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White House Reception Recognizes LGBT Pride and Stonewall 40th

Forty years after the Stonewall riots sparked the gay rights movement, President Barack Obama hosts an historic reception for LGBT activists and their families to honor LGBT Pride and the 40th Stonewall anniversary. The speech, carried live on CNN and other networks, marks the first time a sitting president has given a live televised speech on LGBT issues.

The President, who has been criticized by many LGBT rights advocates for inaction on his many campaign promises, says his Administration has made some progress on behalf of gay Americans and will do more. Full remarks AFTER THE JUMP:

"I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," Mr. Obama said at a reception for LGBT Pride Month at the White House. "It's not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago."

"But I say this: We have made progress," the president continued. "And we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps."

Obama spoke about the "movement" created some 40 years ago: "The riots at Stonewall gave way to protests, and protests gave way to a movement, and the movement gave way to a transformation that continues to this day. It continues when a partner fights for her right to sit at the hospital bedside of a woman she loves; it continues when a teenager is called a name for being different and says, 'So what if I am?'; it continues in your work and in your activism, in your fight to freely live your lives to the fullest."

The list of attendees was forwarded by the White House Press Office to Rod 2.0. (Full list AFTER THE JUMP.) Invited guests included openly gay Administration officials such as Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and Asst. Labor Secretary Mary Beth Maxwell. Leading LGBT advocates such as Human Rights Campaign's Joe Solmonese, and Jarrett Barrios, the new president of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

There were a number of prominent black and Latino LGBTs that should be familiar to Rod 2.0 readers: Phil Wilson, Black AIDS Institute; HRC's Donna Payne; Andre Leon Talley; Connecticut State Rep. Jason Bartlett; Denise Simmons, Mayor of Cambridge, MA;  Cornelius Baker, National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition; San Diego City Commissioner Stampp Corbin; actor Wilson Cruz; Bishop Yvette Flunder, City of Refuge United Church of Christ;  Earl Fowlkes, International Federation of Black Prides; Lupe Valdez, Dallas County Sheriff; and black Chicago lesbian leaders Mary Morten and Vernita Gray, interviewed in my Advocate cover story on Obama and Hillary Clinton.

An historic occasion and we should be mindful of the progress being made and how much further we have to go. It was also a pleasure to hear Obama allude to the black Civil Rights Movement. The occasion would have been more meaningful if there were more substantive policy initiatives to announce. The guest list was pleasantly diverse ... but very Stonewall 1.5. Online LGBT activists are leading the fight for equality and none were represented. Very out of character with the Facebook, YouTube and BlackBerry-driven White House.

WHEN YOU JUMP, Obama's full remarks and the guest list.

Black LGBT Church Summit

Reason Number 10 why we'd rather be in Atlanta this weekend: It's the setting for a major discussion on lgbt rights among black faith leaders—not a small feat considering that the Bible Belt and the black church have not been known to be tolerant of the gays.

The Reverend Al Sharpton and the City of Refuge Ministries' Bishop Dr. Yvette Flunder are the main speakers in the two-and-a-half day event sponsored by the NBJC. Rev. Sharpton's speech was the keynote address this morning; he's been an outspoken proponent of trying to build bridges between the black church and gays. Bishop Flunder's ministry is associated with the United Church of Christ, which is tremendously supportive of lgbt. The weekend event is being hosted by ATL's historic First Iconium Baptist Church. Keith Boykin is at the conference and is filing reports between sessions, such as an in-depth analysis of the Sharpton speech and discussion points.

On a personal note, it should be fairly obvious that we regularly attend church services—the reconciling congregation of the United Methodist Church, which is fairly activist on social justice and lgbt. Religious items are regularly posted here and few people comment, as opposed to exposing this or that homophobic reverend. That's okay, This summit is so important because many black lgbt are hurting from the past and are looking for healing. But what so many of us forget is that you can't have a dialogue with the church if you aren't involved. It's so easy to sit in the comfort of your home and fire off emails and comments on reverend such and such or pastor so-and-so. But if you really want to get involved and are so inclined, there are gay-friendly churches, congregations, rabbis and pastors; you just have to look for them. That's exactly why Rev. Sharpton and Bishop Flunder are leading the dialogue with the pastors.

One More Postscript: On Saturday morning there's been considerable coverage of the summit. Numerous major media outlets fielded reporters to Atlanta. This is brilliant.

Black Churches' Attitudes (NYT) Black Clergy Tackle Homophobia (LA Times) Sharpton Kicks Off Summit (Keith Boykin) Meeting of Minds (SF Chronicle) Black Gay Group Reaches Out (Advocate) Black Churches Seek Answers (Detroit News)