OBAMA HECKLED OVER DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL

Gay rights activists have heckled President Obama over the ongoing delay in repealing the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ ban on gay military personnel.

The president was speaking at a fundraising function for Senator Barbara Boxer in Los Angeles last night when he was interrupted by the protestors.

As he spoke, members of the audiences, said to be from the group GetEQUAL, shouted out “Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell!”

Obama replied by saying: “We are going to do that. Hey, hold on a second, hold on a second. We are going to do that.”

The protesters began to chant: “Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!”

“Here we go. All right – guys, guys, all right. I agree, I agree, I agree,” responded Obama. The hecklers continued to chant, with one shouting out “It’s time for equality for all Americans.”

A frustrated Obama replied: “When you’ve got an ally like Barbara Boxer and you’ve got an ally like me who are standing for the same thing, then you don’t know exactly why you’ve got to holler, because we already hear you, all right?,” he said to applause.

“I mean, it would have made more sense to holler that at the people who oppose it.”

The US is embroiled in a national debate on its ban on openly gay and lesbian military personnel, which President Obama in January committed to repealing this year.