OBAMA's OPEN LETTER TO GAY COMMUNITY

[LaWood]

Ok. The lines are drawn. His middle name will no longer matter.

"I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.

Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage. Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.

The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.

We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma – too often tied to homophobia – that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones – and that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached.

Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.

Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike."
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thel ... g_id=16855

[Dardedar]

DAR
Wow, that's kick ass.

[Tony]

Yay Obama! Boo Hillary!

[Doug]

As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws.

Why does he have to wait until he is president? Why can't he initiate action now?

I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment.

I prefer granting the right to same sex marriage. Separate but equal is not sufficient.

[Tony]

Doug Wrote:

Why does he have to wait until he is president? Why can't he initiate action now?....I prefer granting the right to same sex marriage. Separate but equal is not sufficient

Agreed, it's not enough. With as much traction as the GOP will get with it in this backwards conservative country, I'm surprised he'll go this far.

The why is because although he is left of Hillary, he is right of you, me, and Nader.

[Doug]

The why is because although he is left of Hillary, he is right of you, me, and Nader.

DOUG
When I took that online "find your candidate" test, I was matched most closely with Kucinich. Who was too short to become president, apparently.

[Tony]

When I took that online "find your candidate" test, I was matched most closely with Kucinich. Who was too short to become president, apparently.

Ha! Yeah, maybe it was because he is too short. I would choose Kucinich over Nader in a heartbeat. He was my guy in the Primaries. All around good Joe. Always takes unpopular stands. I bet he is the candidate closest to most folks on here. Ask Darrel why folks like him never have a chance. Too much compromise.

Any predictions on Texas.....you are a native right?

[Doug]

Any predictions on Texas.....you are a native right?

DOUG
Yes, I'm from Texas.

Clinton has a slight lead, but Obama is gaining so much ground it is going to be close.

Prediction: It's Texas, so something crooked is in the works.

I'll never forget the governor's race a couple of decades back in which the candidates had huge, 8'x4' posters of people killed via the death penalty, and their commercials would show them walking down a row of dead people posters, bragging about how many people they'd executed as former governor or present governor, as the case may be. Pathetic.

[Dardedar]

TONY
Ask Darrel why folks like him [Kucinich] never have a chance. Too much compromise.

DAR
Kucinich never has a chance because America is well past any safe carrying capacity of fear driven, right-wing, religious conservatives. I understand the purpose of these primaries is to pick the person with the widest representation within the party who at the same time has the best shot at winning the general election. Kucinich didn't/doesn't pass either threshold but especially the latter.
Kucinich would be considered a right-winger in Canada, or certainly somewhere in the center. But we are not in Canada. We are in Jesusland. Best to work to keep the worst of the ignorant mob out of power and hope for the best.

[Tony]

Doug wrote:

Prediction: It's Texas, so something crooked is in the works.

I'll never forget the governor's race a couple of decades back in which the candidates had huge, 8'x4' posters of people killed via the death penalty, and their commercials would show them walking down a row of dead people posters, bragging about how many people they'd executed as former governor or present governor, as the case may be. Pathetic.

It is Texas, and nothing is impossible in Texas that's for sure. Since it's proportional I think this is Hillarys last stand. She may win, but it won't be by the margin she needs. Then her only option will be to try for superdelegates or MI and FL rules change, and that would rip the Dems apart. I don't think even she would hand that gift to the GOP.

Dar wrote:

Kucinich would be considered a right-winger in Canada, or certainly somewhere in the center. But we are not in Canada. We are in Jesusland. Best to work to keep the worst of the ignorant mob out of power and hope for the best.

Well we are certainly in agreement there, this is a shockingly rightwing country. My thing is, that this is a failure on our part on the Left, and we need to work harder at making it leftwing, just like every other decent country. I don't think you and I differ much at all on our diagnosis of the problems, just on our treatments. Still more in common then what seperates us.
Here's hoping this year sees a huge defeat for the GOP.

Tred