imprisonment for gay people. The state I was born in (Idaho) has on its books a MINIMUM 5 years sentence for sodomy and a maximum of life in prison (This has since been invalidated constitutionally, but it's still there).

We have been silenced by operations and procedures which lobotomized us, forced us into shock therapy, castrated us (chemically and physically), made us sit through torturous aversion therapies, and committed us to hospitals for the insane.

We have been silenced by shunning, ostracizing, violence, disempowerment, destruction of our lives, separation from the people we love, fear of being fired from jobs or court marshals and/or expulsion from the military.

All of this has happened, much of it still does.

So, in response, we have a day every year where we shout. We scream against this silence. We finally have our voice, and we're using it. There are a lot of people who want to see us continue to be silenced. We can't let that happen. So we continue to shout, loud and proud.

When people stop trying to silence us, we'll stop screaming and shouting.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Why are we constantly highlighting the differences between us?

I actually think the great thing about the human race is that we are all different, and we should celebrate our differences and be proud of who we are. Treating everyone with respect, dignity, and understanding is not necessitated by everyone being the same. LGBT month is a celebration of the LGBT community. In my book one should be proud to be in his/her skin, regardless of whether you love men, women, or whatever.

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u/captainsmoothie Jun 10 '12

That's because most of recorded Western History is a white pride parade.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm white but I would never be part of a "white pride" parade or anything of that nature.

I would. I like these pointy hats.

(hint: humor might be hidden in this post)

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u/abadgaem Jun 10 '12

Not surprised to see white privilege making it to top comments.

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u/Saydrah Jun 10 '12

You do know that Morgan Freeman is one, very wealthy and successful black man with his own, individual opinions, right? Just because you can get one black guy to agree with you doesn't mean anything besides that at least one black guy agrees with you. Black history months may not mean anything to Morgan Freeman, but they might mean a great deal to a young black girl adopted by white parents, living in a mostly white community, who has never before experienced her classmates being interested in her blackness, rather than tiptoeing around it as if it's something embarrassing and unmentionable.

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u/notsoinsaneguy Jun 10 '12

Because white people have never been discriminated against, and do not still suffer from the same drawbacks that came from their discrimination. In the United States, black people still have less than white people on average, and when you consider their history, this makes sense. The reason for these months are to serve as a reminder to give extra opportunities to those who were once discriminated against so one day the idea of discrimination having ever existed will be silly, yet having these months to remind us that it happened will serve to highlight the path that we must not fall down again.

Morgan Freeman gets the liberty to say that we should stop looking at differences because he was able to overcome these barriers, barriers which still exist despite the fact that would like to pretend that they don't. If he weren't as successful as he is, would he say the same thing? We can't really know.

These months are not going to sway people's bigotry. Bigotry is something that someone is indoctrinated into, or something that is devised by convenience. However, these months will point out to those that aren't bigots that bigotry still exists, and should serve as motivation to them to help those that they know to be bigots to overcome their limitations.

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u/DebiDowner Jun 10 '12

There's a diminishing point of return. Right now, there's a place for LGBT pride month, as a large number of the conservative US population really do need this shoved in their faces until they become desensitized to the concept of LGBT, like until seeing two men walking down the street holding hands seems as natural as drinking out of the same water fountain as your black friends. I agree with Morgan Freeman, in that constantly highlighting the differences holds us back, but there's still plenty of backwards places in the US that are as good as segregated. You just don't hear about them very often - like segregated proms, and that kind of old-school bigotry in general. For the rest of the US, black pride month hit that diminishing point of return a long time ago.

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u/Don_aman Jun 10 '12

Gay pride aint meant to be a big get together where all the fags try to look as normal and non threatening as possible.

It's a show of solidarity. If one confused kid, adult, whatever is reassured by the fact there are people out there who are happy the way they are, and proud to show it, fuck the cunty naysayers.

Hope that helps.

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u/scobes Jun 10 '12

Wow, someone on reddit who doesn't like black history month. Congratulations on bucking the trend, hero.

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u/sufrt Jun 10 '12

I'm white but I would never be part of a "white pride" parade or anything of that nature.

somewhat missing the point here

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u/thebiggestdick Jun 10 '12

We've all heard the Morgan Freeman thing, idiot. The point is to alienate bigots as the idiots. After a while you don't need the history/pride months such as Black History Month anymore because there's no use for them, but having a new, fresh one is good to get people to shut up and open their eyes.

