Me again. Back with more "just the facts" (mostly) research on the candidates on the issues most important to me. Consider it a crash course. This edition: homos.
The candidates on gay marriage/civil unions:
John McCain does not support a US Constitutional Amendment barring gay marriage, stating that one might be "appropriate" if "state remedies to judicial action" fail. That position puts him at odds with his party and their renewed commitment to such an amendment in the 2008 platform. He is opposed to gay marriages and civil unions, though he believes that states should be able to set their own policies with regard to other types of arrangements. He's been a forceful advocate of two efforts at amending the Arizona state constitution, saying "I'm proud to have led an effort in my home state to change our state constitution and to protect the sanctity of marriage as between a man and woman." One such effort failed in 2006, but seems closer to passing this year. There are currently similar efforts underway in Florida and California. He voted for, and does not support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, the law that bars any federal agency from recognizing a civil or gay union of any kind. Sarah Palin has said that she'd support a ballot initiative in Alaska to to deny benefits to homosexual couples. She supported the successful 1998 amendment to the Alaska state constitution banning gay marriage.
Barack Obama likewise, does not support gay marriage, saying recently: "It's a union between a man and a woman...for me as a Christian, it is a sacred union. God's in the mix." He does not support a U.S. Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage. He does support nationally recognized same-sex civil unions with full marriage rights, saying: "I can afford those civil rights to others even if I don't have ... that view." He supports the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and has been supportive of state efforts to expand marriage rights, particularly in California. Joe Biden supports same-sex civil unions, and calls gay marriage is "inevitable."
The candidates on employment discrimination:
Most states and localities in the United States still allow the denial of employment or termination of employment on the basis of sexual orientation. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is the name of the current congressional effort to bar workplace discrimination federally. John McCain does not support it, and has voted against it. Barack Obama supports the bill, and sponsored similar legislation in the Illinois legislature. and supports expanding it to include protection for the transgendered (referred to as the "trans-inclusive" version of the bill). That position puts him out in front of even openly gay U.S. Representative Barney Frank and others, who believe that including gender identity protections could harm the bill's prospects. Joe Biden voted in favor of ENDA last year.
John McCain opposes the Employment Non-discrimination Act, and voted against passage, most recently, in 2007. The measure failed in the Senate by one vote. Sarah Palin is not on the record on the topic of workplace discrimination, but her state does not provide any protections.
The candidates on hate crimes legislation:
According to the FBI, one in six hate crimes occurs because of a victims sexual orientation. Under current law, the federal government has no authority to aid investigations or prosecutions of hate crimes against gays as it does in cases where the attack was perpetrated because of color, religion, race, or national origin. John McCain has voted against expanding hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation. Sarah Palin, likewise, is on the record saying that she does not support expanding hate crimes legislation. Barack Obama supports expanding the federal definition of hate crimes, and Joe Biden is a co-sponsor of the 2007 legislation.
The candidates on gays in the military:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden support the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and the open service of gays and lesbians in the military. Biden calls it "ridiculous". John McCain fully supports Don't Ask, Don't Tell. 12,000 and counting service members have been booted from the military since the policy was enacted.
On gay adoption:
John McCain is opposed to any form of gay adoption, expressing a preference that children remain in the foster care system (interview video here). Sarah Palin is not, to my knowledge, on the record on the issue. Barack Obama and Joe Biden support gay adoption rights.
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My take?
There's no contest on this one. While Senator Obama's religious opposition to the concept of gay marriage is indefensible, and is the same stance that I tore into John Edwards for, the fact remains that Obama would be the most forward-looking President on gay issues that this country has ever seen, standing up for almost every issue of importance to gays and lesbians. His opposition to the terminology "marriage" in favor of a civil arrangements with the same rights may rankle me a bit, but as a practical matter, there's not much difference. John McCain would proudly look to either maintain the status quo (at best), or move backward (esp. in the case of gay adoption). It's easy to forget that it was only five years ago that the Supreme Court decriminalized gay sex in this country. John McCain has only praise for the Justices in the narrow minority on that decision, and says that they are the type he'd like to nominate more of. His willingness to allow states some leeway on offering partnership benefits, while simultaneously supporting every state effort to block those rights may put him ahead of his party, but it hardly makes him a candidate that gay people have any reason to get behind.
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