"Barack Obama supported gay rights during his Illinois Senate tenure."

[usregimechange]

Barack Obama and Gay Rights in Illinois: Barack Obama supported gay rights during his Illinois Senate tenure. He sponsored legislation in Illinois that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Barack Obama in the United States Senate: Every two years the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay and lesbian organization, issues a scorecard for members of the Senate based on their sponsorship and voting on key issues of importance to gay and lesbian citizens. Barack Obama scored 89 out of 100% in the 2006 scorecard. Here's how HRC rated Barack Obama:

Barack Obama on Hate Crimes: Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to expand federal hate crimes laws to include crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Employment Non-Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes it should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Gays in the Military: Barack Obama believes we need to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. His campaign literature says, "The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve."

Gay & Lesbian Adoption: Barack Obama believes gays and lesbians should have the same rights to adopt children as heterosexuals.

http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbianactivism/p/BarackObama.htm

[billbuckhead]

1. But when push came to shove, BO shoved gays under the bus in South Carolina

[usregimechange]

3. What did he do?

[billbuckhead]

8. BO brought a know anti-gay bigot into his SC campaign, Donnie somebody

[knowledgeispwr]

14. Hillary just decided to use dog whistle politics through surrogates and her husband

repeatedly.

Only it backfired and she was going to send Bill on an "apology tour" of black churches in LA (should be in SC instead) but dispelled that notion once it out in the Washington Post and started making rounds on the blogs:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/02/bill_clinton_prepares_mea_culp.html

[billbuckhead]

27. What did she say? No Obama fan can ever say what she said?

It was a dog whistle only the Obama cult heard.

[aquart]

32. The young can hear a higher pitch than over 30s.

[jackson_dem]

34. And? A pox on both their houses

Obama was wrong. Hillary was wrong. Why can't folks be honest enough to admit Obama was? At least in Hillary's case you can argue she didn't use bigotry, although I believe she did play the race card.

Edwards ran a clean race but that got him third in South Carolina. Apparently using bigotry pays...

[ErnestoG]

18. Donnie somebody. That's it?

TELL me you are not thinking of attending law school.

[billbuckhead]

30. I didn't want to dignify Donnie whatever with a real name

Hey Che buddy, :+bama ain't no socialist or even a real liberal or he wouldn't have Raygun jizz dripping out his mouth.

[Clintonista2]

9. Went on tour with Donnie McClurkin

Tried to downplay the role McClurkin was going to play, then refused to apologize after.

[ErnestoG]

7. Really? How many did he squeeze under the axle?

Honestly, you need to go repeat the Bad Propaganda course at the community college. And ask for your money back.

[Alexander]

11. Spare me the fake outrage. Obama's record is far better than the Clintons'.

Hillary was supporting parts of DOMA until very recently, something Obama never did.

:nopity:

[magatte]

19. He stood and spoke against homophobia in black community, in his most public speech right before SC

So Stop lying about him throwing anyone under the bus.
It was his MLK day speech, here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf0x_TpDris

and the text:
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/20/remarks_of_senato...

[ursi]

28. when push came to shove, the Clintons threw gays under the bus with Don't Ask, Don't Tell

[billbuckhead]

31. And allowed thousands of gays into the military

Politics is the art of the possible.

[mondo joe]

Bull. DADT was a compromise that let gays who wanted to serve do so. NT

[Recursion]

38. Counter-bull. DADT is a disaster

People forget the fact that DADT was the first ever protocol for dismissing a service member simply for being homosexual (surprised? the UCMJ has no article against being homosexual; both homosexuals and heterosexuals could be and still can be prosecuted for sodomy, however).

[Political Heretic]

45. And DOMA

[usregimechange]

2. He seems like a strong supporter of gay/equal rights to me

[ErnestoG]

4. Oh this is gonna drive the lynchmob nuts.

[sjdnb]

5. Great ... can you provide a link to his IL Senate Voting

Record? Cuz I've been trying to access it for months.

[usregimechange]

6. working on this hold on

[usregimechange]

17. Here is more, sorry I can't find the bill numbers, etc

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4360746

[ruggerson]

10. wow, you found this one webpage too

you're about the 900th Obama supporter to post this exact same page.

[usregimechange]

12. Stop the lies, here is another one for you to chew on

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4360746

[FrenchieCat]

16. Well, I guess I haven't see you posting anything about Hillary's support...so maybe that's what you

should do.


div class="excerpt"]
A call for full equality

by Sen. Barack Obama
Published Thursday, 08-Nov-2007 in issue 1037
Gay and Lesbian Times

Over the last several weeks, the question of GLBT equality was placed on center stage by the appearance of Donnie McClurkin at one of my campaign events. McClurkin is a talented performer and a beloved figure among many African Americans and Christians around the country. At the same time, he espouses beliefs about homosexuality that I completely reject.

