Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took a strong stand this weekend against a constitutional amendment to appear on California’s ballot in November that would effectively overturn the state supreme court’s recent decision legalizing same-sex marriage.In a letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club read yesterday at the group's annual Pride Breakfast, Senator Obama wrote, “I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law … that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.”
“For too long, issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It’s time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect,” the senator wrote.
Obama also stated his support for “extending fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law,” and reiterated his desire to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and “don’t ask, don’t tell” as well pass legislation to protect LGBT American against hate crimes and employment discrimination.
No comments:
Post a Comment