President Obama this week will expand the rights of gay workers by allowing them to take family and medical leave to care for sick or newborn children of same-sex partners, administration officials said Monday.
The policy will be set forth in a ruling to be issued Wednesday by the Labor Department’s wage-and-hour division, the officials said.
Under a 1993 law, people who work for a company with 50 or more employees generally are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn or for a spouse, son or daughter with “a serious health condition.”
Gays will get leave to care for partner’s sick child
8About the Author
Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
Great, but we’re still waiting for the end of DADT.
Gary, I understand your frustration, but, you DO realize that if he pushed for an instant (just) and perfect solution to DADT it would 1) probably not work…due to push back from the still very vocal minority that supports DADT (old people vote more than other people do…they are far, far less open minded than younger people as a rule, especially on GLBT issues, so congresspersons take that into account). This is….REAL. Have you ever had to take time to care for a sick parent? I have. And I know people who have had sick partners and NOT been able to because they feared for their jobs if the boss knew they were gay. This act by the Presdident bluntly says “your relationships are equal to those of heterosexuals”. It is HUGE it its implications. As the foaming at the mouths over this conservatives realize.
Would I like everything at once (marriage, no DADT, immigration, ENDA)? Oh Yeah! But, not being realistic just means we get less, or even nothing, if he loses in 2.5 years, or congress flips republican in half a year. I really think this administration is do things as fast as they can. look at how hard the conservatives fought on Hate Crimes! Which has really broad support across the spectrum.
I guess I am just saying that we should be CELEBRATING…not saying..”but, I wanted more! and I wanted it yesterday”. We do DESERVE it all…but, we all need to keep our perspective.
Our families just were included (rightfully so, belatedly) as being worthy of being treated with dignity, and class if one partner or loved one is hurt…and it acknowldeges us as the co fathers or co mothers of a sick child. This is not a “crumb”
Why is this site NOT filled with people who are..well..thrilled?
Thanks for the insight Gene. From what I’ve heard from the latest polls, it sounds like the morons in this country will give control of Congress back to the republicans and then absolutely NOTHING will get done. The repubs. only desire now is to see Obmama fail as much as possible no matter what it is. They only care about their pathetic party and political philosophy and not one jot for the American people (except for the very wealthy) and the middle class keeps handing the whip back to them so they can beat them down some more.
Obama, not Obmama—yo mama—haha.
Gene,
But this act does not cover partners. Read the story. It only covers kids of partners. Most of us do not have kids so it does nothing. I’ll admit I’m angry. I’m angry at a president who I supported even in the primaries because I believed him when he said he would be different. I believed when he said he would be a fierce advocate.
Now we have a watered down repeal of DADT that probably won’t be repealed for years because I’m sure Gates will see it will be a detriment to recruiting, retention etc. Obama has refused to do any of the heavy lifting when it comes to GLBT rights. To say he’s better than the alternative is like saying well at least this one hits me lighter than the last one. I am sick of our community being used for money with empty promises. I am considering for the first time voting third party. I am sick of being promised one thing and given another.
Is this president perfect? Hell no. But Tim W…really, throwing away your vote? Ever heard of Florida (and 8 years of Bush! GO Nader! eeek).
Go to the Baptist Press website and see THEIR list of Obama’s pro gay accomplishments, and how much they disapprove. If that does not change your mind, I don’t know what will. He is the best we got, and probably the best we will get for years. “But he is not PERFECT! I want MORE, and I want it NOW” is not the rallying cry of a future victor. It’s the complaint of an (understandably) angry man…who can’t see the glass as half full…and does not realize that not FULLY supporting the President and his party will result in a glass utterly Empty.
I am sorry you are hurting and angry. I am to. Why the hell do they get to vote on my life? Why can’t my friends serve openly NOW? I ask these questions to. BUT, I know that if we push to fast, and lost this congress and this President (who are voting as they do out of fear of the conservative and elderly voters…and they are out there) we lose ANY hope of future progress for years.
I dont like it either, and I respect the frustration you and Gary feel..but, Suck it up, and deal with reality. Pun intended. ;)
Please we are already losing Congress. We lost Congress in 2008 as you can see by not getting anything other than hate crimes legislation which had passed before in Congress but vetoed by Bush. The well he’s better than the alternative starts to sound like battered wfe syndrome. President Obama has shown no leadership whatsoever in the way of getting legislation. He has sat on the sidelines and jumped whined that it’s not his fault it’s Congress. Let me ask you this who is the majority party in Congress? It’s the Democrats. If there ever was a time to get things passed it was now. And the President being the de facto leader should have been twisting arms.
So here’s the scenario the Dems are going to take a beating in 2010. Then they are going to come whining to the GLBT community and say we want to pass these but the mean Republicans won’t let us. Please give us money and we promise well get to your issues in 2012. This is the classic definition of doing the same thing and expecting a different result. We were lied to once why should we buy it a second time. Maybe if the Democrats see that they can’t automatically count on our vote maybe we’ll see them make some progress.
Eclat verre…
Free advice on How to Fix Scratched Window Glass….