Ms Shriver, the wife of Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger,
is a niece of former President John F Kennedy
.
(pinknews.co.uk, 27/10/2008) Maria Shriver, the wife of Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, has publicly expressed her support for same-sex marriage in the state.
A ballot measure on election day, November 4th, seeks to ban gay and lesbians from getting married.
Proposition 8 has the support of church groups in California and many Republican politicians.
"I believe in people's right to choose a partner that they love, and that's a decision that I have come to, and I have felt that way for a long time," said Ms Shriver, a niece of former President John F Kennedy.
Her husband has also publicly opposed Proposition 8.
Computer giant Apple has declared Prop 8 a civil rights issue and donated $100,000 to the campaign to defeat it.
Google has also publicly backed gay marriage.
"We strongly believe that a person's fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation," Apple said in a statement.
Last week a Public Policy Institute of California found Proposition 8 losing 52% to 44% among likely voters.
4% are undecided. In polls taken in August and September by the institute found double digit leads for opponents of the measure.
Proposition 8 would amend the state Constitution to "eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry."
In May the California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriages in the state.
The Court voted 4 to 3 to strike down the ban.
Opponents of gay marriage raised more than a million signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot.
(pinknews.co.uk, 27/10/2008) Maria Shriver, the wife of Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, has publicly expressed her support for same-sex marriage in the state.
A ballot measure on election day, November 4th, seeks to ban gay and lesbians from getting married.
Proposition 8 has the support of church groups in California and many Republican politicians.
"I believe in people's right to choose a partner that they love, and that's a decision that I have come to, and I have felt that way for a long time," said Ms Shriver, a niece of former President John F Kennedy.
Her husband has also publicly opposed Proposition 8.
Computer giant Apple has declared Prop 8 a civil rights issue and donated $100,000 to the campaign to defeat it.
Google has also publicly backed gay marriage.
"We strongly believe that a person's fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation," Apple said in a statement.
Last week a Public Policy Institute of California found Proposition 8 losing 52% to 44% among likely voters.
4% are undecided. In polls taken in August and September by the institute found double digit leads for opponents of the measure.
Proposition 8 would amend the state Constitution to "eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry."
In May the California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriages in the state.
The Court voted 4 to 3 to strike down the ban.
Opponents of gay marriage raised more than a million signatures to place the initiative on the November ballot.
.
Αλήθεια, οι Ελληνίδες Πρώτες Κυρίες τι λένε για το δικό μας Σύμφωνο Συμβίωσης (μόνο για ετερόφυλα ζευγάρια);
11 σχόλια:
Maria Shriver opposes Proposition 8
By Aurelio Rojas (The Sacramento Bee, 27/10/2008)
California's First Lady Maria Shriver said she will vote against a ballot measure on the Nov. 4 ballot that would end same-sex marriage in the state.
"I'm voting NO on Prop 8," Shriver said in an interview broadcast Sunday on Los Angeles television station KNBC's "Channel 4 News Conference," a public service program. "I believe in a people's right to choose a partner that they love."
Her husband, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been largely silent on the proposed constitutional amendment since he announced in April that "I will always be there to fight" against the measure.
Julie Soderlund, a spokeswoman for the governor, said last week "the governor's position on Proposition 8 is clear - he does not support it."
"But during the course of (this) week, the governor is going to be completely focused on Proposition 11, which has been his priority since he was elected to office," Soderlund said.
In the TV interview, Shriver, a Democrat, said she also supports Proposition 11, which would strip state lawmakers of the power to draw political boundaries for their own districts.
"It's important because I think it makes the districts more competitive," Shriver said.
While neither of the following issues are on the ballot, Shriver said she also supports ending term limits for lawmakers and the requirement that the state budget have the vote of a two-thirds majority of the Legislature.
The Republican governor has supported changes to the current term limits law and said he would be open to exploring the two-thirds majority issue, which has contributed to a series of late budgets in the state.
Mrs. Governator Says No on Prop. 8, but Where's Arnold?
