Faced with growing anger from its gay and lesbian supporters, the Obama administration Wednesday announced the extension of some benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees but stopped short of offering full health care coverage.
John Berry, director of the White House Office of Personnel and the highest-ranking gay member of the administration, called the move “long overdue progress in our nation’s journey to equality.”
President Barack Obama signed the presidential memorandum implementing the policy changes at an Oval Office ceremony on Wednesday.
Berry said Obama’s move would allow employees’ domestic partners to be added to the government’s long-term insurance program, which covers such illnesses as Alzheimer’s disease. The memorandum also would allow employees to use sick leave to take care of domestic partners and children, and would let the same-sex partners of diplomats use medical facilities at foreign posts.
“This is a first step, not a final step,” Berry said. “This is an attempt to get our federal house in order.”
Berry noted that further steps are limited by the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which is a source of great tension between the gay community and the White House.
Before Wednesday, Obama had reached out to gays in other ways. In addition to appointing Berry, he named a gay man to head the Export-Import Bank. The State Department promised to give partners of gay and lesbian diplomats benefits such as diplomatic passports and language training.
Obama’s approach to gay issues seems guided by the unhappy experience of Clinton, who started his administration with an unsuccessful fight to open the military to gay and lesbian service members. Clinton lost the battle — the result was “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which allows gays to serve so long as they keep their sexual orientation a secret. The outcome angered many on both sides of the issue. Worse, Clinton squandered much of the goodwill that followed his election.
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