CLINTON EDWARDS SIDESTEP ON CIVIL UNIONS WHILE BARACKOBAMA STAYS CONSISTENT Here you can read the actual statements of these three candidates given to HRC. Clinton Edwards both say only those in "long term relationships" should be given the rights to civil unions! Why do they say these words? So they will have a LOOPHOLE when it comes to actual voting on the topic of civil unions for gays lesbians bisexuals and transgender TO ALL WHO GET THIS MAKE SURE YOU READ THE WHOLE THING AND THE REPORTS OF SUPPORT BY BARACK OBAMA AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL. Senator Obama is the only candidate running for president who urges legislation that asserts recognition of all committed couples without applying an arbitrary qualification to issue a license for marriage. He believes that qualification and grants of the privileged legal rights and benefits should be applied equally, regardless of sexual orientation of the two people involved. Senator Obama has listened and advocates equal marriage rights and benefits for all committed relationships regardless of sexual orientation. Please join me in working to elect Barack Obama as our next president. I like Obama's approach because it doesn't set up an opportunity for judgement and treats gay couples the same as straight couples. The duration and stability of a straight couple's relationship does not come into play when their rights are determined or granted. Why should that be any different for gay couples? Why should some bureaucrat be allowed to sit in judgement over whether or not a gay couple's relationship is "long-term" before granting the rights they seek for their legalized relationship? The fact that both Hillary and Edwards wish to create that opportunity for judgement of gay relationships that isn't present to qualify straight couples's legal rights, is the telling factor in how insincere they both are about the issue. Now, if Hilary and Edwards want to enact a law requiring a probationary period for straight couples before any of their lawful rights and benefits are granted to them, then that's great! Check out the specific candidate statements below." John Edwards HRC ASK 6. Currently, only Massachusetts recognizes equal marriage rights for same sex couples. Do you believe the civil institution of marriage (with absolutely no requirements imposed on religious institutions) should be made legally available to two committed adults of the same sex? Support X Oppose Comments HRC ASKS: If you do not believe that civil marriage for same‐sex couples should be made available to same‐sex couples on the same basis as opposite sex couples, is there any legal construct you do embrace that would extend legal recognition to same sex couples? HRC ASKS: If a state has taken the steps to recognize same sex couples and their families for purposes of state‐based benefits, rights, privileges and responsibilities (such as marriage in Massachusetts and civil unions in Vermont and Connecticut), should the federal government recognize the state's legal recognition of such couples and families for purposes of federal benfits and tax treatment? X Support Oppose Comments: EDWARDS SAYS: Yes. I believe that couples in committed, long‐term relationships should have the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities, whether they are straight couples or same‐Sex couples. I support civil unions to guarantee gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples, including inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, equal pension and health care benefits, and all of the 1,100 other legal protections government affords married couples. I support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act provision that prevents the federal government from recognizing same‐sex relationships. Gay marriage is an issue I feel internal conflict about and I continue to struggle with it. However, I believe the right president could lead the country toward consensus around equal rights and benefits for all couples in commtted, long‐term relationships. HRC ASKS: 7. According to a 2004 GAO report, over 1,100 benefits, rights and privileges are provided to married couples and their families in federal law that are not available to same‐sex couples. Do you support extending federal benefits, rights, privileges and responsibilities to same‐sex couples (and their children) provided the partnership meets certain federal standards of commitment and mutuality of interest? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Specifically, do you support the expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover domestic partners and their children? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Do you support modifying the Social Security System to pay survivor benefits to the same‐sex partners of gay and lesbian people? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Do you support fair and equal tax treatment of same sex couples on the same basis as married couples? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: 8. Many gay and lesbian people serve in the federal government but do not receive the same health insurance and other employee benefits of married couples. Do you support domestic partner coverage for gay and lesbian employees of the civilian federal workforce? X Support Oppose Comments: EDWARDS SAYS: Yes. I support extending health care and other benefits to the committed gay and lesbian partners of federal employees. Hillary Clinton HRC ASK: 6. Currently, only Massachusetts recognizes equal marriage rights for same sex couples. Do you believe the civil institution of marriage (with absolutely no requirements imposed on religious institutions) should be made legally available to two committed adults of the same sex? Support X Oppose Comments HILLARY SAYS: The question of marriage is one that historically has been left to the states. I opposed the so-called "Family Marriage Amendment" because this issue has no place in the Constitution. HRC ASKS" If you do not believe that civil marriage for same-sex couples should be made available to same-sex couples on the same basis as opposite sex couples, is there any legal construct you do embrace that would extend legal recognition