Gays Shut Out of Obama's Cabinet - An Advocate Exclusive

I am showing my age and my background under ONE, Inc. people, who as the record shows did not get involved in politics (we could have as, until ISHR we were not tax-exempt) because we knew that no matter who was elected, they would only be there for a few years and when they left we would have to start educating the next people to get elected. Some of the communityneed to work in this field. Others work in the legal field, winning lawsuits and trying to change the laws, which are permanent.

Now, who are these "gays" we wanted to be apponted, as token gays? Who that has been appointed is less qualified than what gay? Do we need affirmative action? The courts are stopping such laws. I don't know who all these poeple are and while I recognize that I can't know everyone or every website or read every book, etc, I know of NO ONE in our community that I would want to have in the cabinet. Do we want Obama to appoint the leaders who lost on Prop 8? I sure want Barney Frank and the other few elected people from our community wherethey are-not many people are more powerful than he is.

Today Americans, a slight majority, have shown that they will vote for a woman, a inter-racial person—even make him president, and in a few cases a openly homosexual person. I see no reason to tell anyone else they can't be appointed because the cabinet or whatever has to have a token gay.

And what poll says he was elected by a gay vote, or even a black vote. Obama won because he got a few more votes than McCain from every ethnic and age and poliical group. He owes no one group any control over his decisions. AND, we don't want any special favors. We want him to make our nation better, for everyone. And that would mean appointing the best qualified people he knows of. And i sure didn't appoint HRC or the Task Force or any "gay" group or person tospeak for me. We can't even get our community to work together on issues, since some oppose others-rodeo fans against PETA fans, atheists against religious people, old against young, female against male, transvestites against transsexuals, etc.

I go against Don Slater's warning and close with a seemingly unrelated thought. I doubt Dr.King would have been any more influential if he had been elected to some office. And I propose that each day Al Gore and Kerry and all Democrats thank their god that they lost. Can you honstly deny that had they been the ones who created this total mess, war, economy, civil liberties problems, etc, that Democrats would have been attacked so viciously by the right-wingers, we would have been out of power for 50 years. The question of their integrity is why they have not attacked the Bush/Republicans.