Professor Art Leonard Has A Question For Obama

Law professor Art Leonard is losing patience with Obama...

"Mr. President, you used to be a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago. Over the past few months, federal judges have ruled that a state ban on same-sex marriage violates the federal constitution, that a federal law forbidding recognition of same-sex marriages violates the constitution, and that a federal law mandating dismissal of any military service member who indicates by word or deed that she is lesbian or he is gay violates the federal constitution. In all of these cases, the judges found that government justifications for these discriminatory policies were insufficient to overcome the dictates of the federal constitution. Do you disagree, and why?"

It's past time to put him on the spot. When he was a state legislative candidate in the 1990s, he said he favored same-sex marriage. Now he has "evolved" away from that position. When he ran for president, he called DOMA and DADT discriminatory and said they should be repealed. Now his Justice Department is defending both of those statutes in court. He's spoken up for their repeal but there is a widespread perception that he is not really putting the political muscle of the White House behind either repeal effort. It's time to hold him to account. His election depended, among other things, on massive support from LGBT voters - in money, volunteerism, and votes. We are part of his constituency, and it's time to answer on the defining issues that face us.