David Hauslaib Talks To CNN.com About President Obama & Equal Rights
Give 'em hell, Davy
October 12th, 2009
My boo David Hauslaib (who edits the gay interest site Queerty) was invited to the CNN bureau here in NYC earlier today to be interviewed about President Barack Obama’s commitment (or lack thereof) to GLBT issues here in the US and his appearance has been posted on CNN.com. Watch the video below to hear David (and Huffington Post writer Jose Antonio Vargas) discuss the matter with CNN correspondent Reggie Aqui:
While I don’t always agree with David on all matters, there is no denying that he is absolutely well-spoken and quite knowledgeable on these matters. GLBT issues are at the forefront of water-cooler discussions right now and it is my hope that all of this attention will work towards advancing equal rights for all citizens in this country. It cannot always happen overnight but a hearty and educated on-going discussion of the issues can go a long way to affecting change. I’m glad that CNN had the foresight to invite David to speak on this matter today because they’d be hard-pressed to find someone to better speak on these issues. He did a great job, didn’t he?
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Tags: CNN.com, David Hauslaib
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October 12th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
“I respect his viewpoint, but frankly I think it’s ridiculous.”
haha I <3 your boo Trent!
October 12th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Im not against gay rights or whatever but damn there are a MILLION more important things going on in the world right now!!! if obama was 100% comminted to gay right issues id be concerned like wtf are you doing? people are loosing their homes and living in their cars without any health insurance or i dont know we r in a WAR. or the fact that there are hundred of nuclear weapons around teh world right now (starting with the usa) that needs to be disarmed for the safety of all mankind…i mean there are bigger priorities. give obama a break! what would you rather have mccain/palin running this?? be grateful!
October 12th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
@sam — Guess what, there are gay people losing their homes, have no health care for their partners and are fighting in that WAR you’re talking about. The issues you say are “more important” affect gay people too … but gays who are routinely discriminated against BY THE GOVERNMENT are at more of a disadvantage of those “more imporatant” issues. Of course none of us would prefer a McCain presidency, but we do have to hold the president we elected to the promises he made to us.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
yeah i see your point thats why im not against gay rights…. its just not a top priority. its just not. obama has been president for less than a year. all im saying is give the guy a break. there ARE more important things.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Sam, while I agree that there are certainly many pressing issues facing the president right now, I don’t understand how you can say that full equality for all people should be less of a priority. It is the foundation that our country was built on!
People are losing their homes and their jobs and are denied health insurance EVERY day for numerous reasons. In this country, many states will allow GLBT to lose their jobs and homes strictly because of their sexual orientation. Many partners of GLBT workers are denied insurance because of these laws.
We are in a war…you are absolutely correct. Because of the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, we are weakening our military by allowing fully qualified and crucial gay and lesbian service-members to be discharged strictly because of their sexual orientation.
So…while you are correct in asserting that there are numerous other issues for the president to focus on, GLBT equality is INTRINSICALLY TIED into each of those. The time is NOW.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Trent, sorry for being redundant. You hadn’t replied yet when I began typing mine. LOL!
October 12th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I think that it needs to be recognized that the President can only sign into law what the Congress puts in front of him. I think it is very important to keep his feet to the fire, but ultimately, Congress needs to write the legislation to end the widespread discrimination that the GLBT community faces. The most important thing, IMO, is the lack of marriage rights that deny the community the protections that federal marriage laws provide them to protect their family and their property. I think that DADT needs to be repealed, and we should look to Afghanistan for how to make that work. The UK has allowed GLBT soliders in their ranks since 2000 (I think), with few problems. Those soliders are currently fighting along side our military in Afghanistan.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
All these issues yall are talking about affect everyone it doesn’t matter who you are or what you believe. Obama should be taking all of these issues with as much importance as the next. Gay people deserve the same rights as everyone else in this country. It’s not right for us to discriminate against people who don’t believe the same thing as us. Didn’t our government learn anything from discriminating against people of color and Asian Americans in WWII? While I support for gay people to have the same rights and healthcare benefits as straight people I live in a very red state that I fear will be one of the last ones to approve any kind of law to allow this to happen. And on a last note, I think David did a great job on CNN and knows what he is talking about!
