Seems like tell well spent. Human Rights Watch reports:
No president in history has used the word “gay” in public remarks more than President Barack Obama. In so doing, he has inarguably contributed to the political mainstreaming of marriage equality and the general trend toward LGBT acceptance within American society.
If you’re keeping score (and who isn’t?!)…
- Obama has said gay in a public speech, statement, or proclamation at least 272 times.
- He has said transgender 33 times and bisexual 28 times.
- He has used the word lesbian 88 times.
So how does the “O man” compare with his predecessors? George W. Bush said gay twice, and never in any “presidential remarks.”
I did a little sleuthing of my own. According to LexisNexis …
Obama has said the word broccoli in a public speech, statement, or proclamation 0 times. Likewise for the words niblet, finial, and garage.
He did say the word evolve and forms derived from that verb 12 times, all in relation to his evolving view on gay marriage.