Posted by Teddy Partridge (alternet.org, 27/10/2008)
Maria Shriver has declared that she will vote no on 8, but her husband has been silent on the matter recently.
California First Lady Maria Shriver revealed today in an interview on KNBC-TV in Los Angeles that she will vote against Proposition 8, which would eliminate marriage equality. Her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, previously announced he would oppose the measure but has been silent on it recently.
LOS ANGELES -- California's first lady says she is voting against a ballot initiative that would prohibit same-sex couples from getting married in California.
Maria Shriver said in an interview with KNBC-TV in Los Angeles that she is voting no on Proposition 8.
Shriver said, "I believe in people's right to choose a partner that they love, and that's a decision that I have come to, and I have felt that way for a long time."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also opposes Prop. 8.
I wonder if the state's first couple has donated money to the NO campaign? And I wonder if the governor, who promised the Log Cabin Republicans last spring that he would "be there" to defeat the measure, will take any time from further destruction to the state's budget to speak out this final week against hate?
Back in April, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed to fight any attempt to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. "I will always be there to fight against that because it should never happen," he told the Log Cabin Republicans at their San Diego convention -- a month before the state Supreme Court recognized the right of gays and lesbians to marry. And after that ruling, the governor again promised to oppose the effort to take away that right -- now known as Proposition 8.
But Schwarzenegger has been awfully quiet about an issue that could use his visible presence. Not that he has switched camps. He just hasn't been showing up to remind Californians that they generally champion expansive civil rights, not the elimination of such rights. He hasn't been around to reassure voters that their churches won't have to conduct same-sex marriages and their preschoolers won't have to attend gay weddings.
He attends rallies for Proposition 11, on redistricting, but is quiet about opposing Prop. 8.
Arnold built his California political persona around education. He should speak out about the lies being told about Prop 8 about schoolchildren. And he should speak out now.
Συμφωνώ με το πιο πάνω άρθρο. Σημασία έχει τί κάνει ο ίδιος ο κυβερνήτης της Καλιφόρνιας και ποιες ακριβώς πολιτικές πρωτοβουλίες έχει αναλάβει για να ηττηθεί μία συνταγματική τροπολογία που κατά δήλωσή του τον βρίσκει αντίθετο. Το τί πιστεύει η σύζυγός του ποιον ενδιαφέρει;
Το γράφω αυτό γιατί ειδικά στην Αμερική είναι πολύ συνηθισμένο φαινόμενο οι πολιτικοί να στέλνουν τις γυναίκες τους να βγάλουν τα γκέι κάστανα από τη φωτιά ώστε να μπορούν οι ίδιοι να τηρούν τις αποστάσεις τους. Είναι γνωστό π.χ. ότι η Μισέλ Ομπάμα έχει αναλάβει να εκπροσωπεί τον σύζυγό της σε όλες τις επαφές με τη γκέι κοινότητα ενώ ο ίδιος αποφεύγει μέχρι και συνεντέυξεις να δώσει σε γκέι ΜΜΕ!
Σημασία έχει ποιες ενέργειες έχουν αναλάβει οι κκ. Ομπάμα και Σβαρτζενέγκερ για να ηττηθεί η συγκεκριμένη πρωτοβουλία αυτοπροσώπως και όχι μέσω αντιπροσώπων. Με δεδομένη την επιρροή που έχει ο πρώτος στους αφροαμερικάνους ψηφοφόρους και ο δεύτερος στους ρεπουμπλικάνους, μια δυναμική δημόσια παρέμβαση εκ μέρους τους εναντίον της τροπολογίας θα μπορούσε να αποβεί καθοριστική.
Εναντίον της τροπολογίας έχει μιλήσει πάντως ο υποψήφιος αντιπρόεδρος Μπάιντεν, νομίζω στην εκπομπή της Έλεν, εκφράζοντας και τη θέση του Ομπάμα. Και ο Μπάιντεν δεν είναι σύζυγος, είναι πολιτικό πρόσωπο, δεύτερος τη τάξει μετά τον Ομπάμα.
