Bob Barr supports repeal of DOMA

Bob Barr authored the Defense of Marriage Act. Now he supports its repeal. And if you read closely between the lines, Barr appears to be saying that he has no problem with individual states deciding that they want to legalize marriage for gay couples. Very interesting. Initially, I was one who thought that Obama and the Congress should take it slow on gay issues for at least the first six months of the new administration, in order to avoid the Bill Clinton "gays in the military" problem (i.e., addressing gay issues right out of the box, getting slammed for it, and then having an aversion to addressing gay issues for the rest of the term). I no longer think we should wait. After the Rick Warren fiasco, and watching the pandering that's going on to woo Republicans (and to a lesser degree Latinos) - and no one else - it's not clear to me when, if ever, we'll see any movement on any legislation important to our community.

Think about it:

1. We'll be told that Obama and the new Congress can't touch gay issues in the first six months of this year because they have to be seen focusing on the economic crisis, rather than pandering to divisive "special interests."

2. It's possible we'll be permitted to focus on gay rights during the second half of 2009, but as Congress usually goes out of session by November, and they're on vacation in August, that gives us September and October - two months - to get anything done to advance the rights of gay and lesbian Americans.

3. Next year, 2010, will be a non-starter because that will be an election year - the entire House, and a third of the Senate, is up for election every two years. No one will want to touch gay rights in an election year - just wait a little while longer, we'll be told.

4. That brings us to year 3 of the Obama administration, 2011. Only problem? January of 2011 starts the presidential election season, which now begins two years before the election (Nov. 2012). So the last two years of Obama's administration we'll be told that they can't touch gay rights, lest it make them look too fringe and liberal.

5. Finally, there's 2012. That will be a presidential election year and a congressional election year. No way we're touching gay rights that year.

So, we really only have a window of September and October of this year, 2009, to advance the civil rights of gays and lesbians before someone convinces the Congress and Obama that our rights must be shelved for the greater good. Tick tock.