The “Gay” President
Obama and Gay Marriage:
On an interview with Robin Roberts from ABC on May 9th, 2012, a historic event took place. In the interview, President Obama stated “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” This is monumental for the LGBT community. This is the first time in U.S. history that a U.S. president has publicly spoken out in favor of gay marriage.
Obama used the term that he has been “evolving” on gay marriage for quite some time. The following is a timeline from the Washington Post going through Obama’s past statements on the subject:
MARCH 7, 2004
●In answer to questions from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch when he was an Illinois state senator: “I support civil unions to guarantee basic rights to same-sex couples. I do not believe that federal recognition of same-sex marriage is practical because of strong political and religious resistance. I believe that this matter is best left to the states.”
SEPT. 25, 2004
●During a taping of WBBM-AM’s “At Issue”: “I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.”
APRIL 2, 2008
●From an MSNBC “Hardball with Chris Matthews” interview: “You know, I’m not in favor of gay marriage, but I’m in favor of a very strong civil union. Right now states, even where you’ve got civil unions, still aren’t getting the same benefits at the federal level. So the federal government just doesn’t recognize them. And that’s about 1,200 laws, rights and benefits that are not being given to same-sex couples. I think it’s very important that those laws apply equally.”
JAN. 28, 2010
●During a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa: “Look, as I said last night, my belief is, is that a basic principle in our Constitution is that if you’re obeying the law, if you’re following the rules, that you should be treated the same, regardless of who you are. I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples. So at the federal level, one of the things that we’re trying to do is to make sure that partnerships are recognized for purposes of benefits so that hospital visitation, for example, is something that is permitted, that Social Security benefits or pension benefits or others, that same-sex couples are recognized in all those circumstances.”
DEC. 22, 2010
●During a news conference in the White House: “Now, with respect to the issue of whether gays and lesbians should be able to get married, I’ve spoken about this recently. As I’ve said, you know, my feelings about this are constantly evolving. I struggle with this.
I have friends, I have people who work for me who are in powerful, strong, long-lasting gay or lesbian unions, and they are extraordinary people, and this is something that means a lot to them and they care deeply about.
At this point, what I’ve said is, is that my baseline is a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have. And I think — and I think that’s the right thing to do.
But I recognize that, from their perspective, it is not enough. And I think this is something that we’re going to continue to debate, and I personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward.”
MAY 9, 2012
●From an ABC News interview with Robin Roberts: “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”
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Publication: MSNBC.com Date: May 9th, 2012
Cartoonist: Daryl Cagle Location: U.S.
Title: Obama Evolves on Gay Marriage Number: 111462
In this cartoon, President Obama is shown eating wedding cake from a gay marriage. He says that he evolved, even though he was “eating their cake” already.
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Negative
This cartoon doesn’t really portray LGBT individuals in a negative sense, but I believe that it portrays their rights negatively. By “eating the cake” we can assume that the cartoonist means that Obama was already receiving the votes and support of the LGBT community. Indeed, the LGBT vote is largely Democratic and favoring predicted to favor President Obama in the 2012 election. However, the fact that this cartoon seems to imply that gays are simply a statistic of people to win the vote of, undermines the issues of LGBT rights and marriage equality. Obama’s stance on gay marriage as well as his support for the community are obviously going to win him a great proportion of gay voters.
Publication: Sun Tribune Date: April 11th, 2012
Cartoonist: Chan Lowe Location: U.S.
Title: Obama and Gay Marriage Number: N/A
This cartoon takes place at a same-sex marriage ceremony. The couple is at the alter, but they are looking around. One of them is asking where Pastor Obama is, and the other one replies that he doesn’t know but that Obama took off with their checks.
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Negative
The couple portrayed in this cartoon is rather plain-looking, which for this topic is a good thing. The wedding looks like it could be for any couple, so with regards to negative portrayal of sexual minorities, it is positive.
This cartoon is similar to the previous one with regards to Obama pandering to the LGBT vote. In this case the vote is represented through checks that couples often get at weddings from loved ones. One of them says, “we’ve been waiting forever,” in reference to Obama and gay marriage. Its interesting to consider this criticism though. Some things must be considered. Firstly, this is during Obama’s first term as president. Secondly, the U.S. is a highly Christian nation where no other presidents has been in favor of gay marriages before. Finally, the president did, eventually, speak out in support of marriage equality. Maybe it did take him longer than some would have hoped for, but it seems that he deserves some credit in the matter.
Publication: caglecartoons.com Date: May 10th, 2012
Cartoonist: Eric Allie Location: U.S.
Title: Happily Gathered Number: 111559
This cartoon shows president Obama at a city hall with a gay couple walking down the stairs. A banner saying gay marriage his above them. Underneath, a long line of people awaits heading into an unemployment office.
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Negative
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Negative
The problem with this comic is not in how the couple is portrayed, but how the issue is. The cartoon almost mocks LGBT rights by implying that they are something trivial, and that the economy is obviously much more important than marriage equality. The gay marriage banner flies at the top of city hall while the citizens seeking unemployment are walking into the bottom of the building. This implies that Obama cares more about gay marriage than he does about unemployed people.
Some may be critical of his economic policies, but I don’t think that the two issues should be compared against one another. This sort of framing makes the general public believe that its sort of a gay marriage vs unemployment type mentality, when it clearly isn’t.
Publication: Cagle Cartoons Date: May 14, 2012
Cartoonist: Gary McCoy Location: U.S.
Title: Obama Endorses Gay Marriage Number: 111732
A gay couples lies in bed reading from a newspaper that states Obama’s favoring of same-sex marriage. One of the men says, “soon our numbers will grow as we produce more who share our preferences.” The other man says, “Yeah! Oh wait…how are we going to do that?”