Και ο Ομπάμα, ή μάλλον το επιτελείο του, έχει δώσει συνεντεύξεις σε γκέι MME, καταφεύγοντας μάλλον σε γενικότητες. Όπως συνεντεύξεις έχει δώσει και ο ΜακΚέιν. Οι γκέι ψηφοφόροι είναι υπολογίσιμη δύναμη στην Αμερική και δεν θα μπορούσαν να τους αγνοήσουν εντελώς - αλλά μέχρις εκεί.
@ anonymous
Έχεις δίκιο ότι ο Ομπάμα έχει δώσει συνεντεύξεις σε γκέι ΜΜΕ - τέσσερις νομίζω έως τώρα. Και δεν νομίζω ότι υπήρξε τόσο γενικόλογος όσο περιγράφεις. Άυτό δεν αλλάζει το γεγονός ότι παραμένει εξαιρετικά φειδωλός στις σχέσεις του με τον γκέι τύπο - τέσσερις συνεντεύξεις σε 18 μήνες είναι ελάχιστες, πόσο μάλλον αν συγκριθούν με τις δεκάδες συνεντεύξεις του που έχει δώσει π.χ. στα ισπανόφωνα ΜΜΕ και σε άλλα μέσα που απευθύνονται σε μειονότητες.
Τόσο ο Ομπάμα όσο και ο Μπάιντεν έχουν δηλώσει δημοσίως ότι είναι ανίθετοι με την Proposition 8. Το ίδιο και ο Σβαρτζενέγκερ. Και οι τρεις τους όμως έχουν επιλέξει να μην αναλάβουν κανέναν ορατό ή ενεργό ρόλο στη σχετική προεκλογική εκστρατεία είτε μέσω δημόσιων ομιλιών ή διαγγελμάτων, είτε μέσω διαφημιστικών μηνυμάτων κτλ. Ειδικα για τον Ομπάμα αυτό έχει μεγάλη σημασία καθώς μια προσωπική του παρέμβαση θα μπορούσε να μεταπείσει πολλούς αφροαμερικάνους ψηφοφόρους που σύμφωνα με τις δημοσκοπήσεις παραμένει η πιο εχθρική ομάδα.
Barack Obama's Open Letter to Gay Americans
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.
Barack Obama
Η επιστολή του Obama είναι από 2/2008
και η παρακάτω συνέντευξη από 4/2008
Obama Talks All Things LGBT With The Advocate
In an exclusive Chicago sit-down with The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld, Democratic front-runner Barack Obama discusses "don't ask, don't tell," the Reverend Wright, and what he would do for LGBT Americans if he becomes president.
Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
By Kerry Eleveld (advocate, April 10, 2008)
Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama has been weathering a small storm lately in the LGBT community for being too tight-lipped with gay and lesbian news media.
Unlike his rival Hillary Clinton, who's given interviews to Logo and several local papers since appearing on the cover of The Advocate last fall, the Illinois senator has talked only once, to The Advocate, to address the Donnie McClurkin controversy. But last week his campaign offered our magazine an exclusive sit-down in Chicago with the man who may well become the next president of the United States.
To some extent, it symbolizes the brilliance of a protracted primary contest where candidates continually pivot and adjust in order to engage ever more voters. Had the race stopped cold in the snows of New Hampshire, gays and lesbians would have been left with one interview of record for each Democratic candidate in total.
But in a wide-ranging interview this Monday, Obama discussed "don't ask, don't tell," the Reverend Wright, and why LGBT folks should lead on marriage equality, not politicians. Some may call the chat a shrewd political move by the Obama camp ahead of the April 22 Pennsylvania primary. We call it access.
The Advocate: Let’s start with what’s hot -- why the silence on gay issues? You’ve done only one other interview with the LGBT press. I know people wish they were hearing more from you.
