by Joshua Lynsen
Jun 4 2007, 3:14 PM  |     |     |  

All eight Democratic presidential candidates support granting gays in state-sanctioned unions the 1,100 federal benefits they lack.

According to a scorecard released Saturday by 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 to Washington Blade 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 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.”

Few back gay 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.”

Other stances uniform

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 forced.

Biden called the policy “antiquated and unworkable” and noted 24 nations working alongside the U.S. in Iraq permit gays to serve openly.

“Finally,” he said, “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.”

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.

“As the father of two young daughters who may grow up to have a different sexual orientation than their parents, my greatest hope is that they will be treated with the same fairness and respect as everyone else, in every aspect of their lives,” Dodd said. “I would hope that all Americans would approach these issues as if it were their own children and grandchildren.”

HRC spokesperson Brad Luna said the organization hopes to release a similar scorecard for the Republican candidates later this year.

Joshua Lynsen can be reached at jlynsen@washblade.com.

Permalink