The theme of President Obama’s Inaugural Address is a renewed call to the service of freedom through responsibility at home and abroad, a theme he himself uniquely embodies. “This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed,” he intoned, “why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”
While gays & lesbians have at times felt slighted during the transition, exemplified by the Rick Warren embroglio, it occurs that we have a key role in the vision Obama articulated. The new president need only walk a few blocks from the White House, to Dupont Circle, to witness just one example of that contribution. Gays and lesbians flocked to the area to celebrate the Inauguration together, just as they long ago settled the neighborhood to fill a critical role in the federal government’s workforce, which for decades has provided safe, reliable employment.
As we move about the world in 2009, it’s important to remember that whether at work or play our very presence as our authentic selves helps spread obama’s message. After all, there is a direct correlation between the treatment of gays and lesbians and liberty of the nations in which we reside and travel.
