Obama on DOMA: "We have a duty to uphold existing law, but I believe we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate old divides. And fulfilling this duty in upholding the law in no way lessens my commitment to reversing this law."

The president had a similar tone about DADT: "I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security … Ending the policy requires an act of Congress and will take time." But Obama pledged to do what it takes to get Congress to act.

Over the past few weeks, lesbian and gay activists have been critical, commenting on how slowly Obama has addressed LGBT issues. "I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," Obama says. "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."

An Inside Perspective

Cathy Renna, a long-time LGBT activist (formerly of GLAAD) and founder of Renna Communications in Washington, D.C., was among a diverse group of supporters Obama invited to the ceremony. Given the laborious process required to make changes in D.C., she says he's doing the best he can.

"I think 15 years of education and us telling our stories in the media and political activism at the local, state and national level has completely changed our culture," says Renna, who attended the event with her wife of six years. "We've had some of these conversations before, but the cultural change, with the potential for legislative progress--we have no laws, of course, at the federal level still--I think we're going to see that change very soon and that's the part that's very exciting to me. I know people are impatient … but this administration is willing to listen to criticism, not just take it."

How will this affect the pace of repealing DADT and DOMA? No one knows for sure, but Renna optimistically predicts something will change within two years: "I'd like to see at least one major piece of legislation be addressed before Congress goes into recess [in July], and I'd love to see something else happen before the end of the year … I'm willing to give him that [timeframe]."

Renna prefers to first see Congress and the president pass the federal Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would protect all LGBT people from workplace discrimination.

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