to same sex couples? HILLARY SAYS: I believe gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans and that civil unions are the best way to achieve this goal. As president, I will work to ensure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits – from health insurance and life insurance, property rights, and more. HRC ASKS: 7. If a state has taken the steps to recognize same sex couples and their families for purposes of state-based benefits, rights, privileges and responsibilities (such as marriage in Massachusetts and civil unions in Vermont and Connecticut), should the federal government recognize the state's legal recognition of such couples and families for purposes of federal benefits and tax treatment? X Support Oppose Comments: HILLARY SAYS: I have long been on record supporting equality in benefits and eliminating discrimination against gays and lesbians. I support repealing the provision of DOMA that may prohibit the federal government from providing benefits to people in states that recognize same sex marriage. I strongly support ensuring people in stable, long-term same sex relationships have full equality of benefits, rights, and responsibilities. HRC ASK: 8. According to a 2004 GAO report, over 1,100 benefits, rights and privileges are provided to married couples and their families in federal law that are not available to same-sex couples. Do you support extending federal benefits, rights, privileges and responsibilities to same-sex couples (and their children) provided the partnership meets certain federal standards of commitment and mutuality of interest? X Support  Oppose Comments: HILLARY SAYS: I support full equality of benefits, rights, and responsibilities for individuals in loving, stable, same sex relationships and in principle, I would like to see federal benefits extended to same sex couples that meet certain standards. I would need to examine the feasibility of implementing such a provision and look forward to working in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign and others in the gay rights community to determine the best path for realizing this goal. HRC ASKS: Specifically, do you support the expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover domestic partners and their children? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Do you support modifying the Social Security System to pay survivor benefits to the same-sex partners of gay and lesbian people? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Do you support fair and equal tax treatment of same sex couples on the same basis as married couples? X Support Oppose Comments: BARACK OBAMA = HRC ASKS: 6. Currently, only Massachusetts recognizes equal marriage rights for same sex couples. Do you believe the civil institution of marriage (with absolutely no requirements imposed on religious institutions) should be made legally available to two committed adults of the same sex? Support X Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: If you do not believe that civil marriage for same‐sex couples should be made available to same‐sex couples on the same basis as opposite sex couples, is there any legal construct you do embrace that would extend legal recognition to same sex couples? OBAMA SAYS: I believe civil unions should include the same legal rights that accompany a marriage license. I support the notion that all people – gay or straight – deserve the same rights and responsibilities to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, deserve equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to traditional married couples, and deserve the same property rights as anyone else. However, I do not support gay marriage. Marriage has religious and social connotations, and I consider marriage to be between a man and a woman. If I was President, however, I would oppose any effort to stifle a state's ability to decide this question on its own. Whether it was a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage or a bill like the Defense of Marriage Act, I would oppose such efforts. I think the President should do all he or she can to advance strong families. Whatever the make-up of the family, it is the President's role to provide policies and leadership that enable the family to thrive. HRC ASKS: If a state has taken the steps to recognize same sex couples and their families for purposes of state‐based benefits, rights, privileges and responsibilities (such as marriage in Massachusetts and civil unions in Vermont and Connecticut), should the federal government recognize the state's legal recognition of such couples and families for purposes of federal benfits and tax treatment? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: 7. According to a 2004 GAO report, over 1,100 benefits, rights and privileges are provided to married couples and their families in federal law that are not available to same‐sex couples. Do you support extending federal benefits, rights, privileges and responsibilities to same‐sex couples (and their children) provided the partnership meets certain federal standards of commitment and mutuality of interest? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Specifically, do you support the expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover domestic partners and their children? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Do you support modifying the Social Security System to pay survivor benefits to the same‐sex partners of gay and lesbian people? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: Do you support fair and equal tax treatment of same sex couples on the same basis as married couples? X Support Oppose Comments: HRC ASKS: 8. Many gay and lesbian people serve in the federal government but do not receive the same health insurance and other employee beefits of married couples. Do you support domestic partner coverage for gay and lesbian employees of the civilian federal workforce? X Support Oppose Comments: MY CONCLUSIONS TO WHAT THEIR WORDS REALLY MEAN LEGALLY STANDING. Edwards ""I believe that couples in committed, long‐term relationships should have the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities, whether they are straight couples or same‐Sex couples."" Edwards above statement, is the only one in the area of civil unions i am concerned about. Because straight people don't have to be in long term committed relationships to get married / civil unions. However, edwards does want to repeal the DOMA bill that the clintons levied on us in the 90's, which is a good thing for edwards. Clinton says ""I would like to see federal benefits extended to same sex couples that meet certain standards."" ""I support repealing the provision of DOMA that may prohibit the federal government from providing benefits to people in states that recognize same sex marriage. "" ""I strongly support ensuring people in stable, long-term same sex relationships have full equality of benefits, rights, and responsibilities."" Clintons above three statements have me very concerned that she is side stepping in what she says so as not to commit to anything officially. she would amend the provisions of DOMA in certain standards. Her husband and her were the ones who got us DOMA which Barack has wanted to erase ever since the clintons had it installed as law. Barack obama and john edwards want to repeal DOMA which is good for us. "Obama is the only candidate who supports long-term, same-sex relationships regardless of length of time those couples have been together. In the united states no heterosexual couple is ever challenged to demonstrate length of relationship in order to obtain the privileges of marriage. By supporting Barack Obama, you can join me in supporting the candidate who stands for providing equal rights to same sex couples--with NO qualifications." NOTE: Lastly please send this to your friends who are either gay or lesbian or supporters so they may know the truth of these three candidates. Anyway that is the way i see this one issue of civil unions. I would love for you to evaluate the "rest" of these three candidates statements below. You will see how Hillary Clinton and John Edwards try to use words which give them room to squeeze out of fulfilling their commitment to all of us in the LGBT community. JOHN EDWARDS http://a4.g.akamai.net/f/4/19675/0/newmill.download.akamai.com/19677/anon.newmediamill/pdfs/edwards.pdf HILLARY CLINTON http://a4.g.akamai.net/f/4/19675/0/newmill.download.akamai.com/19677/anon.newmediamill/pdfs/clinton.pdf BARACK OBAMA http://a4.g.akamai.net/f/4/19675/0/newmill.download.akamai.com/19677/anon.newmediamill/pdfs/obama.pdf respectively yours Danielle Clarke = Your friend at philapride 6-10-07 Bill Clinton reportedly told John Kerry to throw gays under the bus during 2004 election. What is he telling Hillary, and is she listening? http://www.americablog.com/2007/06/bill-clinton-reportedly-told-john-kerry.html Bill Clinton reportedly told John Kerry to throw gays under the bus during 2004 election. What is he telling Hillary, and is she listening? Link by John Aravosis (DC) · 6/07/2007 01:25:00 PM ET The Kerry Edwards 2004 campaign says Bill Clinton tried to throw gays under the bus. Bill Clinton's office says it's not true. Who do we believe? And what does this mean for Hillary Clinton's presidential run? As Pam Spaulding noted last week, Democratic political consultant Bob Shrum claims in his new book that during the 2004 elections, Bill Clinton advised John Kerry to support the Federal Marriage Amendment, i.e., the anti-gay amendment to the US Constitution that would have banned gay marriage and vitiated scores of other rights that gay couples may have, including health insurance, inheritance, child custody, parenting, and more. Shrum reports that Kerry refused to endorse the amendment. I decided to check with Bill Clinton's office and the Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign to find out if this is true. Here is what I found. Jay Carson, spokesman for President Clinton told me: "I checked and it's completely untrue. He never advised John Kerry to support the gay marriage ban President Bush was pushing." A senior Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign staffer told me: "It's definitely true. Newsweek had reported that Clinton had said Kerry should support some of the state [anti-gay] ballot initiatives. Clinton believed it would be this grand master stroke to neutralize Bush's base." I went back to both President Clinton's office and the Kerry-Edwards campaign official, asking them to reconcile the apparent discrepancy. Clinton's spokesman stands by his denial - to the best of his knowledge, it didn't happen. The senior Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign staffer also stands by their statement that it did happen, noting that Clinton's denial was "typical Clintonian revisionism." (As an aside, I also went back to Clinton's spokesman to make sure that he wasn't parsing his words - i.e., Clinton never advised Kerry to support the anti-gay amendment that Bush was pushing, but did he advise him to push any other version of the federal amendment? Clinton's spokesman assured me that there was no intent to parse, Clinton never advised Kerry to support any version of the federal constitutional amendment.) Go back to the Clinton re-election campaign in 1995. Clinton hired Democratic strategist Mark Penn as his pollster and political adviser along with now-conservative pundit Dick Morris. (Mark Penn is also Hillary Clinton's chief strategist for her current presidential run - more on that later). Penn, Morris and Clinton had decided that Clinton was going to win the re-election based on his support for "family values." And family values meant "bashing gays." From TIME: By the time Clinton arrived in Chicago for his party's convention in August, nothing that hinted at liberalism was left hanging on him. When the President, who had begun his term advocating the rights of gays in the military, came around to supporting the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred federal recognition for gay and lesbian unions, Dole was wide-eyed. "Is there anything we're for that he won't jump on?" Dole asked. The answer, essentially, was nothing... It's no coincidence that after hiring Penn, Clinton signed the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act and then ran radio ads on Christian radio touting his support for