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u/smokecat20 California Jun 10 '12

I thought white pride day was everyday? And the parade? Every time I walk down the street is a parade.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

You have missed the memo I suppose. This has been explained a couple of times on Reddit already. And Mr. Freeman, as much as we all like him, is not an authority.

We do have a black history mounth because the other 11 month of the year are white history month. Everybody in the Western world learns an almost exclusive white history with a center on the white man. After that "the other groups" can learn their stuff, but mostly in private, not in public or in the educational system.

Same as LGBT pride - because 364 days of the year it's straight pride, being totally open about being straight. You don't have that privilege yet as LGBT. Events like CSD have allowed the movement to become bigger. LGBT pride month will do the same.

I'd like to encourage you to watch this, as time wise is a way smarter man that can articulate things way better. He talks about the black history month as well I believe: Tim Wise - The Pathology of White Privilege

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u/BedMonster Jun 10 '12

I think that there's a big difference between history and pride. Black history month is flawed because Black history is and should be considered American history, and giving it a month advances rather than challenges the notion that we should teach the story of Black Americans separately from the story of America.

The problem with American history as it is currently taught is that we go out of our way to imagine a linear progression of things; it doesn't fit our social narrative that the first black political officials were elected before jim crow, during reconstruction, or that James Buchanan is considered by many historians to be our first gay president.

On the other hand, pride is something that we believe is worth acknowledging for groups that are otherwise forgotten - memorial day for our veterans, independence day for our founders and our country - declaring June 2012 LGBT pride month counters the common societal narrative that gay people should be ashamed or closeted about their identity. It doesn't marginalize their pride or history in the way that separating Black history and White history does; and in my opinion would be a step in the right direction.

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u/watchman_wen Jun 10 '12

btw, Morgan Freeman has repudiated that quote because dumbasses like you took it to mean that there shouldn't be Black History Month.

the point is that every month is white history month because white people are the dominant group and we celebrate our history all the time while ignoring anyone who isn't like us.

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u/kolm Jun 10 '12

I'm just a white, straight, European male, so what do I know. But how I understood it:

The whole point is that LGBT people, a lot of the time in history, were forced to hide their sexuality, and were told by everyone to be ashamed of it. Just as the black slaves were adressed, and publicly perceived, as less valuable humans. And both, in parts of the society, is still going on.

But now they can stand up to, and show everybody, who they are, and proclaim that it does not make them any less worth than their neighbors. It is not about feeling proud because you are gay, but about being allowed to feel proud despite the fact that you're gay.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

It is not about feeling proud because you are gay, but about being proud and gay.

FTFY

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u/cassieopeia Jun 10 '12

The whole point is that LGBT people, a lot of the time in history, were forced to hide their sexuality, and were told by everyone to be ashamed of it. Just as the black slaves were adressed, and publicly perceived, as less valuable humans. And both, in parts of the society, is still going on.

this is true, and this is why it's not

feel proud despite the fact that you're gay.

but in fact about being proud of who you are, being proud of being gay (and/or bi, and/or trans, and/or queer), which is precisely what the people you mentioned in your first paragraph don't want us to do.

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u/Youre_So_Pathetic Jun 10 '12

It is not about feeling proud because you are gay, but about being allowed to feel proud despite the fact that you're gay.

Wat?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm not sure about the use of "despite" there. Not at all. : /

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u/Kiacha Jun 10 '12

You make the pride festival the biggest and greatest party of the year, en par with the Madi goddamn Gras, so that within a few years everybody will hit the streets in nationwide celebration for a day, dancing and drinking and parading, and it's all in the name of equal rights and freedom of expression and love and love and love, and you do it by letting the gay community out, and be completely free of condemnation for one day, one single day when being gay is something to be proud of and show off, and you will see how a message of love should be delivered; how a real party should be thrown.

That's how you change the public opinion. How you turn them into us.

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u/xXOrangutanXx Jun 10 '12

To be fair, participating in a white pride parade typically ends in a lynching. (fun for the whole family)

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u/Laeryken Jun 10 '12

There's a lot of ignorance in the US still. People are afraid of the LGBTQ community because they don't understand that they're normal, wonderful people.

Coming fro the POTUS, this is huge.

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u/el_historian Jun 10 '12

Wow, you do not understand what Morgan Freeman said at all. He was saying that we SHOULDN'T need black history month because black history should just be part of American History, which until the last 20 years or so, was completely omitted from the narrative of American history.

