Updated - This post was updated after the completion of the White House event.

In the White House, on Monday, President Obama told an invited group of leaders from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community that he knows their "deep disappointment" in not addressing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in his first six months in office.

"I believe ‘Don't Ask Don't Tell' doesn't contribute to our national security", he said. "In fact, I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens national security."

In recent weeks, gay leaders had openly criticized the Obama administration for not moving fast enough on issues including open military service, full equal benefits for gay federal workers' partners and families, and a federal law expressly prohibiting anyone from losing their job based on sexuality.  

According to transcripts and reports from several White House reporters at the event, Obama noted that changing the military's policy -- as with many items on the LGBT political platform -- will require Congress to pass a new law.

That's the same thing Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in his last press conference, Jun 20.  There, Gates said the extention of federal benefits and military policy required two different paths to change.  For DADT, he said, the law comes first.

Gates:  "This department's position is dictated by the fact there is a law.  And the law only applies to people in uniform.  So on the civilian side, we will absolutely apply and implement everything the president announced yesterday. But until the law is changed, our ability to change the policy is extremely limited, if not nonexistent."

Tony Perkins, of the conservative Family Research Council, said his group has felt "overwhelmed" by the Obama administration's full plate of "concessions" on LGBT issues. 

Obama spoke for more than 20 minutes, entering to wild applause and receiving nothing but love.  The White House DJ even spun some ABBA.

The president reminded the crowd of "extraordinary progress that we have made", saying: "There are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop.  And though we've made progress, there are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones, who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; and who would deny you the rights that most Americans take for granted. And I know this is painful and I know it can be heartbreaking."

To be sure, the entire event was about much more than just "don't ask, don't tell." 

Obama recognized an Army astronomer who was fired in 1957 for being gay and later protested in front of the White House.  He noted Sunday's 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, NYC.  He recounted the life-and-death struggle to understand, and survive, the emergence of HIV and AIDS.

Obama then said: "It's not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago." 

The 20th Cenutry story of equal access in the military for African-Americans has often been compared to the contemporary efforts of gay and lesbian Americans seeking open military service. 

Here is the entire passage from President Obama's remarks this evening on gay and lesbian service members in the U.S. armed forces:

"Now, my administration is already working with the Pentagon and members of the House and the Senate on how we'll go about ending this policy, which will require an act of Congress.

"Someday, I'm confident, we'll look back at this transition and ask why it generated such angst, but as commander in chief, in a time of war, I do have a responsibility to see that this change is administered in a practical way and a way that takes over the long term. That's why I've asked the secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop a plan for how to thoroughly implement a repeal.

"I know that every day that passes without a resolution is a deep disappointment to those men and women who continue to be discharged under this policy -- patriots who often possess critical language skills and years of training and who've served this country well. But what I hope is that these cases underscore the urgency of reversing this policy not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it is essential for our national security."

Additionally, the parents of Matthew Shepard were there, and in their presence Obama pledge to sign a hate crimes bill.  He also gave support to a host of other issues on the LGBT political agenda, including ending the ban on HIV positive travelers entering the U.S. The U.S. has never hosted the world's preeminent annual international AIDS conference because of the ban.  

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED: The original version identified Obama as having recognized a former NASA worker.  Frank Kameny was an astronmer, but was working for the Army when he was fired for being gay.  In his words, from an interview in MetroWeekly:

"I [was fired] from the Army Map Service in December 1957. To my knowledge, I was the first person to appeal one of these firings."

Perhaps more relevant to the occassion, and this page, Kameney is a veteran: "I ended up as an 81mm-mortar crewman in an armored infantry battalion in the Eighth Armored Division. We ran into combat in Holland and then in the Rhineland. We were halfway across Germany when the war finally ended in May 1945."

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