Senator Obama: I don’t think it’s fair to say "silence" on gay issues. The gay press may feel like I’m not giving them enough love. But basically, all press feels that way at all times. Obviously, when you’ve got a limited amount of time, you’ve got so many outlets. We tend not to do a whole bunch of specialized press. We try to do general press for a general readership.
But I haven’t been silent on gay issues. What’s happened is, I speak oftentimes to gay issues to a public general audience. When I spoke at Ebenezer Church for King Day, I talked about the need to get over the homophobia in the African-American community; when I deliver my stump speeches routinely I talk about the way that antigay sentiment is used to divide the country and distract us from issues that we need to be working on, and I include gay constituencies as people that should be treated with full honor and respect as part of the American family.
So I actually have been much more vocal on gay issues to general audiences than any other presidential candidate probably in history. What I probably haven’t done as much as the press would like is to put out as many specialized interviews. But that has more to do with our focus on general press than it does on… I promise you, the African-American press says the same thing.
And Spanish-language?
And Spanish-language [outlets] had the same gripe. Just generally, we have generally tried to speak to broader audiences. That’s all that is.
I think the underlying fear of the gay community is that if you get into office, will LGBT folks be last on the priority list?
I guess my point would be that the fact that I’m raising issues accordant to the LGBT community in a general audience rather than just treating you like a special interest that is sort of off in its own little box -- that, I think, is more indicative of my commitment. Because ultimately what that shows is that I’m not afraid to advocate on your behalf outside of church, so to speak. It’s easy to preach to the choir; what I think is harder is to speak to a broader audience about why these issues are important to all Americans.
If you were elected, what do you plan to do for the LGBT community -- what can you reasonably get done?
I reasonably can see “don’t ask, don’t tell” eliminated. I think that I can help usher through an Employment Non-Discrimination Act and sign it into law.
You think it’s transgender-inclusive?
I think that’s going to be tough, and I’ve said this before. I have been clear about my interest in including gender identity in legislation, but I’ve also been honest with the groups that I’ve met with that it is a heavy lift through Congress. We’ve got some Democrats who are willing to vote for a noninclusive bill, but we lose them on an inclusive bill, and we just may not be able to generate the votes. I don’t know. And obviously, my goal would be to get the strongest possible bill -- that’s what I’ll be working for.
The third thing I believe I can get done is in dealing with federal employees, making sure that their benefits, that their ability to transfer health or pension benefits the same way that opposite-sex couples do, is something that I’m interested in making happen and I think can be done with some opposition, some turbulence, but I think we can get that done.
And finally, an area that I’m very interested in is making sure that federal benefits are available to same-sex couples who have a civil union. I think as more states sign civil union bills into law the federal government should be helping to usher in a time when there’s full equality in terms of what that means for federal benefits.
I assume you’re talking about the Defense of Marriage Act.
Absolutely, and I for a very long time have been interested in repeal of DOMA.
Do you think it’s possible to get full repeal of DOMA? As you know, Senator Clinton is only looking at repealing the plank of DOMA that prohibits the federal government from recognizing state-sanctioned unions.
I don’t know. But my commitment is to try to make sure that we are moving in the direction of full equality, and I think the federal government historically has led on civil rights -- I’d like to see us lead here too.
Back to “don’t ask, don’t tell” real quick -- you’ve said before you don’t think that’s a heavy lift. Of course, it would be if you had Joint Chiefs who were against repeal. Is that something you’ll look at?
I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Obviously, there are so many issues that a member of the Joint Chiefs has to deal with, and my paramount obligation is to get the best possible people to keep America safe. But I think there’s increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that this is a counterproductive strategy -- ya know, we’re spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn’t make us more safe, and what I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology.
Both you and your wife speak eloquently about being told to wait your turn and how if you had done that, you might not have gone to law school or run for Senate or even president. To some extent, isn’t that what you’re asking same-sex couples to do by favoring civil unions over marriage -- to wait their turn?