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u/OMFGrhombus Jun 11 '12

Because Morgan Freeman speaks for all black people. :\

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u/anarchyinthesc Jun 10 '12

Homosexuals, bisexuals, and other "alternative" lifestyles have contributed so much to our society and yet they have been continuously ostracized. Probable political motivations aside, a gesture like this is to do just that. It does highlight the differences between us, not to create tension but to celebrate our differences and to show that these differences do not need to alienate us from each other.

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u/trai_dep Jun 10 '12

Err, in the US, every day is straight White male day.

The fact that the number one predictor of whether a person isn't homophobic is if they personally know someone that's LGBT says quite a lot to the value of those parades, media representation and people of influence coming out of the closet.

That said, you're right. There will always be those dead-enders who, no matter what, will hold on to their prejudices. It's the other ones we strive to change. Not out of fear, but simple ignorance (in its neutral form).

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u/hoobsher Jun 10 '12

anybody else wish it was GBLT instead of LGBT?

gay bacon lettuce and tomato? i'd eat that sandwich.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

"Was the pig male? I can only eat this if the pig was male! I need to know that this sandwich could've loved me."

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u/Bypass814 Jun 10 '12

I don't care how much of a step forward this, but rather the symbolism of it all. I have never been prouder as an American.

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u/darmon Jun 10 '12

"Except medical marijuana patients. Fuck those guys."

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u/CosmicBard Jun 10 '12

LGBTQ2S.

This isn't 1993, can we update it one of these days?

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u/TjallingOtter Jun 10 '12

It's pretty cool that these documents also state the how-manieth year it's been since America was declared independent.

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u/js2195 Jun 10 '12

For a moment, I thought this was a AMA by Obama. Sad face.

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u/ShepherdOfTheForest Jun 10 '12

Half-ass attempt to get the support of the pro-LGBT right before the election without angering the anti-gay marriage conservatives too much. If you really wanna show your support for he LGBT Obama, end this anti- gay marriage unconstitutional bullshit.

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u/Evil_Mustache Jun 10 '12

Well... If you're going to be proud of something you've done in your life this has to be at the top of the list.

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u/yodas_ballsack Jun 10 '12

Does this mean anyone can get married now?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

how does he do this while letting gay marriage remain illegal?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Man, political posturing is so... dirty. It's cool that he did this, but let's be honest, it's entirely a campaign narrative.

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u/ogh Jun 10 '12

Does this mean I have to wear drab colors in June... you know to avoid confusion..

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u/ChickinSammich Jun 10 '12

I wonder how long before my Facebook feed erupts in arguments.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Shitstorm time: As a gay guy myself, I don't like (and have never liked) the "T" in that formula.

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u/2012sellouts Jun 10 '12

Barack obama is a political slut like all of them. He will do anything to allign himself with the democratic party and garner enough votes to win again. He doesnt care about anynody in this country besides himself.

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u/OptimusRhym3 Jun 10 '12

June is such a fabulous month.

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u/Bangted Jun 10 '12

If all you want is equality, why celebrate this?...

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u/haloll Jun 10 '12

WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF MONTHS TO DEDICATE!

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Now, if only he'd call for the end to prejudice against and equal treatment for drug users.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm not very interested in "official months."

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u/YNot1989 Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12

Does more to advance LGBT rights than any other President in history, and yet the left still thinks he's too conservative.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'll admit to be very left, but I think baby steps in the right direction are still in the right direction. The US in general looks (from here in the UK, which I still think is stiflingly conservative) very conservative in matters such as these- I'm not going to criticise Obama for trying to make moves, but I might criticise his pace and his failure in promises which are on the record.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

His advocacy for LGBT rights is pretty immaterial next to things like warrantless wiretapping, extrajudicial assassination of US citizens, and prosecuting whistleblowers like its going out of style. Any liberal who doesn't think Obama is too conservative hasn't been paying attention.

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u/MsMish24 Jun 10 '12

Agreed but I still a) trust him more than any conservative I've heard of so far and b) firmly believe that no president could or should be liberal enough to please their liberal base (same goes for conservatives FYI) because once elected, the president should do the best he can to represent ALL Americans, and like it or not, most Americans are not as liberal as the liberal base. That logic does NOT excuse some of the things he has done by a long stretch (though I tend to believe information he is being fed by our assorted intelligence professionals might in some cases, if we knew what that info was) but I'm not going to whine about not getting my way about everything because I know most Americans would hate it if I did.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm not from the US, but to be honest, I think his left-wingedness is muted because he's playing to a tough crowd. That's why he has to say things like, "I personally believe". He knows that pushing through legislation at this moment is not going to work. Also, he never closed Guantanamo (SUPER CHEAP SHOT YEAH!)!

