Obama Expresses Desire to Work in Favor of Full Equality

[papapi]

Letter from Barack Obama to Alice

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the opportunity to welcome everyone to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's Pride Breakfast and to congratulate you on continuing a legacy of success, stretching back thirty-six years. As one the oldest and most influential LGBT organizations in the country, you have continually rallied to support Democratic candidates and causes, and have fought tirelessly to secure equal rights and opportunities for LGBT Americans in California and throughout the country.

As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same sex couples under both state and federal law. That is why I support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, and the passage of laws to protect LGBT Americans from hate crimes and employment discrimination. And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.

For too long. issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. This is no less than a core issue about who we are as Democrats and as Americans.

Finally, I want to congratulate all of you who have shown your love for each other by getting married these last few weeks. My thanks again to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club for allowing me to be a part of today's celebration. I look forward to working with you in the coming months and years, and I wish you all continued success.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club

Does Barack Obama have a plan for pushing through Marriage Equality that has not been revealed to us?

[Ian David]

1. See also: Barack Obama pledges to repeal DOMA and to end the plague of anti-gay amendments

Barack Obama pledges to repeal DOMA and to end the plague of anti-gay amendments
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6456948&mesg_id=6456948

[Ian David]

2. What he's proposing sounds a lot like a Federal Civil Union to me...

... along with a federal law requiring every state to also have full Civil Unions.

[papapi]

3. Do you believe this will satisfy the GLBTQ community? We speak often . . .

about civil unions being 'separate but equal' and Jim Crow'. How do you think Obama will overcome these objections, or will he? Separation of church and state? Some other way? That's what I'm trying to get at in this post. Is there something equal in all ways but will not be called marriage? I think we need to rewrite our laws on marriage but I have been thoroughly trounced on this forum whenever I mention it.

[Ian David]

4. Separation of State and Marriage. That's the correct way to do it.

The government performs Civil Unions for everyone-- gay or straight. Nothing called "Marriage" should be performed or recognized by the government.

And then various religious denominations are free to recognize-- or not-- any kind of marriage they see fit, but those marriages will carry no legal weight.

Get the government out of the marriage business, and get religion out of the MARRIAGE LICENSE business.

This is how much of Europe has done it for centuries.