Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Obama "Drops By" White House Meeting with LGBT Leaders

The Advocate reported Tuesday about a secret meeting at the White House with LGBT leaders and Obama's top adviser and sometime spokes-tool on LGBT issues, Valerie Jarrett. Word of the meeting was "leaked" to the press and there were few details afterward. Participants in the meeting are still keeping mum about the specifics. They were apparently instructed not to discuss the pending legal challenge to DADT launched by the Log Cabin Republicans, having been told that raising the subject would end the meeting. .

The Washington Post is reporting today that the meeting was a discussion about Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal and what could be done during the post-election lame duck congressional session. The post reports that the president stopped by the meeting.
The groups were at the White House to discuss a legislative repeal of the law with senior Obama administration officials. The president stopped by the meeting "to directly convey to the participants his personal commitment on this issue," a senior official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

President Obama is opposed to the ban on openly gay men and lesbians serving in the military, and he wants Congress to repeal the law through legislation.

Those invited to the White House were representatives of the Center for American Progress, the Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers United, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the University of California Santa Barbara's Palm Center, Third Way, Stonewall Democrats and the Log Cabin Republicans, according to meeting participants.

They met with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and other officials. Participants would not discuss details of the exchange.

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