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Negative
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Negative
The couple in this cartoon is shown in their bed, shirtless. A common stereotype of LGBT individuals is that they are highly promiscuous, and this framing of the couple seems to continue this stereotype. Not only that, but the individuals, of course, are shown with piercings, beards, and a purple bedspread in case you can’t figure out that they are a gay couple…
This cartoon is almost insulting to sexual minorities. First off, the couples statements are very suspicious sounding. It portrays the LGBT community as an almost an secret organization looking to control people’s opinions by increasing their numbers, when in reality all they are fighting for is equal rights.
Secondly, the comments made by the second man are an insult to the intelligence of LGBT individuals. It is well-known that two men or women are unable to reproduce without an outside source. A basic understanding of fundamental biology can tell you that, making this joke completely off-colored.
This kind of portrayal of LGBT individuals is likely to cause suspicion and distrust in the general public. Many people already claim that the LGBT community has a “gay agenda.” What they mean by this is a bit unclear, but follows along the lines that gays are trying to corrupt society or dominate politically. This is completely ridiculous, but when images and statements like this are cultivated in the media, people are more likely to buy in to it.
Publication: Atlanta Journal Constitution Date: May 10th, 2012
Cartoonist: Mike Luckovich Location: U.S.
Title: N/A Number: N/A
This cartoon shows a gay couple being married. The pastor is asking them if they believe Obama will be remembered for anything besides being African-American. The couple responds with, “I do.”
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Positive
Quite frankly, Obama’s presidency has been one of firsts. This cartoon portrays the two most obvious ones. First, he is the first African-American (or even nonwhite) president ever elected. Second, he is the first president to ever publicly support gay marriage. The first landmark was not a choice for Obama. He was an African-American by birth. But the second, was a choice. His support of gay marriage put him at risk for extreme scrutiny and criticism from a highly religious nation.
And in fact, he has taken a lot of criticism for it. Conservatives claim he has “flip-flopped,” though his wording was evolved. He has on record, been very supportive of gay rights, thought not necessarily marriage, for quite some time. If you consider moving from civil union and equal rights support to full gay marriage support a “flip-flop,” then indeed he has. But that hardly seems like going from one end of the spectrum to another.
Publication: The Columbus Dispatch Date: May 15th, 2012
Cartoonist: Nate Beeler Location: U.S.
Title: Obama Gay Marriage Number: 111771
This cartoon shows a gay couple being married by president Obama. The President is saying, “With this ring I thee distract.” Around the couple are dead flowers. Two of the dead flower pots are labeled “job market” and “weak recovery.”
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Negative
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Negative
The premise of this cartoon is that Obama’s support of gay marriage is nothing but a distraction from a dying job market and a weak economic recovery. While people disagree on the actual state of the job market and recovery, claiming marriage equality support is used as a distraction is offensive to gay couples.
Gay couples do not want to be considered a “distraction.” Civil rights should never be considered merely a “distraction.” For them, this is their life. Economics and job markets are only part of their lives, but marriage is another very important part. Imagine if not only you were dealing with a bad job market and weak economy, but also you weren’t allowed to marry the person you love. When cartoons frame Obama’s support as fake, it down plays how important the support for the issue is.
Publication: The Khaleej Date: May 13th, 2012
Cartoonist: Paresh Nath Location: United Arab Emirates
Title: Obama on Gay Marriage Number: 111668
This cartoon portrays Obama’s stand as a car driving over a large chasm in the ground. The chasm is labeled same-sex marriage issue. The Obama car is saying, “We set a new direction.”
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Neutral
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Neutral
The purpose of this international cartoon was to recognize the increasing divide over the gay marriage issue in this country and around the world. It is rare that you will find someone that doesn’t have an opinion on the debate. The cartoon also shows that if Obama didn’t make a clear decision on the debate, he would’ve been swallowed up by the issue. Whether or not this is accurate, is unable to be determined, as he did voice his support.
Publication: Salt Lake Tribune Date: May 15, 2012
Cartoonist: Pat Bagely Location: U.S.
Title: Pull! Number: 111554
This cartoon shows President Obama tossing a bouquet of flowers labeled “gay marriage” to a pair of male and female same-sex couples. Standing in front of them is an elephant in a plaid shirt, a hat with a cross, a belt labeled “GOP,” and a gun. He is yelling, “Pull!” and pointing his gun at the bouquet.
Tone of cartoon:
Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
Framing of equal rights for sexual minorities: Positive
In this cartoon, the GOP is shown to literally be “shooting down” gay marriage. Obama, having openly supported it, is shown tossing it to the same-sex couples that are reaching out their arms eagerly to catch it. Indeed, same-sex couples looking to be married are eagerly pursuing their cause through demonstrations, media outlets, and political persuasion. The fact that the GOP is shooting down gay marriage represents a near reality. The list of Republican governmental representatives favoring same-sex marriage is existent, but very short. The large majority of Republican leaders favor bans on same-sex marriage and some go as far as saying they favor a constitutional amendment. The fact that the elephant is wearing a hat with a cross on it might be implying the role that religion plays in the debate. A vast majority of Republicans are highly religious, and beliefs of many religious organizations only recognize traditional marriage.
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Cartoon Sources:
http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID={FB5EE3AD-B8AE-4E20-BF69-432A9FFC4F2D}
http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID=%7B6D1262DF-8303-4B96-BE9B-0DAE52402B79%7D
http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID=%7B853250FE-EF06-4ADA-8B11-4E1213A45E2A%7D
http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID=%7B5655F419-EA72-439E-A157-430CF94959DA%7D
http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID={E1EEB505-E8A5-44EB-8BAA-E270E005267C}
http://www.caglecartoons.com/viewimage.asp?ID={1B2834E3-AF62-4714-AE49-D97CE14C6965}
Spectrum of Caricatures 