June 30, 2009
Written by Micki Carter

"Brothers and sisters in Christ, I want to report to you the intent of the Obama Administration toward same-gender people in loving partnerships."

The Rev. Yvette Flunder of City of Refuge UCC in San Francisco took the floor of the plenary session at the UCC's General Synod Tuesday afternoon to report that the President has expressed his resolve to end the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy of the United States military, to end the Defense of Marriage Act and to refuse to sign a non-discrimination act that doesn't extend civil rights protection to transgendered people.

On Monday, Flunder had joined a group of 150 LGBT leaders at a White House meeting with President and Mrs. Obama. After the last business item Tuesday afternoon, Northern California Nevada delegate Kevin Manz asked the assembly to give voice to Flunder so she could report on the meeting with Obama.

"The President told us that it hurts the security of the United States of America not to include homosexual and transgender people in the military, especially around multilingual issues," Flunder said.

"He told us to be assured that the end result of the commission investigating the policy is to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

She added, "I told him how glad we are that the President is also UCC."

United Church of Christ News Service