Guess Who Came To Dinner June 20, 2014June 21, 2014 So the President came to New York Tuesday and one of his stops elicited this fundraising appeal from the American Family Association: Nine Statements by Obama Yesterday Made a Mockery of God’s Word June 18, 2014 Friend, Yesterday, President Barack Obama spoke at an LGBT fundraiser in New York City. You can watch or read the entire speech here. I thought you might like to know what he said, so here are a few excerpts from the transcript of his speech: – The day that the Supreme Court issued its ruling, United States v. Windsor, was a great day for America. – So Pride Month is a time for celebration, and this year we’ve got a lot to celebrate. If you think about everything that’s happened in the last 12 months, it is remarkable. In nine more states you’re now free to marry the person you love – that includes my two home states of Hawaii and Illinois. The NFL drafted its first openly gay player. The U.S. Postal Service made history by putting an openly gay person on a stamp – the late, great Harvey Milk smiling from ear to ear. – When I took office, only two states had marriage equality. Today, 19 states and the District of Columbia do. – But because of your help, we’ve been able to do more to protect the rights of lesbian and gay, and bisexual and transgender Americans than any administration in history. – We repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell,” because no one should have to hide who you love to serve the country we love. – I lifted the 22-year ban on people with HIV traveling to the U.S. – Before I took office, only one openly gay judge had been confirmed in history. We have 10 more. – …we stopped defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in the courts and argued alongside Edie and Robbie before the highest court in the land. – I’ve directed my staff to prepare for my signature, an executive order prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. My friend, our nation is in deep trouble under President Obama and liberals in Congress…are you registered to vote in upcoming elections? [And please give us money . . .] I was actually at that dinner, and see it differently. (Except for the part about hoping you are registered to vote.) Could God really oppose gay couples committing to love and care for each other in civil marriage? Could She really favor workplace discrimination — firing your son or daughter, who’s doing a good job, just because he or she happens to have been created gay? (And by Whom, I wonder?) Does the American Family Association itself make a mockery of God’s word by not stoning non-virgin brides to death? And does the American Family Association exhort slaves to “obey thy masters?” You’re not seriously going to tell me that no one at the American Family Association has ever eaten at Red Lobster or worn a cotton polyester blend — both abominations in the eyes of the Lord. Fortunately, most people see the goodness in the Bible while skipping over parts that, with thousands of years’ hindsight, no longer make ethical sense — like slavery or denying women the vote or jailing someone like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for marrying a white woman (even though he would deny me the right to marry the person I love). To most of you, this is old news. So enough of that. Let me tell you about the DNC’s 15th Annual LGBT Dinner. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Great night. Sold out. The President? AWESOME. Here’s the transcript — helpful, because parts were hard to hear over all the cheering. A SMALL SAMPLE: . . . what’s been remarkable is the way Americans of all age groups are increasingly embracing marriage equality. They understand love is love. And for many people whose minds have changed, it was love that did it — love for the child or the grandchild, or the friend or the coworker who sat down one day and held their hands and took a deep breath and said, I’m gay. Almost everybody in this room was that child or grandchild or friend or coworker at some point. And you may not have known it at the time — it may have seemed like an individual act — but in those moments when you summoned that courage and reached out with that hopeful love, you were doing it for everybody. And that’s why I’m here tonight, to say thank you for helping make America more just and more compassionate. . . . THE HIGHLIGHTS: It was the world’s earliest dinner, but once you got in out of the sun, it felt like dinner. With no windows or clocks but free drinks, all Gotham Hall lacked were roulette tables. And there were SO many highlights: > The President, of course, in a class by himself. What an amazing 17 minutes those were. But also . . . > Our 500 guests, every one a star. > Including Sia, a star in the conventional, she’s-sold-millions-of-records, sense. I