I don’t ask them that. Anybody who’s been at an LGBT event with me can testify that my message is very explicit -- I don’t think that the gay and lesbian community, the LGBT community, should take its cues from me or some political leader in terms of what they think is right for them. It’s not my place to tell the LGBT community, "Wait your turn." I’m very mindful of Dr. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” where he says to the white clergy, "Don’t tell me to wait for my freedom."
So I strongly respect the right of same-sex couples to insist that even if we got complete equality in benefits, it still wouldn’t be equal because there’s a stigma associated with not having the same word, marriage, assigned to it. I understand that, but my perspective is also shaped by the broader political and historical context in which I’m operating. And I’ve said this before -- I’m the product of a mixed marriage that would have been illegal in 12 states when I was born. That doesn’t mean that had I been an adviser to Dr. King back then, I would have told him to lead with repealing an antimiscegenation law, because it just might not have been the best strategy in terms of moving broader equality forward.
That’s a decision that the LGBT community has to make. That’s not a decision for me to make.
Is it fair for the LGBT community to ask for leadership? In 1963, President Kennedy made civil rights a moral issue for the country.
But he didn’t overturn antimiscegenation. Right?
True enough.
As I said, I think the LGBT community has every right to push for what it thinks is right. And I think that it’s absolutely fair to ask me for leadership, and my argument would be that I’m ahead of the curve on these issues compared to 99% of most elected officials around the country on this issue. So I think I’ve shown leadership.
What event or person has most affected your perceptions of or relationship to the LGBT community?
Well, it starts with my mom, who just always instilled in me a belief that everybody’s of equal worth and a strong sense of empathy -- that you try to see people through their eyes, stand in their shoes. So I think that applies to how I see all people.
Somebody else who influenced me, I actually had a professor at Occidental -- now, this is embarrassing because I might screw up his last name -- Lawrence Goldyn, I think it was. He was a wonderful guy. He was the first openly gay professor that I had ever come in contact with, or openly gay person of authority that I had come in contact with. And he was just a terrific guy. He wasn’t proselytizing all the time, but just his comfort in his own skin and the friendship we developed helped to educate me on a number of these issues.
Did you have a chance to ask him about being gay?
I’m sure we did, but as I said, he was really comfortable in his own skin, and the relationship was a strong friendship and I never felt as if I had to get over any mental hurdles to be close to him or to learn from him. He’s probably somebody who had a strong influence.
SGN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Obama talks, McCain balks
by Mark Segal - Philadelphia Gay News 9/2008
In this election season, the Gay History Project attempted to bring you the views of both the Democratic and Republican candidates for president - just as we attempted to bring you the views of the top two candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination for the spring primary. The format for both candidates was to be the same: the same questions, with no follow-up questions and the same time limit. And since April, we have repeatedly reached out to Republican Sen. John McCain's press representative Jill Hazelbaker by phone, letter and e-mail.
Once it became clear that McCain would not participate, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign put no conditions on the interview. Obama spoke to Mark Segal by phone August 16; an audio version of the interview will be posted at www.epgn.com. In his first interview with the Gay press since he officially took the Democratic nomination, here's what Obama had to say.
Mark Segal: You are the most LGBT-friendly candidate running for president in history. Are you concerned that John McCain and the Republicans might use this as a divisive issue as they did in 2004?
Barack Obama: No. I think they can try, but I don't think it will work for a couple of reasons. Number one, I think that the American peoples' attitudes with respect to LGBT issues are continuing to evolve. I think people are becoming more and more aware of the need to treat all people equally regardless of sexual orientation. There are some people who disagree with that, but frankly those folks - many of them - probably have already made their minds up about this election earlier.
Segal: You've talked about your many Gay friends. Would you and Michelle be comfortable attending their commitment ceremony?
Obama: We would. But I'll be honest with you that, these days, I can't go anywhere.
Segal: The current President Bush has used signing orders to change military rules and regulations. If White House counsel advised you that you could end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by attaching a signing order to a military appropriations bill, would you?
