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JOSHUA LYNSEN
Friday, June 08, 2007
All eight Democratic presidential candidates support granting gays in state-sanctioned unions the 1,100 federal benefits they now lack.
According to a scorecard released last week by the Human Rights Campaign, the candidates support extending federal benefits to same-sex couples “provided the partnership meets certain federal standards of commitment,” such as a formal marriage or civil union.
Candidates who indicated support for the position included frontrunners Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.
“I support full equality of benefits, rights and responsibilities for individuals in loving, stable, same-sex relationships,” she said, “and in principle, I would like to see federal benefits extended to same-sex couples that meet certain standards.”
Joining in support were New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.
Elliott Jacobson, a spokesperson for former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, separately confirmed that the candidate supports the extension of federal benefits to gay couples. Gravel was not included in the scorecard.
HRC President Joe Solmonese called the unified position of all eight candidates groundbreaking.
“These candidates have expressed a unified belief and echoed the majority of the American people by stating that same-sex couples deserve federal recognition,” he said. “It is extremely encouraging to finally see the focus of the debate around the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans center around extending the American value of equality to all people.”
John Marble, spokesperson for the National Stonewall Democrats, said party members widely support the extension of federal benefits to gay couples and expect presidential candidates to represent that stance.
“We’ve worked really hard to make it the default position,” he said, “so that now we can become even more progressive in granting same-sex couples the benefits of civil marriage.”
But according to the HRC scorecard, few candidates support marriage for same-sex couples. Most candidates echoed Dodd, who said he opposes marriage equality but backs civil unions.
“While I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, I believe with all of my heart that same-sex couples must be afforded all the rights and obligations of heterosexual couples — in the home, in the workplace, in our military and in retirement,” he said. “That is why I strongly support civil unions.”
Kucinich and Gravel are the only Democratic candidates to back marriage equality.
“Love between a man and a woman is love,” Gravel told the Blade in February. “Love between a man and a man is love. Love between a woman and a woman is love. What this country needs is a hell of a lot more love than it has.”
On all other issues — including matters of adoption rights, military service and funding to combat HIV/AIDS — the candidates scored equally.
Obama and the six other candidates who responded to the HRC survey indicated they support adoption rights for capable and committed gay couples.
“I believe there are too many children who need loving parents to deny one group of people adoption rights,” Obama said. “A child will benefit from a healthy, loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.”
The candidates also were unanimous in their opposition to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the armed forces.
Biden called the policy “antiquated and unworkable” and noted 24 nations working alongside the U.S. in Iraq permit gays to serve openly.
“The U.S. does not have enough troops to fulfill our current missions — it is ridiculous to turn away brave and patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve solely because of their sexual orientation — especially in light of the Defense Department’s recent decision to extend tours of duty in Iraq,” Biden said.
All candidates also noted they would seek increased funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides care and medicine for people living with HIV/AIDS. Kucinich said more money also is needed for international relief.
“The United States must commit our full resources to fighting this growing crisis, here and globally,” he said. “To do anything short of that is unacceptable.”
Candidates also gave universal support for efforts that would bar employment discrimination, prosecute hate crimes targeting gays, grant equal immigration rights for gay families, teach comprehensive sex education and enact “fair and equal tax treatment” for gay couples.
HRC spokesperson Brad Luna said the organization hopes to release a similar scorecard for the Republican candidates later this year.
Human Rights Campaign released this week an analysis of seven Democratic presidential candidates' stances on gay issues. Reprinted below are the stances on gay unions as submitted by each candidate's campaign office to HRC.
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Averaging 2 percent. HRC Score: 78 of 100 in 109th Congress.
Sen. Biden believes that government has an obligation to ensure that individuals are free from discrimination and that fundamental principle — that freedom and justice should be equally applied to each American — has guided his actions throughout his service as a United States senator. Sen. Biden supports letting states determine how to recognize civil unions and how to define marriage. He believes that legal recognition should not be denied to same-sex couples. |
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Averaging 36 percent. HRC Score: 89 of 100 in 109th Congress.
I believe gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans and that civil unions are the best way to achieve this goal. As president, I will work to ensure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits — from health insurance and life insurance, property rights and more. I have long been on record supporting equality in benefits and eliminating discrimination against gays and lesbians. I support repealing the provision of DOMA that may prohibit the federal government from providing benefits to people in states that recognize same-sex marriage. I strongly support ensuring people in stable, long-term same-sex relationships have full equality of benefits, rights and responsibilities. |
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Averaging 2 percent. HRC Score: 100 of 100 in 109th Congress.
While I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, I believe with all of my heart that same-sex couples must be afforded all the rights and obligations of heterosexual couples — in the home, in the workplace, in our military and in retirement. That is why I strongly support civil unions. I am proud to be from Connecticut, a state that has voluntarily enacted legislation authorizing civil unions. I believe that such legislation should contain the strongest language possible to ensure that same-sex couples receive the same protections under the law. |
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Averaging 14 percent. HRC Score: 66 of 100 in 108th Congress.
I believe that couples in committed, long-term relationships should have the same rights, benefits and responsibilities, whether they are straight couples or same-sex couples. I support civil unions to guarantee gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples, including inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, equal pension and health care benefits, and all of the 1,100 other legal protections government affords married couples. I support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act provision that prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex relationships. Gay marriage is an issue I feel internal conflict about and I continue to struggle with it. However, I believe the right president could lead the country toward consensus around equal rights and benefits for all couples in committed, long-term relationships. |
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Averaging 1 percent. HRC Score: 100 of 100 in 109th Congress.
I believe that equality of opportunity should be afforded to all Americans regardless of race, color, creed, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. For that reason I support the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons to have the full protections and rights afforded under civil law, including the right to marry the person of their choice. |
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Averaging 26 percent. HRC Score: 89 of 100 in 109th Congress.
I believe civil unions should include the same legal rights that accompany a marriage license. I support the notion that all people — gay or straight — deserve the same rights and responsibilities to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, deserve equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to traditional married couples and deserve the same property rights as anyone else. However, I do not support gay marriage. Marriage has religious and social connotations and I consider marriage to be between a man and a woman. If I was president, however, I would oppose any effort to stifle a state’s ability to decide this question on its own. Whether it was a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage or a bill like the Defense of Marriage Act, I would oppose such efforts. |
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Averaging 4 percent. HRC Score: 78 of 100 in 104th Congress.
I am on record supporting domestic partnerships in New Mexico. As a matter of fact, when the regular legislative session adjourned this last session in 2007, I called a special session of the legislature and placed domestic partnerships legislation on the agenda, among other matter. Unfortunately, the legislature was unable to reach an agreement, but I remain committed to the legal recognition of domestic partnerships. |
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