One gay rights group after the next is lauding Barack Obama as the next Harriet Tubman, who will, against all odds, lead the LGBT community to the proverbial North, land of equality. But is it possible the LGBT community has put too much stock in Obama’s promises – promises made during the primary campaign and before his apparent shift to center? 

Obama inspires hope, I get it, but what we’re seeing here is more than just an expression of hope. It’s utter disillusionment with the political process.

Case in point: The Lesbian and Gay Band Alliance (LGBA), a San Francisco-based group, will act as the first ever gay contingent in an inaugural Presidential parade. Judy Ames, the inaugural committee’s co-chair, said of the application process: “We really weren’t sure we were going to get invited to march. When that call finally came, it was pretty overwhelming. We really have a place in history and we just can’t believe it.” Sure, “a place in history” as citizens who can’t marry in the majority of American states and can adopt in even fewer – but they’ll be damned if they can’t march in Obama’s inaugural parade. Thank the Lord for Obama’s clarity of mind and support for civil rights…

What kind of cheap ass concession is that compared to actually following through on the promise to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (which, by the way, was instituted in a Democratic administration) or support civil unions?

The choice of Obama’s transition team to select the LGBA isn’t a sign of support for the gay community or even an acknowledgement of their struggle for equal rights, it’s a shameful cop-out. Obama’s political capital will run out, sooner or later, and when that happens, he’ll have to actually do something, as opposed to giving rhetoric-filled speeches, for this community.