The events of the last several weeks are not the occasion that I would have chosen to discuss America’s divisions on gay rights and my own deep commitment to GLBT equality. Now that the issue is before us, however, I do not intend to run away from it. These events have provided an important opportunity for us to confront a difficult fact: There are good, decent, moral people in this country who do not yet embrace their gay brothers and sisters as full members of our shared community.

We will not secure full equality for all GLBT Americans until we learn how to address that deep disagreement and move beyond it. To achieve that goal, we must state our beliefs boldly, bring the message of equality to audiences that have not yet accepted it, and listen to what those audiences have to say in return.

For my entire career in public life, I have brought the message of GLBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones. No other leading candidate in the race for the Presidency has demonstrated the same commitment to the principle of full equality. I support the full and unqualified repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. 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. I will also fight to repeal the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, a law that should never have been passed, and my Defense Department will work with top military leaders to implement that repeal.
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=10906

[mondo joe]

13. When he condemns his "ex-gay" friends we can talk.

[magatte]

22. He did condemn him ages ago. You are being dillusional and dishonest.

Directly from the Advocate:

http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid50101.asp


and from the horses mouth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIQLwe-MmxY

[mondo joe]

24. BS. He still hasn't apologized for McClurkin. NT

[CyberPieHole]

15. Donnie McClurkin and Barack Obama are in bed together...LGBTQ community tossed under the bus...

Obama panders to anti~gay bigots. They are proud of the fact.

[magatte]

20. He stood up against homophobia in black community, in his most public speech right before SC

How is that for political courage and commitment to the LGBT issues. THE day Hillary does this, will you please come back here and show us.


He did so in his MLK day speech in Ebenezer Church just days before the SC primary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf0x_TpDris

and the text:
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/20/remarks_of_senato...

[mondo joe]

21. Speeches are nice. To bad his action don't match. NT

[magatte]

23. What actions? Like Clinton's with 'Don't ask, Don't tell'?

He has ALWAYS fought to promote equal rights. He is a true believer in the Constitution of the United States.

[mondo joe]

25. Hillary Clinton did not enact DADT.

Furthermore, DADT was a step in the right direction - it was an improvement on the prior policy.

[ErnestoG]

29. DADT was Clintons IDEA. And he WHIMPED OUT.

Talk about "throwing gays under the bus"

[usregimechange]

37. BS, he has led on equal rights including pro-gay votes all his life

[jackson_dem]

35. Many candidates who use racism also "speak out" against racism

Does that make it okay?

[usregimechange]

26. above clinton supporter does not talk about Obama's lifetime pro-gay record or the openly gay

folks who worked the same events.

[ErnestoG]

40. Of course. Facts are highly inconvenient for them.

[Recursion]

39. Did you see his MLK day speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church?

He spoke very strongly against anti-gay bigotry.

[aquart]

33. Obama Noticed There are Gays in NY and CA!

At long last.

[hulklogan]

36. Since when does it matter what the "throw transgendered people to the wolves" HRC says about anyone?

And I'm disappointed with an 89% score, frankly. If Senator Obama truly supported GLBT issues, it would be a 100% score.

[LeftCoast]

41. Perhaps. But he still thinks being gay is a sin.

The sad fact is, both he and Clinton have roughly the same views on LGBT issues. The main difference between them is Obama's pandering to the McClurkin's of the world and his inappropriate "we're all sinners" comment.

[Kurovski]

42. K&R. (nt)

[donheld]

43. This gay man will quite happily support Obama come Tuesday

He has done enough to make me very happy with his positions on Gays and Lesbians.

[1776Forever]

44. Obama's statement on the Hate Crime Legislation he cosponsored - please read:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/12/9/20828/1298/45/4...

Obama released this statement after House and Senate Conferees failed to include the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. Obama is an original cosponsor of the legislation:

"The Senate took an important step forward in strengthening current law and fulfilling our nation’s founding principle of equality by passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act in September. While it is imperative that the Congress move this Defense Authorization bill, I am extremely disappointed that House and Senate negotiators failed to include this important provision in the bill being sent to the President.

"Hate crimes are unacceptable. All Americans deserve to live their lives without fear of hate driven attacks. Those who commit such heinous crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, no matter whether those crimes are committed on account of race, gender, gender identity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

"Almost 40 years after Congress first enacted a federal hate crimes law, it is our moral obligation to continue striving for equality, and ensure that the federal government, along with state and local jurisdictions, have the tools necessary to effectively prosecute these crimes. Given the rise in hate crimes nationally, failure to pass this vital legislation is truly unacceptable."

"I remember looking at some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle prior to the vote," he said. Their message was clear: A vote for this measure just might guarantee that this will be your only term in Congress.

"But you know what? "I'd rather be happily teaching back here in Mankato and able to look at myself in the mirror each morning than being in Congress knowing I didn't do the right thing."

*****************
It is very unfortunate that some who would like to undermine Obama's changes are out there trying to make him into something he isn't. Please go by his words and deeds, not by his supporters. :grouphug: