"I will not only be your friend; I will be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you."       President Barack Obama

On Friday evening, June 27, 1969, the New York City tactical police force raided a popular Greenwich Village gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. Raids were not unusual in 1969; in fact, they were conducted regularly without much resistance. However, that night the street erupted into violent protest as the crowds in the bar fought back. The backlash and several nights of protest that followed have been commonly considered the birth of the modern-day LGBT civil rights movement.

With disapproval of his actions so far on critical issues from the LGBT community, the President made sure that he bolstered his claim of being a "fierce advocate" when he invited prominent members of the community to the White House for a speech.

His views on "Don't Ask Don't Tell" have not changed, as he reminded us, and he informed the community that he has already started working with Congress and the Pentagon to overturn the discriminatory policy within his legal powers. Despite his claim to working on overturning the policy, some question whether he is still not doing enough and is avoiding using an executive order or memorandum to halt the firings of patriotic LGBT soldiers in the military which are completely within his power. Poltics as usual in the White House some claim.

His views on the Defense of Marriage Act have not changed. After the Justice Department's released statement on DOMA, the President made sure that he was working on overturning the measure while staying within the legal measures of the law. We saw the president working within the system to provide federal benefits for same-sex partners in the government, but until DOMA is repealed, no act will be significant enough to satisfy our plead for rights and recognition. Along with the end to DOMA, President Obama has expressed his full support of ENDA, the Employee's Non-Discrimination Act, and the Matthew Shepard Act, Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Obama can't be trusted with supplying quick heapings of change, but he can provide some pretty heavy rhetoric. The following is a statement from his speech on Monday(Source: HuffingtonPost):

"We seek an America in which no one feels the pain of discrimination based on who you are or who you love, and I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," he said. "It's not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half century ago. But I say this: We have made progress, and we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises that I made, but by promises that my administration keeps ... We've been in office six months now. I suspect that by the time this administration is over, I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration."

President Obama acknowledged that the fight for equality is not only a fight for the end of discrimination based on who you love, but a struggle comparable to the Civil Rights movement in the Sixties. He acknowledges our impatience and assures us that our call on him for action will be answered. We will do as he says and judge him. Not on his rhetoric, but on his actions. Just as the Stonewall Rioters before us, we will speak with our actions, not just with our words.