WASHINGTON — President
Barack Obama, under growing criticism for not seeking to end the ban on
openly gay men and women in the military, is extending benefits to
same-sex partners of federal employees. Obama plans to announce his
decision on Wednesday in the Oval Office, a White House official said
Tuesday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the
president hadn't yet signed the presidential memorandum. The official said Obama would release more details on Wednesday. The
decision is a political nod to a reliably Democratic voting bloc that
in recent weeks has grown frustrated with the White House's slow
movement on their priorities. Several powerful gay fundraisers
withdrew their support from a June 25 Democratic National Committee
event where Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak. Their exit
came in response to a June 12 Justice Department brief that defended
the Defense of Marriage Act, a prime target for gay and lesbian
criticism. Justice lawyers argued that the law allowed states to reject
marriages performed in other states or countries that defy their own
standards. The legal arguments — including citing incest and sex
with minors — sparked rebellion among gay and lesbian activists who had
been largely biting their tongues since Obama won election. They had
objected to the Rev. Rick Warren's invitation to participate in the
inauguration despite his support for repealing gay marriage in
California. Their January protest won the invitation of
Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, whose consecration as the first
openly gay bishop divided and almost split his denomination. Gays
and lesbians later fretted as the White House declined to intervene in
the cases of enlisted military members facing courts martial for
defying the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policies. White House
officials say they want Congress to repeal the policy as part of a
"lasting and durable" solution, instead of intervening on individual
cases. SOURCE:COMCAST.NET