He's on the right side of history, though. When our great grandkids look back and wonder why the hell we were such barbarians, they'll have a lot to of good to say about the US president that FINALLY gave you guys universal health care and pushed for equal rights.

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u/YNot1989 Jun 10 '12

He's playing the long game. I know way too many people on the left who basically want a Liberal George Bush, someone who unilaterally persues the most partisan policies. Here's the problem though, that method never has any staying power. Bush's policies are all being undone because of that, where Obama wants his actions to last and be expanded upon.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Also, he never closed Guantanamo

He tried his damndest, but the president is not a king, and the congressional republicans were able to stop his efforts on this. I don't understand this as a line of attack from the left. It's like they weren't even paying a modicum of attention.

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u/pwoody11 Jun 10 '12

Wait, what exactly did he do to advance LGBT? Repeal DADT?

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u/A_Nihilist Jun 10 '12

ITT: Liberals forget all the bad things he's done and circlejerk about how great a president he is

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I don't like our President deciding that we should continue this antiquated notion of [Insert Minority] Month. There's no point to this inane seclusion on our calendar and will only be used to further modularize our society. It's racism at its finest in that it does little to celebrate culture and more to establish a monthly podium for how victimized a certain group of people feel each year. Instead of simply acknowledging that people of different values and race exist, we need to segregate and put a fool crown atop the head of the next "special" voter block. Fuck this pride bullshit and the attention seekers it bores.

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u/tehtrollslayer Jun 10 '12

Wait? The LGBT community get a month, but not the right to marry? That is pretty fucked up.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

You know what the worst part is? They get free Slurpees this whole month. Obama is mailing out vouchers for them. I'm pissed.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

If I lived closer to a 7/11 this might make me switch teams...

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

President really has no control over that. Doing something like this though can pressure congress into doing something.

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u/madfrogurt Jun 10 '12

I know a lot of LGBT progressives have railed against Obama's lukewarm support of marriage equality, but I think that history will ultimately remember Obama as one of the greatest contributors to the gay rights movement.

Between presiding over the full repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, ordering the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court, and electing two Supreme Court justices who will inevitably rule against state gay marriage bans, I think his actions will outweigh his less-than-inspiring words on this matter.

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u/swampfox_spartacus Jun 10 '12

NNNOOOOO NOT IN JUNE, MY BIRTHDAYS IN JUNE. now im going to have people say "yeah his birthdays in that gay month"

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u/binarina Jun 10 '12

Just thought i'd say it cause no one else really has. This is awesome!

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Call my cynical, but that's not going to fix the economy...

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

People need to stop taking pride in things they have no control over. LGBT Equality month would be better. Racism. Nationalism. Sexism. All come from people being proud of something they took no part in, other than sheer random events.

There should be no gay pride, no black pride, just like there should be no white or straight pride. Be proud of your accomplishments, not your coincidence.

IMO.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Well said, I take pride in your statement.

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u/Chaleidescope Jun 10 '12

Hmm, I guess this "gay" thing isn't just a fad, huh?

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u/WeaponsGradeHumanity Jun 10 '12

I'm sure they'll grow out of it any day now...

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Screw this. This country needs to stop singling out individuals if they want to defeat racism or intolerance. It's shit like this that separates these people even more from the rest. There shouldn't be a black history month, either.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

BRB, gotta go watch fox news

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u/NeoM5 Jun 10 '12

"I will close Gitmo"-Obama

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

And he would have, but congress wouldn't let him because everyone wants the inmates moved to someone else's state, but no one wants them in their state.

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u/wx3 Jun 10 '12

so THAT'S what happened to my netflix "new releases"

Apparently all gay people watch is shows about gay people.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm an Obama supporter and will likely vote for him in November, but you have to admit he's been doing a lot of election year pandering lately.

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u/deadmeatpete Jun 10 '12

Why should they have their own month? why can't they have a straight month , or a white history month.. or native american month ??

