Synopses & Reviews
As a candidate in 2008, Barack Obama distanced himself from same-sex marriage, saying he believed marriage was and#8220;a sacred unionand#8221; between a man and a woman. In 2012, he did just the opposite, proclaiming it was and#8220;importantand#8221; for him to affirm the right of same-sex couples to marry. This dramatic about-face put the most powerful man in the world at the front of the battle for gay rights, giving LGBT Americans and their advocates an invaluable ally in their struggle for freedom. Just one year later, the Supreme Court would strike down key provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act, and no Democratic presidential nominee would ever again shun marriage equality.
As former Advocate journalist Kerry Eleveld shows, Obamaand#8217;s support transformed the issue of gay rights from a political liability into an electoral imperative, and in Don't Tell Me to Wait she offers a boots-on-the-ground account of how gay rights activists pushed the president to this political tipping point. Obamaand#8217;s and#8220;evolutionand#8221; on marriage equality was not the result of a benevolent politician who entered the Oval Office with a wealth of good intentions. Rather, pressure from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists changed the conversation, issue by issue. As a result of the protests and outcry following the passage of Californiaand#8217;s same-sex marriage ban, Obama realized that overturning the militaryand#8217;s and#8220;Donand#8217;t Ask, Donand#8217;t Telland#8221; policy was the one 2008 campaign promise he couldnand#8217;t ignore. While pledges to other progressive constituencies fell apart during Obamaand#8217;s first two years in office, the LGBT rights movement protested the administrationand#8217;s fecklessness early and often. By the time the sun set on the 111th Congress, the and#8220;Donand#8217;t Ask, Donand#8217;t Telland#8221; repeal had become the sole piece of major progressive legislation to become law. The repealand#8217;s overwhelming success and popularity paved the way for other LGBT advances, including the presidentand#8217;s eventual embrace of the freedom to marry.
With unprecedented access and unparalleled insights into this hot-button issue, Don't Tell Me to Wait captures a critical moment in LGBT history and demonstrates the power of activism to change the course of a presidencyand#8212;and a nation.
Review
David Mixner, author of Stranger Among Friendsand#147;Kerry Eleveld is one of the great journalists of this generation, and she was uniquely qualified to cover its most epic civil rights battle. A spectacular writer who loves truth. This book is a riveting story filled with the passion of those that she covered over the years. An epic story told by an epic journalist. It just doesn't get any better!and#8221;
Bill McKibben, author Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist
and#147;Amidst the euphoria over the gay marriage triumph, itand#8217;s worth remembering that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were opponents of the measure till late in the game. In this fine book Kerry Eleveld uses her firsthand view of the history to remind us that it was actually a brave and creative movement that gave us the great gift of equality, and that our and#145;leadersand#8217; had to be relentlessly pushed to do the right thing.and#8221;
Review
and#151;Kirkus Reviewsand#147;[Eleveld] thoroughly tracks the president's hard-won and#145;evolutionand#8217; in embracing the national LBGT agendaand#133; An accomplished chronicle of the setbacks and successes by a journalist in the trenches.and#8221;
Richard Socarides, former Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Senior Adviser on LGBT rights issues
and#147;What did it take to get President Obama to endorse gay marriage? Kerry Eleveld had a front row seat as the White House reporter Obama often turned to on gay rights. In this fast-paced political thriller, Eleveld sets forth in great detail how activists, bloggers, lawyers, and politicos combined to both confront and cajole the presidentand#151;getting him to where he actually wanted to be, despite fears the country wasnand#8217;t ready. Historians will debate the relative importance of these events and others, but no doubt this work is a significant contribution to understanding what happened and why on one of Obamaand#8217;s greatest legacies.and#8221;
Michelangelo Signorile, author of It's Not Over
and#147;At last, the detailed account of how a president was confronted and how he, along with and an entire nation, transformed. Kerry Eleveld, a journalist deep in the thick of it, takes us from the White House and Capitol Hill to the passionate organizers in the streets and the savvy activists online who drove an unstoppable campaign. Donand#8217;t Tell Me To Wait is an important, must-read book that sets the record straight on how history was made.and#8221;
Markos Moulitsas, Publisher, Daily Kos
and#147;The gay rights movement accomplished the impossible in an impossibly short period of time. From deep in the trenches, Kerry Eleveld introduces us to the agitators and legal strategists who delivered the change few thought possible. Her insider account gives a new generation of activists a roadmap for achieving similar success.and#8221;
David Domke, author of The God Strategy: How Religion Became A Political Weapon in America
and#147;Kerry Eleveld has written a definitive accounting of how activists, organizations, bloggers, and a handful of devoted journalists compelled the Obama administration to act on gay rights. This book tells an essential truth of progressive change: The arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but it does not bend on its own. It must be pushed, by we the people.and#8221;
