In Brief: From Stonewall to White House in 40 years

Forty years after the Stonewall riots, our world has changed — but we still seek equality.. Lambda Legal was one of the first national organizations founded in the post-Stonewall years, at a time when most people — particularly professionals, like lawyers — believed that being out was a dangerous, career-killing move. In 1972, Bill Thom tried to found Lambda Legal, but the state of New York refused to grant nonprofit status to a group focused on "homosexual rights.” A five- judge panel from the state appellate division unanimously denied the application, saying there was "no demonstrated need" for Lambda Legal's work. The founders appealed to New York's highest court and after an 18-month struggle, won the right to incorporate. So Lambda Legal was effectively its own first client, before the organization was even able to exist.

Then, forty years after Stonewall — who would have predicted it? — President and Mrs. Obama hosted a reception in honor of its anniversary and invited over 300 LGBT activists and allies to the White House. Right now, there is a lot of frustration in the LGBT community with President Obama and his administration because of slow progress, a perceived lack of Presidential leadership on our issues, and a sense that the strong words of the campaign in support of LGBT civil rights have become more muted and measured since the inauguration. We are unhappy, too, about the continued enforcement of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” with more than 300 lesbian and gay servicemembers kicked out of the military during this administration; and we are angry about the offensive legal arguments made in the Smelt brief (a marriage case). All these factors have combined to create an almost perfect storm of frustration and distrust.

At the same time, most LGBT people and groups that I know of — from grass roots to organizations and their leadership — still have high hopes for this administration. Needless to say, the White House reception hit a complicated mix of feelings.

Unfortunately, what may have gotten lost in all of this is how big it was — how historic and important — to have the President of the United States host the first White House reception for Pride Month — and specifically as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

But saying "this is big" is not the same thing as saying "this is enough."

I went to the reception with some trepidation, wanting to believe that I would feel good about being there, that something would happen to break the malaise, and that I wouldn't be riding the train home that night grinding my teeth and regretting the trip. The good news was that the President gave what I'd call a campaign speech: strong, forceful, filled with promises of what was to come. He was using his bully pulpit the way he has for other issues, and the way I want to see him keep using it for LGBT people. But mixed in, unfortunately, were reiterations of his positions on Don't Ask, Don't Tell which guarantee a long haul before the policy is changed, and his support for a Congressional overturn of DOMA but not his support for marriage equality.

I was hoping he'd announce something new and concrete, something long overdue. That didn't happen. But the speech he gave, and the way he delivered it, gave hope for the future.

We — the LGBT community and all who care about our civil rights — have to keep the pressure on. We are competing with a lot of big issues for time and attention and unless we do our part of the politics, we won't get the progress we deserve. As was noted at the White House, it is the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. Our job, collectively, is to reinvigorate the movement. I can think of no better way to honor and celebrate all that has happened in the last few decades. Then we will see progress like we've never seen it before!

This edition of In Brief was excerpted from Kevin Cathcart’s interview with blogger Christopher de la Torre, as part of the online series, “40 years after Stonewall.”