Breakfast w/Greg: Awaiting President Barack Obama’s speech to the Human Rights Campaign tonight

Good morning everyone!

I don’t usually serve you breakfast on the weekend but this isn’t just any weekend. Tomorrow is Coming Out Day and the National Equality March in Washington DC. Tonight, President Barack Obama, a day after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, will be the keynote speaker at the Human Rights Campaign dinner.

I’m a little dubious about the Nobel Peace Prize but hey, if it leads to good things then great. But I do like that Mr. Obama is speaking to an LGBT audience so soon after his win. Not sure if it will make much difference in his content but the spotlight will certainly be burning a little brighter.

The speech will aire live on C-Span beginning at 4:55 PST. Click HERE for more info.

The blogosphere is buzzing about what the president will day. Let’s hope it’s something meaningful with some teeth because, let’s face it, for a man who so heavily courted the LGBT vote, the president has done virtually nothing substantial for LGBT equality since taking office.

A lot of people don’t understand why the LGBT community is being so hard on Obama as he deals with health care reform, Afghānistān and those pesky Republicans. John Aravosis, editor of Americablog.com states it well in this Huffington Post column:

…It’s 2009. Gay and lesbian Americans are no longer a closeted, self-loathing diaspora satisfied with the occasional crumb of respectability carelessly thrown our way in exchange for our knee-jerk vote for one political party. We’ve moved beyond the Pride Proclamation equivalent of National Ice Cream Day.

We want to be able to hold a job without fear of being fired. We want to be able to marry the loves of our lives. We want to be treated like human beings rather than political pariahs. And our President promised to help us on all of these fronts, by repealing DADT and DOMA, and pushing ENDA. But now, we’re to believe it’s crazy talk to simply expect our President to keep his promises. The President has a lot on his plate, we’re being told, what with health care reform and all those wars. No time to free the gays. Come back next election when running the country becomes easier.

But it’s never going to be easier.

In his weekly message to HRC members, Joe is encouraging patience: