Obama: Prop 8 'Unnecessary ...
I Am Not in Favor of Gay Marriage'
The next president of our country went on MTV and gave his thoughts on Prop 8 and gay marriage. He danced around how he opposes the ballot measure based on constitutional reasons, and believes the hateful initiative is "unnecessary," then segued into restating his support for keeping gays away from the institution of marriage. It breaks my heart that a man whose parents, if they were born in another era, because of their mixed races, would have been denied access to the right to marriage, can't see fit to embrace gay marriage equality.
Here is a chunk of the story from MTV's site:
When an MTV viewer wanted to know what Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama thought of Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment on the 2008 California general-election ballot that would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry, MTV News brought the question straight to the man himself."I think it's unnecessary," Obama told Sway, in response to a question sent in by Gangstagigz from San Leandro, California. "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that's not what America's about. Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don't contract them."
You sent us your questions, and on Saturday afternoon (November 1), Sway brought them directly to the Democratic party's choice for the nation's highest office. During a campaign stop in Henderson, Nevada, Senator Obama answered those questions in a very honest and candid discussion called "Ask Obama," ...
In addition to expressing his opposition to Proposition 8, Obama said he believes and supports "strong civil unions ... that provide legal rights to same-sex couples [so] that they can visit each other in the hospital if they get sick, [so] they can transfer property to each other. If they've got benefits, they can make sure those benefits apply to their partners. I think that's the direction we need to go in. I think young people are ahead of the curve on this for the most part. Their attitude, generally, is that we should be respectful of all people, and that's the kind of politics I want to practice."
I am loathe to say this, but, the Yes on 8 campaign could take his comment to MTV opposing gay marriage and use it to score votes on Tuesday. I hope that doesn't happen.
It is a sad day in America when BOTH major Presidential candidates openly support discrimination regarding equal access to STATE, CIVIL marriage. Whatever happened to separation of Church and State? And whatever happened to learning from our mistakes, when American "prevented miscegenation" by banning inter-racial marriage? Obama's comments against Prop 8 are appreciated, but his remarks against gay marraige are unconscionable, considering his own parents' background. Of all people! He possibly wouldn't BE HERE if inter-racial marriage weren't allowed. That's like when Colin Powell supported discrimination against gay and lesbian soldiers when he defended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as an African-American military official. These African-American officials need to understand that if the kind of discrimination against them years ago was wrong, then the discrimination against gay and lesbian American citizens is wrong now. That's like getting in the door of Equality, and once inside, slamming it shut for everyone else. Gay and Lesbian Americans who VOTE for Barack Obama are going to have to hold him accountable as President for standing up for us, or he will face our wrath if he tries to win re-election with Gay and Lesbian support.
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