October 12th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I think he did a great job! I think President Obama should be held accountable for his lack of speaking out on this issue. To me he just made promises to the gay community to get elected and now could really careless. He is doing exactly what McCain would have done–NOTHING!! Keep all this attention coming, that is what it takes to make change! Good job!!
October 12th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
He certainly knows his stuff eh. Well spoken David. I hope you achieve what you should have.
October 12th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Great job David!
October 12th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Mr. G, I disagree strongly that Obama is doing the same thing for the community that McCain would. The community will be FAR better off after this administration. He might not be doing it as quickly as we all would like, but I have a lot of confidence that progress WILL be made. He extended benefits to the same sex partners of Federal employees, and that would never have happened if McCain was president. I think the most important thing people who support the community can do is pressure Senators to create and support the legislation that will reverse the Defense of Marriage Act. Obama can do all that he wants, but if a majority of Congress doesn’t support change to these laws, what the President wants doesn’t matter.
October 12th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Did you delete my comment, Trent?
October 12th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
David was extremely well-spoken and handled some tricky questions with complete ease. I think there will always be issues that seem to some people to carry greater importance than others (as evidenced by the number of gay rights issues alone that must be addressed and the different order in which each supporter would list those issues), but the fact of the matter is that the government is tasked with multitasking. Each of us brings a different issue to the table as our number one priority and the government must have the capacity to handle many of those “top priorities” simultaneously. None of us can expect results overnight, but issue activists like David and Trent and rallies like the NEM keep up the momentum. They also remind Obama and the rest of Congress to keep pushing forward on these critical civil rights issues, even as they pay crucial attention to bombs falling elsewhere in the world or the plight of uninsured Americans.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
I’m not going to comment on the LGBT issue (trent and bradley have that covered) but I’d like to mention to the people who say that there are ‘more important things’ and to ‘leave the president alone’ that it is SO SO important to continue to critizise and comment on the prez and what he is doing. The ability for everyone to speak their mind and to be allowed to critizise the government is what keeps democracy alive.
Also, In the end, I (and many others, I am sure) am still an Obama supporter, but I don’t necesarily agree with everything he does. We keep him on his toes and keep the issues relevant.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
David did an AMAZING job!!! Very happy to have him be a VOICE for the GLBT community.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Well said Krissy and Christine!
October 12th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Promises, promises, promises.
I still don’t like Obama and I’m so tired of hearing about yet ANOTHER failed promise.
David did a great job! I was proud (:
October 12th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
David did an excellent job, particularly once he started talking about health care and its connection to gay rights (somewhere around 9 minutes). Well done.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
David did a fantastic job. It’s people like you and David who make real change happen by stepping up and drawing attention to an issue. I agree with everything he said and I think he made a really great point about how gays are uniquely affected by all of the major issues. I also liked when David pointed out that Obama is not the enemy, but he’s not a fierce advocate either. It’s clear to me that the NEM was meant as a call to action. I think someone needed to step up and say, “Hey, we need to take care of this now. Enough’s enough.” I think it’s great that you guys participated in the march and that you’ve been bringing so much attention to the issue on your blog. You could just sit at your desk and complain about the issue, but instead you guys are actually doing something about it and bringing some much needed attention to the issue, and I really respect you for that.
