It is important to keep in mind the good things that President Obama is doing. In some cases, they are small steps, but they are small steps in the right direction. The New York Times carried the following article yesterday (here). Since it is very short I will reprint it in full.
New Benefits for Same-Sex Partners
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
President Obama on Wednesday extended a modest package of benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees, a move that will make them eligible for day care, travel and relocation allowances, employee assistance programs and, in some cases, enable them to inherit retirement benefits.
But Mr. Obama lamented that federal law – the Defense of Marriage Act – prevents him from extending the full range of health and retirement benefits to federal employees. He called on Congress to pass legislation that would allow him to do so.
The announcement, timed to coincide with Mr. Obama’s designation of June as Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Pride Month, builds on a memorandum he issued last June, when he directed federal agencies to study ways to deliver more benefits to domestic partners of their employees. Gay rights advocates said it was a meaningful, if incremental, step.
“There are big ticket items like health insurance and retirement that are outside the scope’’ of what the administration can do, said Brian Moulton, chief legislative counsel for the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group here. “So anything they do is going to be relatively minor, but anytime you are taking action to make sure that one of these employees is treated as well as the person in the next cubicle, that’s a positive step.’’
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
I was gladdened to hear this news as well. (Is gladdened even a word?)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad summer is here at last so I have more time to read "how are we doing today?"