The Evolution of Leadership: Hillary Clinton and DOMA

[RandySF]

In the past few days there has been a lot of talk about Hillary Clinton and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA was a 1996 piece of legislation designed to deny marriage equality to gay couples. President Bill Clinton opted to support DOMA early to take it out of play in advance of the 1996 election. At the time, I headed the largest LGBT advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, and was quite literally in the maelstrom of this painful battle.

How DOMA was handled by the Clinton Administration was wrong. It was constitutionally indefensible. It was also a time when so many Americans were still caught in a fog of misunderstanding about LGBT Americans and the issues that affect our lives. That made for foggy judgment.

In recent days, some have been trying to reconcile presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with the first lady Clinton, circa 1996, on this issue. Here is my take. Putting aside the fact that the decision on DOMA in 1996 was not Hillary's to make, the Hillary of 1996 is not the Presidential Candidate of today. She knows that DOMA was discriminatory and wrong. Her perspective and knowledge on LGBT issues has deepened extensively since those days.

Her views have now been shaped by 20 years of being a serious student of repressive anti-gay global policies around the world; an observer of the devastating effect of anti-gay policies, including DOMA, on friends and family here at home; and, a leader who has had plenty of time to reflect on ways to be very effective in tough political moments. Secretary Clinton has emerged as among the most important global voices on LGBT rights.

This is a Secretary of State that made a historic UN speech, stating simply: "Gay rights are Human rights." And, she implemented the most LGBT supportive human resources policies in the history of the government as both a Senator and Secretary of state. For all of her leadership, I am grateful.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-birch/the-evolution-of-leadership-hillary-clinton-doma_b_8394700.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

[riversedge]

1. I think it is a very good article. I read it earlier. At first

I did some cringing a few times. but it seems solid to me.

[ibegurpard]

2. And yet someone's trying to claim

That it was all done for our own good to prevent a constitutional amendment. Typical Clinton...put out a bunch of lies to see which one resonates the most and then run with that. The impressions of dishonesty are not without cause.

[Scootaloo]

3. For Hillary Clinton, History always begins yesterday

Her supporters will forgive her anything. Iraq War? who cares, it's just Arabs. Cluster bombs? Well, only bad people get hurt! 2013 argument that her bedrock, foundational beleif is that Marriage is defined as one man and one woman? Eh, who cares, those people have enough rights already anyway. Sticks her fingers in black activist's faces and dresses them down? It's cool. She can take black people for granted!

Thank god she didn't write a sexual satire back in 1972 though. THAT wpuld sink her!

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Tossed gays under the bus for political expediency.

Changed her position only after Obama cleared the way.

Fabulous!

[WillyT]

5. Um... Yeah...

How DOMA was handled by the Clinton Administration was wrong. It was constitutionally indefensible. It was also a time when so many Americans were still caught in a fog of misunderstanding about LGBT Americans and the issues that affect our lives. That made for foggy judgment.

From the OP.

[DURHAM D]

6. Well that is interesting.

Back in 1996 Elizabeth Birch explained to me personally why she agree with the decision to sign DOMA. It was a difficult period as we discussed and argued among ourselves and our LGBT leaders exhausted themselves on strategy and reality.

Elizabeth is reworking her own history and sadly this whole situation has kicked up a lot of old battles and exposed old fissures. One positive thing that came out of that battle was the inconvenient truth that our community could not deliver/change a single House or Senate vote and basically the WH advised us and we agreed that we had a lot of work to do to change hearts and minds. That has happened and I give Elizabeth credit for that.

Yes DOMA was constitutionally indefensible. The WH knew it, Elizabeth knew it and everyone else knew it. In fact, they were counting on that.

Everyone just needs to settle down and move on. It is a different day.