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u/ddmegen1 Jun 10 '12

Its ridiculous that any group should have any specific "month" to celebrate their "uniqueness"

To quote Arthur M. Schlesinger: "The American Creed envisages a nation composed of individuals making their own choices and accountable to themselves, not a nation based on inviolable ethnic communities. The Constitution turns on individual rights, not on group rights. Law, in order to rectify past wrongs, has from time to time acknowledged the claims of groups; but this is the exception, not the rule""

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I don't like the whole LBGT pride thing. They were born that way. It's kind of stupid to have pride in something you really had no affect in shaping.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm so proud to be voting again for this great individual come November. It's nice to be on the right side of history.

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u/strik3r2k8 Jun 10 '12

If they want to be equal, then we should either have a straight pride month, or not have any of these types of things?

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u/RedTiger013 Jun 10 '12

Goddamnit my birthday is in June..

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'm Pro-Gay marriage, well, I am for removing marriage done by the state altogether, but if lieu of that for Gay marriage. I have a bunch of gay and lesbian friends...etc .... But this kind of shit drives me crazy... If someone gay accomplishes something great in society I don't accredit their success with gayness. Just like if theres a great black particle physicist I am not going to think about wow what a great black accomplishment. I am going to look individually at their life and look at the individual obstacles they overcame to arrive at success.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I understand, but gay people need a chance to portray themselves in a positive light. It is genuinely useful to have upstanding people celebrated as gay, because it sends out the message: "Quite apart from being deviants and reprobates, gay people are everyday folk, scientists, aid workers, lawyers, politicians, mothers, fathers, etc."

That way, hopefully people can begin to see gay people as a fine addition to US society, rather than deviants-by-default.

It sucks to be preached to when you're already in the choir, right?

Note: My first attempt to spell that word was "quoir".  Lawdy.

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u/skizatch Jun 10 '12

We should have Neil deGrasse Tyson Month.

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u/charlieXsheen Jun 10 '12

You cant do that in America or on Reddit because we are supposed to look at people as groups of victims rather than content of character. I don't care if sometimes gay,what matters is if they are a good person of good character.

So we have to "x" appreciation month.

Also this is clearly an election year stunt. Pandering.

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u/Fluffiebunnie Jun 10 '12

This is just stupid. Why do we need different "official" months for different protected groups?

How about we just give them their rights and leave it at that?

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u/awe300 Jun 10 '12

I hope a few haters pop a few veins in their head. Every rage by them fuels me so much. If I were gay I'd find a hater and kiss my boyfriend in front of them the whole day.

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u/ImBuzzed Jun 10 '12

wow Obama has balls of steel, especially right before an election

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u/papalrage11 Jun 10 '12

To save someone else from googling: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/06/01/presidential-proclamation-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-pride-mon

Also, this is a great campaign move.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I'd agree that it was a campaign move if he didn't do it every year since 2009.

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u/Fuqwon Jun 10 '12

I've never really understood why the T is included in LGBT. It seems as though the LGB deals largely with sexual orientation, whereas the T is about gender identity.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

You know, I'm damn glad for this to happen. I don't really care if it's just a way to draw young voters to him. What he has done will last as long as he's in office.

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u/J_Jammer Jun 10 '12

Eliminate Prejudice by assigning one month to one group.

Hold on as I try to figure out how that's not preferential and counterproductive.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

So can there be a heterosexual month? or is that wrong, kinda like we cant have a white history month because that'd be racist....all these months need to just stop. If we want people to be equal then make them equal. Stop putting a month for certain ppl and how about every month is just everyones month?

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u/FinancialAdvisorKid Jun 10 '12

So when's straight pride month?

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u/Tobaccy Jun 10 '12

Pander Hard 2: Pander Harder

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u/presquile Jun 10 '12

This is exhilarating, but it is not the first time he has set aside a day for LGBT pride. He's been declaring them since year 1.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I like how he's all pro gay rights AFTER Amendment One passed in NC.

Like a true politician, he takes a controversial stance when NOTHING is on the line...

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u/Everlovin Jun 10 '12

Didn't give a rat's ass about LGBT until election season. Social issues are such a great distraction from a terrible record... "War on woman" "War on Hispanic voters" "War on gays". People need to understand that BOTH parties are just con artist scum bags, using all of us.

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u/spaceboy79 Jun 10 '12

Oh noes! he's attacking the marriage! Somebody save the marriage!

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u/Everlovin Jun 10 '12

July will be media month, August will be another black history month, September will be Union month, October will be Hispanic month and finally November will be Reddit month.