Obama: I would not do it that way. The reason is because I want to make sure that when we revert "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it's gone through a process and we've built a consensus, or at least a clarity of & what my expectations are, so that it works. My first obligation as the president is to make sure that I keep the American people safe and that our military is functioning effectively. Although I have consistently said I would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be. That's how we were able to integrate the armed services to get women more actively involved in the armed services. At some point, you got to make a decision that that's the right thing to do, but you always want to make sure that you are doing it in a way that maintains our core mission in our military.
Segal: Many lawyers contend that the Defense of Marriage Act passed by Congress is unconstitutional. It takes away over 1,100 rights, including IRS joint filings. If a suit is filed in federal court, would you expect or instruct your attorney general to join in that suit with an amicus brief questioning its legality?
Obama: I would want to review carefully any lawsuit that was filed. This is probably my carryover from being a constitutional lawyer. Here's where I can tell you [what] my principle is: DOMA was an unnecessary encroachment by the federal government in an area traditionally reserved for the state. I think that it was primarily sent as a message to score political points instead of work through these difficult issues. I recognize why it was done. I'm sympathetic to the political pressures involved, but I think that we need to bring it to a close and my preference would be to work through a legislative solution. I would also point out that if it's going before this court, I'm not sure what chances it would have to be overturned. I think we're going to have to take a different approach, but I am absolutely committed to the concept [that] it is not necessary.
Segal: In last year's [Gay] History Project, Elaine Noble, who was one of the first elected [Gay] officials in the country, referring to her discussions with Harvey Milk, said "I think we both knew that one of us was going to die." Milk, of course, was killed. As the first African-American president, have you and Michelle discussed this?
Obama: We don't spend time worrying about security issues. We have Secret Service protection, which is the best in the world. Obviously we take precautions and listen to them, but what I spend the day thinking about is how do I get my message out that we need to change this country to make it more just and more fair, to make sure the economy is growing on behalf of middle-class Americans, make sure kids can go to college and bringing this war in Iraq to an end. That's what I spend my time thinking about.
Segal: In the wake of the torture murder of Matthew Shepard [in 1998], Sen. McCain voted against adding sexual orientation to the definition of hate crimes and says he'll vote against it again. Isn't this inconsistent for a man who knows torture?
Obama: You'll have to ask Sen. McCain that. Here's what I can say. There is no doubt that hate crimes based on sexual orientation are all-too prevalent. It is something that we have to hit back hard against and identify these vicious crimes for what they are: hate crimes. This is something that I believe in and will continue to believe in when I am president.
Segal: President Reagan, President Bush and President Clinton, when meeting world leaders, have raised human-rights questions. Amnesty International has documented countries that imprison, torture and kill Gay men, some of which are very close U.S. allies. Would you be willing to raise that question when meeting with those leaders?
Obama: I think that the treatment of Gays, Lesbians and Transgender persons is part of this broader human-rights discussion. I think it is not acceptable that we would in any way carve out exceptions for our broader human-rights advocacy to exclude violations of human rights based on sexual orientation. I think that has to be part and parcel of any conversations we have about human rights.
Mark Segal is publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News. He can be reached at mark@epgn.com.
Obama's Moment Of Truth On Gay Equality
As expected, one reason Proposition 8, stripping gay couples of marriage equality, is still viable in California is because of strong African-American support. Black Californians back the anti-gay measure by a margin of 20 points, 58 - 38, in the SUSA poll. No other ethnic group comes close to the level of opposition and black turnout is likely to be very high next month.
All this makes it vital, in my opinion, that Barack Obama strongly and unequivocally oppose Proposition 8 in California, rather than keeping mainly quiet as he has done so far. We need him to make an ad opposing it. This is a core test of whether gay Americans should back Obama as enthusiastically as they have in the last month. If he does not stand up for gay couples now, why should we believe he will when he is in office? And if black Americans are the critical bloc that helps kill civil rights for gays, that will not help deepen Obama's governing coalition. It could tear it apart.
