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 Obama Courts Gay Vote
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: February 28, 2008 - 12:00 pm ET
(Washington) Democratic presidential
frontrunner Barack Obama appealed for support Thursday from the LGBT community
but maintained his opposition to same-sex marriage, preferring instead civil
unions.
In what his campaign called an open letter to the
gay community Obama touted his support for passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate
Crimes Act and an inclusive ENDA.
"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," the letter said.
"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.
The letter goes on to say that if elected
president he would use the bully pulpit "to urge states to treat same-sex
couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws."
But he also said "I personally believe that
civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment."
In the letter Obama said that "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."
And he said that "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.
Obama also said that he supports the repeal of
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
"The next president must also address the
HIV/AIDS epidemic," the letter said.
"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."
The open letter was released as Obama prepares to
run ads in four major LGBT newspapers in Texas and Ohio in advance of Democratic
Party primaries.
Gays criticized Obama last October for using
gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who says homosexuality is a choice, during the
campaign in South Carolina.
McClurkin is a Grammy Award winner who performed
at the Republican National Convention in 2004. He told AP Radio in an interview
that September that he was "once involved with those desires and those
thoughts," but God turned him away from them.
A large number of gay activists have supported
Sen. Clinton's bid for the Democratic nomination. As support for Obama
grows Thursday's letter is seen as an attempt to get many of those to swing over
to support his campaign.
©365Gay.com 2008
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