Obama’s Gay Play

There’s always a political calculus to be made when a White House considers a request for the president to speak to a group. Some are seen as safe bets for any politician—the AARP, just about any veterans’ group—while others are political arsenic (for Democrats, the National Rifle Association; for Republicans, the American Federation of Teachers).

So what to make of the Obama White House’s decision to let the president be the keynote speaker for the largest gay-and-lesbian civil-rights organization, the Human Rights Campaign? From a historical standpoint, Obama’s not the first sitting president to speak to the group—Bill Clinton did it in 1997. But Obama would be the first president to make such a potentially risky move in his first term, and his presence practically invites social conservatives to use the speech against him during next year’s Congressional elections and Obama’s own reelection campaign in 2012.

Obama will speak to the HRC dinner this Saturday, the night before a political march on the Capitol on behalf of efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. Various gay groups and bloggers have been highly critical of Obama for not doing more since he took office on the marriage issue (Obama has always opposed same-sex marriage, though he says he supports the concept of civil unions) and for not following through on campaign promises to end the ban on gays and lesbians in the military.

The safest move Obama can make is to argue the case for Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The measure, which has been introduced in every Congress but one since 1994, would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for employers with more than 15 employees. Religious groups would be exempt.

With Democrats controlling both houses of Congress and a Democrat in the White House, this is likely the gay lobby’s best shot at a win. Public opinion continues to shift in this regard as a survey released today finds that more Americans say sexual orientation shouldn’t be a factor in someone’s employment (although in another study, a slight majority of LGBT workers said they hide their sexuality at work). And compared with such volatile issues as gays in the military or same-sex marriage, legislation calling for equal rights in the workplace seems almost quaint.

Just don’t discount the fervor and vitriol that antigay groups can and will hurl at Obama (not to mention the animosity of gays and lesbians who may feel he’s not going far enough). With Obama’s strong public backing, getting ENDA through this Congress seems a safe bet, but not necessarily an easy one.