The Michelangelo Signorile Show on SiriusXM PROGRESS ch.127

Over the course of Barack Obama’s Presidency the activists working for the advancement of LGBT rights have seen a rapid succession of victories: in 2010 Congress repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, in 2013 the Supreme Court declared Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, and then in June the Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The amount of success in the pursuit of equality over the past eight years is astonishing by any measure but according to journalist Kerry Eleveld it is especially incredible considering that when Obama first took office he, like many politicians, still viewed gay rights as politically toxic.  In her new book Don’t Tell Me To Wait: How The Fight For Gay Rights Changed America and Transformed Obama’s Presidency chronicles Obama’s transformation from cautious gradualist to gay rights champion and explains how this was the result of intense pressure from LGBT activists.  Kerry joins me today to talk all about the book and explain how activists pushed the president to change his mind, turned the tide of political opinion, and set the nation on course to finally embrace LGBT Americans as full citizens of this country.  You can also follow Kerry on twitter.

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