Alan Cumming: Critical, but Still Backing Obama

Alan Cumming, whose online blog has accused President Obama of doing ‘’diddly squat’’ for gay rights, now says, ‘’I was a bit dismayed at the way [my words were] turned about. I would still vote for Obama. Always. I would exhort anyone to vote Democratic again and again. But it’s sad. During his campaign, Obama talked so much about what he’d do: [repeal] Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the Defense of Marriage Act. Just equality. We’ve given him a lot of support, a lot of money, and he’s not paying back. I really don’t believe he’s not a man of his word. I really don’t believe he’s homophobic. But he needs to throw us a bone.’’

Cumming, who was attending a concert of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s Evening Primrose Monday in New York City, added: ‘’There’s been such a lot of bad P.R. errors coming from Obama’s administration. It’s hard not to be upset and angry and frustrated. It’s been the lack of respect, and it’s really pissing people off. [Before he was elected] one of the many great things about Obama was that he galvanized the gay community and made us feel like part of the equation.’’

Some political pundits have predicted that disillusionment and anger might keep many gay voters home. Cumming, a Scot who became a U.S. citizen to vote for Obama, says, ‘’I really hope that’s not the case. It would be horrible. I hope people use their anger and go back to the polls and make sure it doesn’t get any worse.’’

Cumming has been especially busy doing benefits for gay rights. On Sunday, he headlined a fund-raiser at Joe’s Pub for Fight Back NY, which aims to defeat New York state senators who’ve voted against marriage equality. And on Nov. 8, he’ll do a benefit for the Ali Forney Center, which offers shelter and support to GLBT youth.

Asked why it’s so important to stick up for gay rights now, Cumming says, ‘’Because we don’t have that many. Because it’s a huge imbalance. Until there’s equality, any time is gonna be the right time to be doing stuff for gay rights.’’

(Wayman Wong edits entertainment for the New York Daily News. He’s also the former ‘’Leading Men’’ columnist for Playbill.com and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright.)