About the Book
Gay rights has been a defining progressive issue of Barack Obama's presidency: Congress repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2010 with his strong support, and in 2011, he instructed his Justice Department to stop defending the defence of Marriage Act, helping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.
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
About the Author :
award-winning journalist Kerry Eleveld covered Obama for four years for The Advocate, first on the campaign trail and then at the White House, interviewing Obama three times including once in the Oval Office. Her work has appeared in Salon, the Atlantic, the Daily Beast, the Washington Post, and Politico. Currently a columnist for the Daily Kos, she lives in Berkeley, California.
Review :
New York Times Book Review "[A] smart, sharply observed book... It's true, as Eleveld says, that [Obama] needed the activists to push, as a matter of politics. And they wrote a script for social change other movements are already studying." Dallas Voice "In the years to come, when all people remember are the victory speeches and the White House wrapped in rainbow lights, Don't Tell Me to Wait will serve as an important reminder of the truth of how the battle for equality was fought and of those who deserve the credit for the victory." AfterEllen.com "Eleveld brilliantly takes the reader behind the scenes of the president's evolution on LGBT equality... While Don't Tell Me to Wait serves as a highly informative piece on how transformation actually occurs in political leadership, it also gracefully teaches us a lesson on our responsibility." AMERICAblog "Drawing from her time spent covering Obama on the campaign trail in 2008, and from the White House during his first term the book provides an inside look at the politics of gay rights during the Obama years." Queerty.com "Eleveld examines in fascinating detail Obama's evolution on [gay rights], and explains how it took intense pressure from LGBTQ activists to evolve from cautious gradualist to the equality champion he is today." Markos Moulitsas, Publisher, Daily Kos "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." David Domke, author of The God Strategy: How Religion Became A Political Weapon in America "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." David Mixner, author of Stranger Among Friends "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!" Richard Socarides, former Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Senior Adviser on LGBT rights issues "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 president--getting him to where he actually wanted to be, despite fears the country wasn'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 Obama's greatest legacies." Michelangelo Signorile, author of It's Not Over "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. Don't Tell Me To Wait is an important, must-read book that sets the record straight on how history was made." Library Journal "[Eleveld] tells the story compellingly, with lots of insider details, and the drama political junkies love. She also conveys the urgency many felt about these topics. [Readers] will gain new perspectives from Eleveld's diligence." Reason "Eleveld's role as an activist/journalist gives her a good vantage point from which to tell this story. On one hand, she was in contact with members of the administration and the major gay groups. But she was also in tune with the increasing audience and attention given to bloggers, and she tracks the start of new activist efforts like GetEqual, an organization inspired by the tactics of ACT UP and Code Pink, to openly confront the administration whenever it failed to push forward...Eleveld argues persuasively that activists pushed the administration into fighting harder for gay issues than it otherwise would have done." Kirkus Reviews "[Eleveld] thoroughly tracks the president's hard-won 'evolution' in embracing the national LBGT agenda... An accomplished chronicle of the setbacks and successes by a journalist in the trenches."