Memo to Obama: make an ad. Speak loudly. Defend equality. Defend it when it might actually lose you some votes. Show us you are not another Clinton.
Andrew Sullivan 20/10/2008
Νομίζω ότι η γλαφυρότητα και η ευφράδεια του Ομπάμα όπως προκύπτει από τις δύο συνεντεύξεις που δημοσιεύει ο Erva είναι εντυπωσιακές. Επιπλόν φαίνεται πολύ ενημερωμένος για τα γκέι θέματα και οι θέσεις που εκφράζει είναι αναλυτικές και σχεδόν στο σύνολό τους θετικές - εκτός βέβαια από τον γάμο όπου ξεγλιστράει με χαρακτηριστική ευκολία.
Το θέμα είναι αν θα έχει τη διάθεση και την πολιτική ικανότητα να υλοποιήσει έστω και τα μισά από αυτά που λέει στις συνεντεύξεις του σε περίπτωση που εκλεγεί. Και στο θέμα του Proposition 8 θα μπορούσε να βοηθήσει πολύ περισσότερο αν ήθελε - δεν φαίνεται όμως να έχει τη διάθεση να το κάνει.
Έστω και τα μισά να πετύχει, θα είναι μεγάλη πρόοδος, ιδίως μετά τα τελευταία οχτώ χρόνια.
Φυσικά εξαρτάται και από το αν το Κογκρέσσο υιοθετήσει ή όχι τις προτάσεις του, καθώς η ανάκλιση του DOMA, που θα ήταν η πλέον ουσιαστική συμβολή που θα μπορούσε μεσοπρόθεσμα να κάνει, χρειάζεται κοινοβουλευτική έγκριση.
Επιπλέον, η μεγαλύτερη συμβολή του μακροπρόθεσμα δεν είναι τόσο το τι θα κάνει στα 4 ή 8 χρόνια που μπορεί να είναι πρόεδρος, αλλά στους δικαστές που θα προτείνει για το Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο. Αν εκλεγεί ο McCain, θα προτείνει κατά πάσα πιθανότητα συντηριτικούς δικαστικούς, με ό,τι αυτό συνεπάγεται. Καθώς όλα τα επίμαχα και ακανθώδη θέματα, όπως τα gay δικαιώματα, τελικά κρίνονται στο Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο, οι επιπτώσεις εκεί έχουν χρονικό ορίζοντα τουλάχιστον μιας γεννιάς!
Όσο για τις γυναίκες των πολιτικών, αγαπητέ gsh, ο ρόλος τους στις ΗΠΑ είναι πολύ διαφορετικός από αυτόν στην Ελλάδα, και πολύ μας ενδιαφέρει τι λένε και τι θέσεις παίρνουν. Σε θέματα κοινωνικά, μάλιστα, η επιρροή μιας δήλωσης συζύγου πολιτικού μπορεί να είναι μεγαλύτερη από το αν την ίδια δήλωση την έκανε ο πολιτικός ο ίδιος.
Στην προκειμένη περίπτωση, μια νέα δήλωση του Schwarzenneger θα βοηθούσε λιγάκι, πολύ βάρος όντως θα είχε και μια δήλωση του Obama. Σωστἀ το θέτει ο Sullivan.
Το πρόβλημα του Obama είναι ότι προσπαθεί να οικοδομήσει προφίλ μετριοπαθούς πολιτικού, για να μπορέσει να κερδίσει τις εκλογές. Οι αντίπαλοί του τον κατηγορούν ότι είναι πιο liberal (δηλ. αριστερός, με την ελληνική σημασία) απ᾽ὀ,τι λέει. Κάθε ενέργειά του προς αυτή την κατεύθυνση μπορεί να απομακρύνει τους κεντροδεξιούς αμφιταλαντευόμενους ψηφοφόρους των swing states, οι οποίοι ίσως κρίνουν τις εκλογές. Δύσκολη ισορροπία...
Δημοσίευση σχολίου