President Barack Obama's stance on gay marriage has been foggy at best, but the president didn't hesitate to collect $1,432,000 at a fundraising event at the Northwest D.C. home of high-profile lesbians Karen Dixon and Nan Schaffer last night.
The couple wed in a lavish ceremony in Chicago in 2008.
The president promised to "keep on pushing" for equal rights at the fundraiser, but did not discuss gay marriage during his speech.
According to the White House pool report, Laura Ricketts, the first openly gay owner of a major-league baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, introduced Obama by saying the president's presence at the event was evidence of how strongly the LGBT community supports the president's re-election efforts.
Obama touted his accomplishments with the repeal of don't ask, don't tell and his administration's efforts to guarantee that same-sex couples have equal rights for hospital visitation.
"The work that we've done with the LGBT community, I think, is just profoundly American," Obama said. "You should be judged on the merits. That's at the heart of the American dream. That's how you should be judged, not by what you look like, not by how you worship, not by where you come from, not by who you love."
Guests sat at five tables adorned with red and pink roses as the president shared a story about a trip to a military base in Hawaii where he says three Marines approached him in the gym and thanked him for ending DADT.
The proceeds from the $35,800-a-head event will go to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising arm for both Obama for America and the Democratic National Committee.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-201202131152usnewsusnwr20120210210whisper2feb13,0,1125566.story
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