Presidential politics in Philly

On Thursday, Philadelphia played host to our nation’s leader — and to a man who many surmise aspires to be our nation’s next leader.

Both President Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were in Philly Nov. 14 for separate events; the president was attending a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser, while Christie headed across the Delaware to deliver the keynote address for Committee of Seventy’s fundraising breakfast.

Their close proximity — without paths crossing — is illustrative of the different roads the two have taken on a slew of issues, namely LGBT-rights topics.

Obama has become the nation’s most LGBT-friendly president in history. Legislative victories include his signing of the repeal of the ban on openly gay servicemembers and the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal hate-crimes law. He ordered the federal government to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees and mandated hospital visitation rights for same-sex partners at federally funded facilities. And his administration has hosted an unprecedented number of LGBT meetings and forums to engage with the community.

While Christie’s iconic photo with the president during the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy seems to show the pair on the same track — and is predicted to have won the Republican governor some favor with Democrats — Christie’s record on LGBT rights has taken a distinctly different path.

During his first four years, Christie was the primary roadblock to marriage equality in New Jersey. In February 2012, he vetoed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in the state, saying instead the civil-rights issue should be put to a public vote. When the Supreme Court in June overturned a key provision of the federal ban on same-sex marriage, Christie said the top court made a “bad decision.”

While the governor did sanction some progress for LGBT rights, such as his signing of legislation that bans conversion therapy for minors, his missteps in other areas detract from the meaning of those victories. For instance, while he has opined that gay people are “born that way,” he went on to say that, even if one of his children were to come out to him, he would not believe that they were deserving of marrying their same-sex partner.

Christie has walked a fine line on LGBT rights. While some of his actions have reflected a willingness to support the rights of the community, other motions, and statements, suggest that backing to be disingenuous.

With the record number of LGBT firsts Obama accomplished as president, having a leader in the White House with any less of a commitment to LGBT equality would be a major setback for the community and the country. The 2016 election will be here before we know it — here’s to hoping we can keep marching forward with a leader we know is committed to our cause.

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