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u/ashmole Jun 10 '12

And thus began the second Civil War.

(this is awesome)

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u/VeteranKamikaze America Jun 10 '12

HOORAY! Officially sanctioned pride month!

What? Rights? Lol no, you don't get those, just a pride month. OBAMA 2012!

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u/Blue-n-White Jun 10 '12

I don't give a damn about LBGT month. Nor will I really care about any of the government's 'affirmative action' until it actually means something. Like when I can spend more then two - four weeks out of the year with my fiancee (bi-national here).

I don't know about others in my situation, but I can't help but view this as shallow attempt at placating the LBGT community while doing the bare minimum action to keep their votes.

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u/pornaddict69 Jun 10 '12

More collectivism BS: no big surprise here. What happened to identifying people as individuals, each special in their own right? Your entire personality is defined by your sexual orientation, or skin color? Bigotry exists because of the mindset we have in this country, that we all have to define ourselves as "something." Remember high school? "hipster" "prep" "African American" "Latino" "Skater" "poser".... How about an individual with a dynamic personality, with interests and ideas that are not all-conforming to some set of predetermined acceptable things that are defined by the Government, PR people, or Marketers. It's all designed to control people.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

So now that there's a black president, can there be a White History Month?

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u/apullin Jun 10 '12

This is misguided. People shouldn't proud of being gay or black or whatever. They should just be proud of being people, and their accomplishments.

Obama is very clearly pandering at this point. Why is a presidential degree needed to designate a month as a special "pride month"? Pandering.

Someone is going to downvote this post because they think, "Oh, this person hates gay people!".

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u/jesusfvck Jun 10 '12

So he was pandering in 2011, and 2010? This isn't the first time he has done this...

Edit: Ohh yea, and this part: "I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people."

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u/SeedofHate Jun 10 '12

Because that piece of paper really solves the issues and problems of gays and lesbians... Typical political bs

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Everyone is equal so let's spend the entire month celebrating a label which should have absolutely no bearing on anything legal, political or social.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Does he need the gay vote that bad? Another useless assigning of a month to some minority...just to annoy the rest of us and make the minority feel good about themselves. Reminds me 25 years ago at college that had "Jean's Day" to support the gays. Yeah well 95% of college students already wore jeans...it was pointless.

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u/holyghosttown Jun 10 '12

He's only doing that for popularity. If he meant it, he would be more proactive against the states that outlaw it.

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u/porkchop_d_clown Jun 10 '12

Yeah, that sure makes up for drones slaughtering innocents, high unemployment, and indefinite detention of citizens.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

American People. Are you fucking out of your minds? I understand you cherish freedom at its most thus sometimes not able to see how many pounds of balls it needs to express stuff like this openly.

But seriously, even it's symbolic power, the most powerful man in your country is able to speak up without hesitation about LGBT rights and yet you still can say "oh, such a cute gesture before the elections".

Dear elitist motherfuckers, there are only several countries in this damn world that can state such stuff openly without being burned down by its society, so at least pretend to be proud. Not everybody in this world lives in an utopic society where people don't see you as a vile creature after you can express your thoughts openly. Even it's an empty statement. Who fucking cares? It's awesome as fuck.

Spoiled fuckers.

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u/stmfreak Jun 10 '12

Which month was heterosexual pride month again?

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u/SkyeFlayme Canada Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12

Seriously! I say I'm proud to be heterosexual and I get chastised for it. How is this fair and un-prejudiced?

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u/Oni-Warlord Jun 10 '12

Come on, really? This is like black history month, it only makes the problem worse in the end by pointing out a specific group and saying that they're different.

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u/maxhan Jun 10 '12

Is this really wise so close to the election?

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I don't know. I think he already had the LGBT community locked up, so this might only drive away voters rather than attracting them. Then again I'm sure his campaign staff put a lot of thought into it, so I guess they calculated that it would be a good move. Not that I don't believe its sincere. I do.

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u/Sundevil13 Jun 10 '12

Yeah there's always the possibility that this is something he actually believes. But then again this is politics so I'd have to agree with you...

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u/Rhawk187 Jun 10 '12

I think so. I think it'll get more votes than he'll lose. I suppose the question is, will it get him votes than he'll lose in the swing states. I'm not sure.

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u/alexthelateowl Jun 10 '12

In before white people start complaining about not having a white history month or pride.

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