Obama making gay rights his, Democrats’ legacy
(Worthy News)– With actions as sweeping as new workplace rules for gays and as symbolic as a gender-neutral bathroom in the White House, President Obama is stepping up his efforts in the sexual-orientation culture wars and trying to burnish his legacy as a champion of gay rights, the Washington Times reported.
Activists in both parties say Mr. Obama’s renewed push for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality could have implications for the 2016 election, because his actions will be difficult for the next president to reverse, and because he is solidifying the Democratic Party’s already-strong ties to a part of its base that votes enthusiastically and raises campaign money prodigiously.
“Clearly, the president and his team are banking on milking the waning hours of the culture war,” said Greg McNeilly, a Republican strategist in Michigan who is gay. “It’s working for them now, and they’re trying to maximize that effect. I do see him accelerating his efforts.”
Since his first days in office, Mr. Obama has presented himself as a friend of the LGBT community, appointing more gays to judgeships, ambassadorial posts and other top government jobs while ending the military’s ban on open homosexuals. –[wp_colorbox_media url=”http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/12/obama-making-gay-rights-his-legacy/” type=”iframe” hyperlink=”Source”]