HRC Blog

Good afternoon, Last week, I talked to you about the changes in Washington—the aura of hope and anticipation, and the feeling of relief after eight years of dead ends on LGBT equality. This week, the transformation is ever more tangible. When Barack Obama takes office next week, he brings not just new faces and voices to the White House, but a profoundly new set of ideas and ideals. As you know, many of us met with the Obama transition team to outline our top priorities for the next four years. At the meeting, I called for the President-elect to support both a fully inclusive hate crimes and ENDA bill.  Watch the video of the meeting that the Obama team released this week. You can see the differences every time you turn on the news. This week, the U.S. Senate held confirmation hearings for allies of our community: Hillary Rodham Clinton, a longtime supporter of equality; Arne Duncan, who has a record of support for LGBT youth; Janet Napolitano, who has publicly called for an end to the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; Hilda Solis, a consistent ally who campaigned against California’s Prop 8; and Eric Holder, who supports needed and overdue federal hate crimes legislation. Finally, we’ll have leaders in key areas who believe in equal rights for LGBT Americans—not right-wing ideologues who misuse their public positions to invade private lives. Also this week, Obama selected John Berry to head the Office of Personnel Management, making him the highest-ranking openly gay official ever appointed. In his new role, Berry will make critical decisions regarding the implementation of fair workplace policies for millions of federal workers. We congratulate him on and look forward to his continued leadership for the LGBT community and the nation as a whole. We were also heartened to see The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson, the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire and member of HRC’s Religion Council, invited to deliver the invocation at the first official inaugural event this Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial. Bishop Robinson models what prayer should be—spiritual reflection put into action for justice. It is encouraging that the president-elect has chosen this spiritual hero for all Americans to lead the nation in prayer at this historic event in such a majestic setting. Have there been disappointments? Certainly, most notably over the selection of Pastor Rick Warren. Nonetheless, there is simply no question whatsoever that the inauguration of Barack Obama will lead to historic progress in our fight for full equality. The last few weeks have taught us that we can never allow ourselves to lose sight of our long-term goals—even when we have short-term disagreements with our allies. As we enter this new political era, let’s recommit ourselves to keeping our eyes on the ball. To be sure, this means calling our friends to task when they do wrong. But it also means working shoulder to shoulder with them to move equality forward. We are at that threshold. This historic inauguration is a moment to savor—a time to celebrate, and to reflect. And tomorrow?  We return to our Blueprint for Equality.  The work has just begun. Warmly,