The Obama Administration has been getting a great deal of negative press in the LGBT media as of late, much of it warranted. Yesterday didn't make up for that criticism, but the ceremony marking the swearing in of David Huebner as Ambassador to New Zealand and Somoa was a welcome break. Mr. Huebner and his partner attended the ceremony. There's a fifteen minute video of the ceremony posted below. The photo was taken from Towleroad. Huebner is not the first out ambassador from the United States. James Hormel was the first, to Luxembourg during the Clinton administration, and Michael Guest was the second, to Romania, under George W. Bush, although I doubt the Bush administration was quite as open to discussing their ambassador's family as Joe Biden is in the clip. It's a nice moment.
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Out US Representative Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin told attendees at a Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference over the weekend that she is optimistic that the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 (DPBO) will reach the house floor this year. The bill would ensure benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees. She also expects that ENDA (Employment and Non-Discrimination Act) that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace. She also is confident that Don't Ask, Don't Tell will be repealed in the near future. The House of Representatives is more progressive than the Senate, where the Democratic majority is thin.
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