Kerry Eleveld has a front-row seat to history, and it's given her a unique view on the Obama administration and its efforts to address LGBT equality.
As Washington correspondent for The Advocate, Eleveld is the LGBT community's eyes and ears on Capitol Hill and at the White House. She came to the post after spending most of 2008 trailing then-presidential candidate Barack Obama through the primary and general elections.
Eleveld, who writes for the magazine and posts her Washington updates daily on The Advocate's Web page, told attendees at a recent lunch hosted by the Capital Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce's (CAGLCC) that their voices need to be heard in Washington, especially in the White House.
Due to the timing of the financial crisis and efforts to reform health care, LGBT issues have not taken center stage in the last year in Congress or at the White House. It will take continued advocacy and lobbying by the LGBT community to keep its issues front and center, she said.
"The White House has shown itself more likely to be hesitant on LGBT issues rather than pushing forward as fast and hard as possible," said Eleveld, a Michigan native who lived in California, South Carolina and New York before landing in D.C.
Eleveld said the president deserves some of the credit for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act being signed into law, noting that certain members of Congress along with the administration pushed for the legislation.
But she said the White House could be more forceful in using the power of the bully pulpit to bring attention to LGBT issues, both to educate the public and pressure lawmakers into action.
Eleveld cited the example of the president's pledge to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy at the Human Rights Campaign dinner last month as evidence that coverage of LGBT issues in the mainstream media "creates a ripple effect" of activism and awareness on these issues.
Looking into the legislative future, Eleveld said she believes DADT will be changed before Congress and the White House will tackle the Defense of Marriage Act.