had never heard of her. But in the weeks leading up to the dinner I asked my younger friends, all of whom had, including one who replied, “Dude — what do you think we’ve been listening to for the last 20 minutes?” Sia sang four really beautiful songs. > Our emcee, Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Fergusson — direct from Missoula, Montana, with a few stops and Emmy nominations along the way. > Beauty queen Geena Rocero, whose Ted Talk this past March has been viewed 2 million times. (It’s cool to see straight guys ogling her bikini shot and then learning she was assigned “boy” at birth.) > A video celebrating LGBT progress . . . beginning pre-Harvey Milk, even, and running up to last month’s unveiling of the Harvey Milk first-class forever stamp. “You gotta give ‘em hope,” Harvey said – and, boy, how that hope has, at long last, turned out to have been justified. > A video greeting from George Takei, previously of the U.S.S. Enterprise, now about to star in Allegiance. > A sentence read from this year’s Pride Proclamation – the President’s sixth – and . . . in a remarkable show of bipartisan sportsmanship . . . the entire text of all the Republican pride proclamations read aloud – all of them! – which took no time at all. Literally. > A couple who’d flown up from Dallas to get married at the Central Park Reservoir hours earlier and bought seats for their wedding party. (The President proposed a toast to their happiness.) > A 14-year-old from North Carolina who’d been on the brink of taking his own life, so despised had religious bigots made him feel, until he read Crisis. And here he and his mom got to see a room full of 500 mostly happy, mostly successful, mostly LGBT people and hear that speech. > Contributors and attendees like Robbie Kaplan and Edie Windsor, who introduced the President . . . and Media Matters’ David Brock, Country singer Chely Wright and her wife Lauren, and so many more. My semi-brother-in-law the Catholic priest! Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum! Gay Muslim filmmaker Parvez Sharma and his husband Dan! > Even Barbra Streisand showed up! Via Skype. In an – imagined – call to “Ugly Betty” star Michael Urie, who’s been channeling her in Buyer and Cellar these past 15 months, playing both in New York and now out on tour (yes: I’m an investor). As written for the occasion by the great Jonathan Tolins (who actually paid to come to the dinner as well). Michael plays both Barbra and himself. A snippet: BARBRA Is it on? Am I Skyping? MICHAEL Yes! Hello, Barbra! It’s so great to finally meet you! You look fantastic! BARBRA I’d better, I’ve been adjusting the lighting for four hours. I love Skype. It’s so much better than having to go anywhere and see people. I could be wearing anything below the waist. I could be doing the Superman album cover and you’d never know. (She LAUGHS.) So, you’re the actor who’s been me for the last year. It’s not so easy, is it? MICHAEL No, it’s a challenge. I’m just so glad to find out you’re not angry about the play. BARBRA Well, I’ve mellowed a bit, ever since Apple went back over 600. And then last week, it split, seven for the price of one! Whoever heard of something like that? It’s like the Osmonds. MICHAEL Yeah, it’s great. So, what made you decide to Skype me now? BARBRA I got the e-mail that said you’ll be at this LGBT… QRSTUV something-something dinner. I get so many e-mails from the DNC. Do they really think I’m going to give more just so I can meet James Taylor? And on it went from there. Michael and Jonathan (and Barbra) are amazing. I’m proud to say that OUR dinner co-chairs Tuesday night were gay AND lesbian AND trans . . . which is not the case at the annual Republican National Committee LGBT dinner. Oh wait – they’ve never HAD one. For as long as we’ve been fighting for equality, it’s Democrats who’ve been voting with us, Republicans who’ve been voting against. And lately, Republicans have been voting against everything else as well. Which is a nightmare, because as a nation — and a species — we have just a couple of decades to meet some enormous challenges. If we do, we’re on the cusp of astounding well-being; if we don’t, we’re at risk of hurtling off the rails. Success isn’t guaranteed no matter who’s in charge, but my money’s on the party that “believes in” science. And inclusion. And diplomacy. And shared responsibility. And constructive compromise. This is serious stuff, and THEIR only solution is to outlaw abortion and lower my taxes. Tuesday’s dinner helped fund the turn-out to hold the Senate, retake the House, flip red states blue, and pave the way for 2016. If you couldn’t make it: I’m supposed to charge you double! But I will waive that. Just click here to do the best you can. We need all hands on deck to win. Have a great weekend.