As San Diego GLBT Pride approaches, as a community we should reflect on how far we have come and how close we are to the finish line. Last week, the Washington Times, the conservative answer to the Washington Post, ran an editorial entitled Obama’s War on the Traditional Family. It seems our community has missed the memo. Many think that Obama is a failure in terms of GLBT rights, I don’t agree and neither does the religious right.

The Washington Times article title says it all, but let’s take a closer look at what it claims. The editorial believes that radical groups dictate the Obama administration agenda. In this case, the radical group is the GLBT community. The Times complains that Obama is reshaping the conception of the traditional family because of its policies toward our community. They are right, he is. The concept of the traditional family was shattered by the ever-increasing divorce rate in America. I loved reruns of Leave It to Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet, where the mother was impeccably dressed, made perfect pot roast every evening and all problems within the family were solved within 30 minutes. These programs no more reflected the reality of America in the 1950’s than they do today. Shockingly in the 50’s, teenage girls got pregnant, people were gay, young adults did drugs and couples got divorced. Yet, most of America was convinced that that happened to other families, not theirs.

As the country woke up to the reality of what was really happening in their communities, it was necessary to accept that Leave It to Beaver was about as realistic as a faux finish. America wanted to believe it was real, it looked somewhat real, but we all knew it was fake. So it became necessary to begin expanding the concept of the family. First, it was realizing that couples got divorced and remarried. The concept of the stepparent was born. Then it was the “outing” of unmarried teenage mothers and fathers. Enter the concept of “my baby mama.” So, quickly the traditional family was uncovered as a bunch of hooey. However, many of these families were loving ones that dealt with these situations admirably and continued to form and maintain loving family units. Not the Leave It to Beaver model, but just as important. Now, the Washington Times is complaining that Obama is acknowledging the reality of other loving families in America. That is music to my ears, because Obama is moving GLBT equality forward.

The Washington Times complains of transgender passports, grants to determine appropriate guidelines for the handling of GLBT prisoners, the acknowledgement of gay dads in the President’s Fathers Day proclamation and the extension of Family and Medical Leave Act benefits to GLBT families. All things the Obama administration has moved to advance GLBT equality. While many in our community take a collective yawn at these developments, the religious right has taken notice. Why? They know these small steps will lead to the big steps; repeal of DADT this year, the passage of ENDA and the federal recognition of GLBT relationships. I hope our community gets the memo.