DADT, DOMA and Other Anti-Gay Laws Encourage Gay Suicides

For some time now I have been directly laying responsibility for homophobia and gay suicides at the feet of the Christianists and professional Christian set - i.e., Benedict XVI, Tony Perkins, Maggie Gallagher, etc. But there is another group equally guilty: legislators and public officials who either support anti-gay laws or lack the guts and spine to demand their repeal NOW. Obviously, this indictment includes the Liar-in-Chief who claims to oppose DADT and DOMA and yet has his Department of Justice doing everything to defend these discriminatory laws in court. That's right, Barack Obama by his failure to end these laws has blood on his hands just like the anti-gay Christian extremists. A piece on The Body does a great job "connecting the dots" and lays out the case for why this conclusion is accurate. Here are some highlights:
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[L]aws are the formal expression of society's value judgments. They can be seen as a kind of official statement of position on a particular subject. Criminal laws, for example, define acts that are so unacceptable society will punish their commission. So when a government, be it federal, state, or local, enacts a statute mandating discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, that government declares -- in the most solemn and official manner possible -- that LGBTs are an inferior caste.
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That's what DADT does when it declares that "[t]he presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability." (10 U.S.C. § 654(a)(15).) The same is true of DOMA . . . . Thirty-nine states have copied Congress and enacted their own prohibitions on same-sex marriage. Typically, voters have approved these bans by overwhelming margins after campaigns that have demonized gays and lesbians who want to marry as a threat to society.
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Studies show that statewide campaigns to ban same-sex marriage are harmful to the mental health of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. According to the American Psychological Association, anti-gay "legislative and initiative actions can also result in psychological distress for lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people. Immediate consequences include fear, sadness, alienation, anger, and an increase in internalized homophobia."
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Homophobic laws send a pair of dangerous and damaging messages to society at large. They tell LGBTs, including LGBT youth, that they are second class and less worthy than their straight peers. At the same time, they give the nod to bullies that it's okay to do violence to a group of people whom the law itself says are inferior. No one should be surprised, then, that violence against LGBT youth is the result, or that LGBT youth sink into despair and thoughts of suicide. When those entrusted with making laws enact statutes requiring discrimination against LBGTs, they help create and sustain an atmosphere of hatred and bigotry.
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If they [Obama, Secretary Clinton, and Speaker Pelosi] are serious about combating suicide among our community's youth, then they must devote themselves to the task of dismantling this country's appalling system of legal discrimination against LGBTs. And doing that will require them to do much more than make videos.
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Sadly, I expect nothing but more disingenuous words from the Liar-in-Chief. With each passing day I realize further that he is part of the problem and not part of the solution as so many LGBT Americans had hoped would be the case. In my opinion, he truly doesn't give a danmn about LGBT citizens - he only wants our votes and our money. Nothing more.