Barack Obama (by Rex Wockner)

You could fill 10 pages of this newspaper with stories and essays on how upset the gays have gotten with Barack Obama.

Where to start? What has he done that's good? He issued a nice proclamation for pride month and he extended a few spousal benefits to federal employees' same-sex partners—sick leave and long-term care insurance, for example, but not health coverage, which he said June 17 is not within his power. That's the good news—all of it.

What hasn't he done? Anything about Don't Ask, Don't Tell, anything about the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), anything about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. He's done nothing about any of the stuff he promised the gays before they rushed to the polls en masse last November to make sure he won that election.

And, then, Mr. Obama's Justice Department filed a brief June 11 in a federal same-sex marriage case that used nearly every nasty homophobic argument in the book to argue against letting gays get married. That was the straw that broke the camel's back and unleashed a flood of harsh criticism from gay VIPs.

"I hold this administration to a higher standard than this brief," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese wrote to Obama. "In the course of your campaign, I became convinced—and I still want to believe—that you do, too. ... (T)his brief should not be good enough for you. The question is, Mr. President—do you believe that it's good enough for us? If we are your equals, if you recognize that our families live the same, love the same, and contribute as much as yours, then the answer must be no."

Mike Signorile (by Rex Wockner)

Sirius radio host Michelangelo Signorile wrote on his Facebook page: "Obama defending DOMA, throwing in the kitchen sink—every antigay argument we've seen for decades—which was not necessary even if they needed to file a brief. It's a horrific and hideous attack on LGBT Americans."

National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell on her Facebook page: "The filing by the Obama administration defending DOMA is shocking and unsettling. Clearly, our self-described 'fierce advocate' needs significant additional pushing and pressure from all of us."

John Aravosis (by Rex Wockner)

Popular blogger John Aravosis: "A Democratic president of the United States of America, in the year 2009, and an African-American child of inter-racial parents no less, gave his lawyers the go ahead to compare our marriages to incest on the same day that 42 years ago the Supreme Court ruled in his parents' favor in Loving v. Virginia. ... We demand our rights, and we expect this president, who promised them in exchange for millions of our votes and millions of our donations, to deliver. And so help me God, we will continue to hold this president accountable for his broken promises and his betrayals."

Jon Davidson (file photo)

Lambda Legal's Legal Director Jon Davidson: "What they need to be asked is why they gratuitously went out of their way to make the outrageous arguments they unnecessarily included such as that DOMA does not discriminate based on sexual orientation or that the right at issue is not marriage but an unestablished right to 'same-sex marriage' or that DOMA is somehow justified in order to protect taxpayers who don't want their tax dollars used to support lesbian and gay couples (while it's apparently fine to make lesbians and gay men pay the same taxes but be denied the benefits provided heterosexual couples). ... I am seething mad."

Top Clinton aide Richard Socarides: "It had such a buckshot approach to it, a veritable kitchen sink of anti-gay legal theories, that it seemed expressly designed to inflict maximal damage to our rights. Instead of making nuanced arguments which took into account the president's oft-stated support for repealing DOMA—a law he has called 'abhorrent'—the brief seemed to embrace DOMA and all its horrific consequences."

Geoff Kors (by Rex Wockner)

Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors: "We ... call on President Obama to order the Justice Department to file a supplemental brief reversing its position and instead urging the repeal of DOMA."

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey: "The malicious and outrageous arguments and language used in the Department of Justice's marriage brief is only serving to inflame and malign the humanity of same-sex couples and our families."

Dan Savage (by Rex Wockner)

Gay writer Dan Savage: "If this shit is 'fierce advocacy,' Mr. President, we'll take benign neglect."

CBS News: "The anger from gay rights advocates toward President Obama is starting to boil over."

The Wall Street Journal called Solmonese's letter to Obama "scathing."

The New York Times editorialized: "The Obama administration, which came to office promising to protect gay rights but so far has not done much, actually struck a blow for the other side last week. ... If the administration does feel compelled to defend (DOMA), it should do so in a less hurtful way. ... There was no need to resort to specious arguments and inflammatory language to impugn same-sex marriage as an institution."

Plans apparently are shaping up for a gay March on Washington in October, spearheaded, it appears, by veteran activist Cleve Jones, the man who created the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

"The President is in serious danger of motivating a huge mass of gay people to stream into Washington for the simple joy of standing in front of the White House and giving him a piece of their minds," wrote syndicated gay columnist Wayne Besen.

Wayne Besen (by Rex Wockner)

"For what seemed like forever, Democrats told us that when the big bad Republicans went away, our lives would improve," Besen said. "Well, the Republican nightmare is over, so why do I still feel like I'm in the middle of a political Friday the 13th movie? ... As far as I'm concerned, if the donkeys can't deliver now, they can kiss my ass."