Chivonne – I don’t recall Obama promising to take care of this issue within a certain time frame. He has (at least) 4 years in office. He hasn’t delivered YET, but it’s way too early to be talking about failed promises. I was never under the illusion that he was going to accomplish a lot quickly, but that’s because I’m familiar with how the government works. It’s a democracy, not a dictatorship. I think it’s a little funny when people criticize Obama for not doing enough yet because a lot of those people would be criticizing him if he had managed to get a lot of what he wanted done already. I’m not saying you’re one of those people – and I hope you’re not. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with voicing your opinion that he needs to be getting more things done, if that’s what you were doing.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Kim – He never did set a time frame. I never said he did. I guess what I was pointing out is that it seems he promised so many things and yet when it comes to facing up to them he doesn’t quite get there. I’m tired of hearing people complain that he hasn’t done what he said he would. I highly doubt “a lot” of people would complain about him accomplishing anything. We’d all be a bit further along wouldn’t we? And yes I do feel he needs to get more done. There a few problems right now that should be taken care of.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Chivonne – I was referring to the extreme right-wing critics who seem to criticize him no matter what he does. They’d certainly complain if he gave gays equal rights or passed health care reform. Thanks for explaining your point further. I agree, I was hoping to see more done by now, but I’m remaining hopeful we’ll start seeing real change soon. I know that’s more of an optimistic viewpoint right now than a realistic one, though, and I guess saying he will actually follow through isn’t that different from you saying he won’t. They’re just different sides of the same coin, if that makes sense.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
While I am not myself gay, I do have family, friends and co workers that are. It is sad not that they don’t have the same rights that the rest of us take for granted. David did a great job and it will be people like him who speak loudly long enough, that someday all people will be treated equal. Obama does have a lot on his plate, but being an African American he should know the importance of equal rights. I still think we have a better shot at it with Obama than we would have with Mccain.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Davis is well spoken. I know he is passionate about gay rights but he does not get emotional about it- very professional.
Congrats and I hope things really do change.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
wow, GREAT job David! He was basically every reporters dream….well informed, extremely well spoken, and passionate without being obnoxious about it (think of all the crazy yelling that ends up happening when you’ve got multiple people discussing such a hot button issue). I’ve always thought he was so adoreable and likeable in all your pics, and this just made me love him even more. Congratulations on a great interview and getting your face out there on this issue David! I’m sure this will lead to more press reaching out to you.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Aw, David was so eloquent, and he’s such a cutie. I really love you guys together, Trent!
October 12th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
David has a great way about him. You should be proud to be with someone that is so well-spoken and intelligent. And, not that I should be giving this any attention, but i’m guessing that sam isn’t gay, or he wouldn’t be so quick to say that civil rights and health care are more important issues to non-gay americans than to gay ones. it’s that kind of “obama’s too busy” mentality that allows leaders to get away with not keeping their word. If he’s got time to accept a Peace Prize he didn’t deserve and run around trying to get the Olympics in Chicago, he’s got the time to recognize and stand up for the rights of all AMERICANS.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Thank you for posting David’s appearance on CNN.
I like when you share what he is up to.
He did an outstanding job
Informed and well spoken.
Hold Barry to his commitment and get legislation passed that sets basic rights and then go from there.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
He was great! I disagree about the Nobel Peace Prize comment. I think Obama has done much more than just not be George W. Bush. But I do think we have to keep pushing him and the Congress. It is We the People who make change happen, and I say this as a huge Obama supporter. I have faith that things will change, but not if we don’t demand it. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell thing is probably the MOST ridiculous and awful thing right now. I really don’t understand how that can’t be a top priority. Our armed forces are struggling, and yet we discharge competent military personnel because they’re gay!!?? Insane.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Hahaha, he did a great job.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Well said David H. – the time for defferment is over, each action represents a larger picture. I pray for equality for all.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Your boo is so cute! And very well spoken! LGBT needs equality NOW and although I am not directly apart of the LGBT community, I am a VERY strong supporter and will fight alongside my LGBT friends till we get what we need!
October 13th, 2009 at 12:04 am
David did an awesome job. :) EQUALITY NOW!!
October 13th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Jose & David did an amazing JOB….I stand by David talking points. FULL EQUALITY UNDER THE FEDERAL LAW.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Wow! David did great! glad he is on my side! :)
October 13th, 2009 at 7:21 am
I have a hard time understanding the issues of gay rights…I’m black, and although it is saíd that blacks have the same equal rights as others, it’s certainly not true! When feeling out an application I’ve never seen are you straight or gay posed as a question? You see nobody chooses to be blk or white, being gay is a lifestyle. I agree wíth some of the other posters, gay rights are not priority issues. Yes the demise of america’s economy is affecting everyone, it’s not limited to a color or sexual orientation, so why try to throw in gays are “loosing their homes too”….
