Obama's gay hecklers: Ungrateful?

Gay rights activists protest &quot;Don&#039;t Ask, Don&#039;t Tell.&quot;

(Image credit: Corbis)

last updated 8 January 2015

President Obama can't seem to escape the heat over "don't ask, don't tell." While speaking at a California fundraiser for Barbara Boxer, he was repeatedly interrupted by activists from the gay-rights group GetEQUAL who demanded the policy's immediate repeal. Obama patiently, at times smilingly, repeated his promise to let gays and lesbian soldiers serve openly, but the shouting continued. Conservative commentators see a double standard: "Guess President Obama couldn’t tell the [hecklers] to sit down and shut up," says Michelle Malkin in her blog. "Because that would be, you know, intolerant and hateful and all the things he accuses the Tea Party movement of every day." Gay-rights activists are divided: Some say the heckling might help urge Obama to follow through with his promise; others worry that the activists will hurt their cause by looking ungrateful and rude. Watch a clip from the event: