Twelve years ago this September, Bill Clinton broke my heart. Today, as I watch another Democrat courting LGBT voters as he runs for president, I can’t help but wonder if Barack Obama will do the same.
My heartbreak came on Sept. 21, 1996, when Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act. With that one action, the man who was supposed to be the first pro-LGBT president threw us under the bus.
Because of DOMA, same-sex couples married today in California and Massachusetts can’t claim federal benefits or see their marriages acknowledged in most other states. Should I even mention the Clinton administration’s “don’t ask, don’t tell“ debacle that continues to drive lesbians and gays out of the military?
Of course, that was a long time ago, in a different political climate. Today, even Hillary Clinton takes a far more positive stance on LGBT rights than her husband ever did.