On June 17, when Obama "delivered" to federal employees a smattering of spousal benefits, via issuance of a "memorandum," he did again denounce DOMA.

"I think we all have to acknowledge this is only one step," the president said. "Among the steps we have not yet taken is to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. I believe it's discriminatory, I think it interferes with states' rights, and we will work with Congress to overturn it. We've got more work to do to ensure that government treats all its citizens equally, to fight injustice and intolerance in all its forms, and to bring about that more perfect union. I'm committed to these efforts, and I pledge to work tirelessly on behalf of these issues in the months and years to come."

Obama also expressed support for the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act.

"Under current law, we cannot provide same-sex couples with the full range of benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples," he said. "That's why I'm proud to announce my support for the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act, crucial legislation that will guarantee these rights for all federal employees. I want to thank Rep. Tammy Baldwin, who is behind me somewhere—there she is, right there—for her tireless leadership on this bill and in the broader struggle for equality. I want to thank Sen. Joe Lieberman—Joe is here—as well as Susan Collins for championing this bill in the Senate, and Rep. Barney Frank for his leadership on this and so many other issues."

Sounds good, but gay activists weren't impressed. They want action.

Joe Solmonese (file photo)

"We commend President Obama and his administration for taking this beginning step to level the playing field but we look forward to working with him to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, overturn 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and guarantee the entire American workforce is free from discrimination," said HRC's Solmonese.

The Associated Press said, "His (Obama's) critics—and there were many—saw Wednesday's incremental move to expand gay rights as little more than pandering to a reliably Democratic voting bloc."

Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart: "While ending any of the discrimination against gay and lesbian federal employees is a welcome step, today's ... announcement falls far short of our hopes and expectations. President Obama clearly understands how important it is for people to have health insurance coverage to protect their loved ones and this plan does not provide that. Lambda Legal is representing Karen Golinskii, a federal employee who works for the judicial branch and who is seeking health insurance coverage for her same-sex spouse. A federal judge has already issued an administrative decision in that matter, concluding that, within the existing rules, the federal government can choose to provide health insurance for same-sex partners. We think they should. ... The day is long past for incomplete, piecemeal fixes that leave hard-working families uninsured and struggling."

People For the American Way President Michael B. Keegan: "Today's presidential memorandum is a very small step in the right direction, but it's a token, and tokens are no longer enough. DOMA stands in the way of real progress for same-sex couples now denied federal recognition and protection, and its repeal is long overdue. President Obama has a unique ability to provide the moral leadership to ensure that all Americans are treated equally under the law, but so far he has failed to exercise it. We urge the president to live up to his own rhetoric about being a 'fierce advocate' for gay and lesbian Americans. Taking action on his pledge to repeal DOMA would be worthy of the vision that he held out to Americans during his campaign."

NGLTF's Carey: "This presidential memorandum today will extend some selected protections to the same-sex partners and families of federal employees. ... This memo is one building block toward full equality, and much more remains to be done in order for the administration to live up to the promises of equality the president made as a candidate on the campaign trail. ... We also call on the president to take additional steps that will have a positive impact on our health, our livelihoods and our families' safety that do not require legislative action. These include reversing the standing policy of the U.S. Census Bureau to manually un-marry any same-sex couple who lawfully states they are married on the 2010 census [the AP reported June 19 that this is now a done deal], extending employment protections to federal employees based on gender identity, and reversing the regulations that continue to throw roadblocks in the way of HIV-positive individuals who want to travel to this country."

Kate Kendell (by Rex Wockner)

NCLR's Kendell: "The policy announced today by the president committing to a federal workplace free from discrimination is a step in the right direction but inadequate and long overdue. It leaves out millions of Americans who do not work for the federal government and fails to include key benefits including health insurance. When running for office, then candidate Obama called equality for LGBT people a 'moral imperative.' We will continue to demand this administration live up to the president's promise of achieving 'full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country.'"

The language is strong and the front is unified. The White House clearly is listening, but when will our "fierce advocate" act?

Jared Polis (by Rex Wockner)

Writing on his house.gov Web site June 16, gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., said: "I am a proud Democrat, as are many in the LGBT community, and I believe we must hold our leaders accountable. The Obama Administration made a HUGE mistake in the DOMA brief. If they keep making mistakes like this, they risk losing the support of the GLBT community forever, although I do not believe we are at that point yet. President Obama needs to honor his promise to repeal this ... hateful and divisive law. As the New York Times editorialized yesterday, 'busy calendars and political expediency are no excuse for making one group of Americans wait any longer for equal rights.'"