Roundtable: Gay and lesbian Vermonters on the Obama presidency

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When President-elect Barack Obama delivered his victory acceptance speech November 4th, he said in part: "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible…tonight is your answer. It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America."

That Obama included the simple word "gay" in his nationally delivered speech had an enormous impact for the people we’re hearing from next.

Shawn Lipenski, Kara DeLeonardis, and Robyn Maguire are gay and lesbian members of the group R.U.1.2?, a community center for Vermont’s gay, lesbian and transgender community.

We met with them recently at their headquarters in downtown Burlington. DeLeonardis is R.U.1.2?’s executive director, Robyn Maguire is a field director for the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force. We began the discussion asking Shawn Lipenski how he felt when he saw the reference to gay people made by Obama come across the scroll on his TV screen the night of the election.

Click listen to hear the interivew.

Click "Related Audio" to hear an extended version.

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