David Mixner, author of Stranger Among Friends
and#147;Kerry Eleveld is one of the great journalists of this generation, and she was uniquely qualified to cover its most epic civil rights battle. A spectacular writer who loves truth. This book is a riveting story filled with the passion of those that she covered over the years. An epic story told by an epic journalist. It just doesn't get any better!and#8221;
Bill McKibben, author Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist
and#147;Amidst the euphoria over the gay marriage triumph, itand#8217;s worth remembering that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were opponents of the measure till late in the game. In this fine book Kerry Eleveld uses her firsthand view of the history to remind us that it was actually a brave and creative movement that gave us the great gift of equality, and that our and#145;leadersand#8217; had to be relentlessly pushed to do the right thing.and#8221;
Synopsis
From an award-winning political journalist, the story of how LGBT activists pushed Obama to embrace gay rights--transforming his presidency in the processGay rights has been a defining progressive issue of Barack Obama's presidency: Congress repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2010 with his strong support, and in 2011, he instructed his Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act, helping to pave the way for a series of Supreme Court decisions that ultimately legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. This rapid succession of victories is astonishing by any measure--and is especially incredible considering that when Obama first took office he, like many politicians, still viewed gay rights as politically toxic. In 2008, for instance, he opposed full marital rights for same-sex couples, calling marriage a "sacred union" between a man and a woman. It wasn't until 2012, in the heat of his reelection campaign, that Obama finally embraced marriage equality.
In Don't Tell Me to Wait, former Advocate reporter Kerry Eleveld shows that Obama's transformation from cautious gradualist to gay rights champion was the result of intense pressure from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists. These men and women changed the conversation issue by issue, pushing the president and the country toward greater freedom for LGBT Americans. Drawing on years of research and reporting, Eleveld tells the dramatic story of the fight for gay rights in America, detailing 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.
With unprecedented access and unparalleled insights, Don't Tell Me to Wait captures a critical moment in American history and demonstrates the power of activism to change the course of a presidency-and a nation.
Synopsis
Gay rights has been a defining progressive issue of Barack Obamaand#8217;s presidency: Congress repealed Donand#8217;t Ask, Donand#8217;t Tell in 2010 with his strong support, and in 2011, he instructed his Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act, helping to pave the way for a series of Supreme Court decisions that ultimately legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. This rapid succession of victories is astonishing by any measureand#151;and is especially incredible considering that when Obama first took office he, like many politicians, still viewed gay rights as politically toxic. In 2008, for instance, he opposed full marital rights for same-sex couples, calling marriage a and#147;sacred unionand#8221; between a man and a woman. It wasnand#8217;t until 2012, in the heat of his reelection campaign, that Obama finally embraced marriage equality.
In Donand#8217;t Tell Me to Wait, former Advocate reporter Kerry Eleveld shows that Obamaand#8217;s transformation from cautious gradualist to gay rights champion was the result of intense pressure from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists. These men and women changed the conversation issue by issue, pushing the president and the country toward greater freedom for LGBT Americans. Drawing on years of research and reporting, Eleveld tells the dramatic story of the fight for gay rights in America, detailing how activists pushed the president to change his mind, turned the tide of political opinion, and ensured that no Democratic presidential nominee would ever again shun marriage equality.
With unprecedented access and unparalleled insights, Donand#8217;t Tell Me to Wait captures a critical moment in American history and demonstrates the power of activism to change the course of a presidencyand#151;and a nation.
About the Author
Kerry Eleveld is a freelance political journalist and media consultant. She was the first White House correspondent for an LGBT news outlet, The Advocate, and she currently writes news analysis and reported pieces for outlets like Salon and the Atlantic, as well as a regular column for The Advocate. She was the recipient of a GLAAD Media Award for her work as the Washington correspondent, and has also received awards from American Veterans for Equal Rights and the National Gay and Lesbian Journalist Association. She has commented on political developments to many news outlets, including PBS Newshour, CNN, MSNBC, Associated Press, and the New York Times. She is a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley.
Table of Contents
1. The Inaugural Insult
2. Losing the Religion
3. A Brief Intervention
4. Courage is Just a Lack of Options
5. Getting Equal
6. Lame Duck
7. The Legal Advance
8. New York State of Mind
9. The Evolution