October 13th, 2009 at 7:30 am
@1nurse99 — As a black citizen you should be well aware that separate does not mean equal. When Martin Luther King, Jr. and others marched on Washington in the 60’s it could be argued that there were “other more important issues” at the time but the citizenry were fed up with the mistreatment of minorities in this country. The same thing is happening now. I’m sorry for you that you have a hard time understanding the struggle, especially since you admit that you feel your own struggle as a minority yourself.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Trent I’m aware that I live in a country that is just as seperate as it was 400 years ago! Dr king was a great leader, doesn’t mean that I agree with all of hís idealogies…I don’t see signs posted “saying no gays allowed” or gays been deprived of education, or gays hanging from trees or being harrassed by policeman on a daily basis. I can go on and on. When I look at you or david, I see men..no one knows anyones sexual pref or oríentation unless a person chooses to admitt what they prefer. Being blk, white,asian, hispanic is not a chose!! That can’t be compared to a lifestyle that ís chosen!! It just can’t! These are my opíons, I still love your site and respect your opions but I will never understand ‘gay rights’how about plain old human equalíty for all!
October 13th, 2009 at 8:36 am
@1nurse99 — Just because you don’t see “signs posted ’saying no gays allowed’ or gays been deprived of education, or gays hanging from trees or being harrassed by policeman on a daily basis” doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen every single day in this country. Hate crimes against gays continue to proliferate, especially in small and, yes, Southern towns were homophobia is a way of life. Your comment that being gay is “a lifestyle that is chosen” is incorrect … the fallacy that being gay is a choice continues to be used as an argument against equality for gays. I agree that there should be “plain old human equality for all” and that is exactly what we are fighting for. No one is asking for special rights, we just want equal treatment just like everyone else.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:36 am
@1nurse99 – I’ve never seen any sort of paperwork that requires you to disclose your race. And no, it won’t ask if you’re gay or straight – but it will ask if you’re single or married. Heterosexual couples are afforded all sorts of benefits by the government, but homosexual couples don’t get any. I don’t think anyone chooses to be gay. I don’t see how an elementary school kid could choose to be gay when doing so means they’ll be bullied to the point where they want to kill themselves. I don’t see how someone could choose a lifestyle where they’ll face constant discrimination. No, being gay is not an obvious physical trait, but the whole “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is tired. Being gay isn’t something you should have to hide. As for not seeing gays being harassed, watch the news. No one should be discriminated against or harassed because of who they love. And the point I think David was trying to make when he mentioned that gays are also affected by all the major issues is that they want to work with the government – not against it – but the government needs to work with gay people.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Trent we could can go on and on…continùe to fight for what is right, and posting fab gossip…differences of opion makes life grand, don’t you think, íf we all thought alike, life would be such a bore…btw I’m from a little old small coùntry town near Atlanta, I know first hand the evils of hate!
October 13th, 2009 at 8:55 am
@1nurse99 — Yes, differences of opinions do make life grand … I’m glad that we can have a spirited debate in a respectful way. Sendin’ love your way :) xo
October 13th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Good job David! I only wish I could’ve tagged team with him on this panel; lots of great talking points.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Congrats to your boo Trent – he did a great job! :)
October 13th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Your boo did great! He is a great speaker, and one to look up to!
Man, I wish we had gay marriage and rights, hopefully soon…
October 13th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
David is Awesome!! Loves him and totally see why you do as well Trent! Cute Couple!!
October 13th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I love you and your boo!! My brother works for Lamda Legal in New York and they need all the help they can get!! Word needs to keep getting out there about this issue and I thank you and David both for working so hard for equal rights!! Keep publishing information about the good fight!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 3:51 am
Go David! Adorable and articulate! Great job!!! Hugs to you both!!!