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- faithhealer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Regardless of who's right, the truth is that the Democrats take gays for granted. Of course most gays wouldn't dream of voting for a Republican (and rightly so), so what do the Democrats have to lose?
I'm from Minnesota and even Paul Wellstone, arguably the most liberal senator (before he died) voted for "defense of marriage," which disappointed me, but what was I supposed to do, vote for ***** Norm Coleman?!?! NEVER. - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1""I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It
should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on
the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to
amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians
from marrying." - Barack Obama""
"""The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law by
President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996, after
moving through a legislative fast track and
overwhelming approval in both houses of the
Republican-controlled U.S. Congress. Its Congressional
sponsors stated, "[T]he bill amends the U.S. Code to
make explicit what has been understood under federal
law for over 200 years; that a marriage is the legal
union of a man and a woman as husband and wife, and a
spouse is a husband or wife of the opposite sex." [3]
The legislative history of the bill asserts authority
to enact the law under Article IV Sec. 1, which grants
Congress power to determine "the effect" of such full
faith and credit. Proponents made clear their purpose
to normalize heterosexual marriage on a federal level
and to permit each state to decide for itself whether
to recognize same-sex unions concluded in another
state. Opponents variously question whether the power
asserted extends so far as to permit non-recognition
altogether, argue that the law is unconstitutionally
vague by leaving out essential details, assert a
constitutional right to same-sex marriage, or some
combination of the three.
Although Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act
into law during his re-election campaign in 1996 and
opposed same-sex marriage, he did not mention the law
(or the controversy surrounding it) in his 2004
memoir, My Life.
In a June 1996 interview in the gay and lesbian
magazine The Advocate, Clinton said: " I remain
opposed to same-sex marriage. I believe marriage is an
institution for the union of a man and a woman. This
has been my long-standing position, and it is not
being reviewed or reconsidered."""
BARACK OBAMA?S SUPPORT FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY
?While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we
are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
[Obama Statement, 6/1/07]
BARACK OBAMA ON LGBT ISSUES
Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. Barack Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to reach violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack Obama believes the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees? domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate
that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Promote LGBT Rights: Barack Obama supported legislation in the Illinois State Senate to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing and public accommodations.
Support Full Civil Unions: Barack Obama supports civil unions that give same-sex couples full rights, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to married couples, and the same property rights as anyone else.
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage: Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage
Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples. ?We are better than this. And we
certainly owe the American people more than this. I know that this amendment will fail, and when it does, I hope we can start discussing issues and offering proposals that will actually improve the lives of most Americans.? (Barack Obama on the Senate floor regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment, June 5, 2006)
Repeal Don?t Ask-Don?t Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the ?don?t ask, don?t tell? policy in consultation with military commanders. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a
willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300
language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
Expand Adoption Rights: Barack Obama believes that homosexuals should have the same adoption rights as heterosexuals.
Fight AIDS Worldwide: There are 40 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. Every day, AIDS kills 8,000 and HIV infects 6,000 more people. The disease is set to become the third-leading cause of death worldwide in the coming years. Barack Obama has been a global leader in the fight against AIDS. He traveled to Kenya and took a public HIV test to encourage testing and reduce the stigma of the disease.
Promote AIDS Prevention: Barack Obama believes that we cannot ignore that abstinence and fidelity may too often be the ideal and not the reality. Obama went to a large evangelical conference in 2006 to promote greater
investment in the global AIDS battle. At this conservative Christian event, Obama pushed for a balanced approach to fighting the disease that includes condom distribution. In late 2006, Barack Obama worked to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, which is one of the largest sources of federal funds for primary health care and support services for patients with HIV/AIDS. The bill was named after Ryan White, an Indiana teenager whose courageous struggle with HIV/AIDS helped educate the nation.
Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with
AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Barack Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.
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