DOMA. From the Associated Press, October 17, 1996: After angry complaints from gay-rights advocates, the Clinton campaign on Wednesday replaced an ad running on religious radio stations that boasted of the president's signature on a bill banning gay marriages.... The Clinton spot also touted his signing of the Defense of Marriage Act, in spite of earlier White House complaints that the Republicans' use of the issue amounted to "gay baiting." DOMA wasn't something Bill Clinton was forced to do, it's something he chose to do, wanted to do, was happy to do. And that explains why Bill Clinton has never repudiated his support for DOMA. I thought at the time, and still thought up until a few days ago, that Bill Clinton was forced to sign DOMA. That the only reason he hadn't repudiated that support - hadn't said "look, it was GOP gay-baiting and I didn't have a choice, no Democrat had a choice" - was because it might put Hillary in a bind, forcing her to also repudiate DOMA, something she of course would WANT to do but couldn't because it might prove politically dangerous. But now it seems Clinton's Choice was much clearer, and more calculated, than that. Clinton thought DOMA was a great idea for him then, and thinks it's a great idea for his wife now. It's not a necessary evil, it's manna from heaven. The final proof that legislative gay-bashing is still something President Clinton recommends as smart Democratic politics? Bill Clinton wanted to make sure that John Kerry's presidential defeat in 2004 would be blamed on Kerry's unwillingness to sufficiently bash the gays. That's the most sensible explanation for why he made the following leak to Newsweek within days of Kerry's loss (Kerry-Edwards campaign staff tell me that they were not the ones who leaked this to Newsweek, and Clinton and his people were the only other party involved). From Newsweek: President Clinton, who signed the Defense of Marriage Act when he was in the White House, advised Kerry in a phone call early in the campaign to find a way to support the state bans. Kerry never considered abandoning his principles to that extent, but he also didn?t take seriously enough the threat. So now the gays lost Kerry the election. Priceless. It gives me no joy to bash Bill Clinton. I cannot express sufficiently how much I admire the man's intellect and his political acumen. We had lunch with him last fall, and my first thought was "this is what a real president is like." He possesses so many of the qualities that our party and our politicians lack nowadays. But the man is politically amoral. Not immoral - amoral. And he, along with his amoral campaign aide Mark Penn, are the top advisers to Hillary Clinton's presidential run. And that should give every supporter of gay rights, civil rights, or any other issue, serious pause. There's already a growing concern in the gay community that Senator Clinton, while "good on paper" on gay issues - and once considered remarkably good personally - will throw us under the bus if and when she becomes president. And let's be clear. We're not talking about some arcane tax policy issue. We're talking about our lives. Having the Democratic party's top two legislative gay-bashers as her top two advisers, men who will betray any cause, any principle, any supporter, for a bump in the polls (read more about Mark Penn's own loyalty problems here and here), does nothing to assuage those growing concerns. ""I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying." - Barack Obama"" """The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996, after moving through a legislative fast track and overwhelming approval in both houses of the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress. Its Congressional sponsors stated, "[T]he bill amends the U.S. Code to make explicit what has been understood under federal law for over 200 years; that a marriage is the legal union of a man and a woman as husband and wife, and a spouse is a husband or wife of the opposite sex." [3] The legislative history of the bill asserts authority to enact the law under Article IV Sec. 1, which grants Congress power to determine "the effect" of such full faith and credit. Proponents made clear their purpose to normalize heterosexual marriage on a federal level and to permit each state to decide for itself whether to recognize same-sex unions concluded in another state. Opponents variously question whether the power asserted extends so far as to permit non-recognition altogether, argue that the law is unconstitutionally vague by leaving out essential details, assert a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, or some combination of the three. Although Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law during his re-election campaign in 1996 and opposed same-sex marriage, he did not mention the law (or the controversy surrounding it) in his 2004 memoir, My Life. In a June 1996 interview in the gay and lesbian magazine The Advocate, Clinton said: " I remain opposed to same-sex marriage. I believe marriage is an institution for the union of a man and a woman. This has been my long-standing position, and it is not being reviewed or reconsidered.""" Obama Statement on Pride Month | June 01, 2007 Link Statement on Pride Month | June 01, 2007 http ://www.barackobama. com/2007/06/01/obama_statement_on_pride_month.php CHICAGO , IL-- U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement to commemorate Pride Month. "Pride Month is a reminder that while we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do." "Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect." "It's time to turn the page on the bitterness and bigotry that fill so much of today's LGBT rights debate. The rights of all Americans should be protected -- whether it's at work or anyplace else. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" needs to be repealed because patriotism and a sense of duty should be the key tests for military service, not sexual orientation. Civil unions should give gay couples full rights. And those who commit hate crimes should be punished no matter whether those crimes are committed on account of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation." "This Pride Month, let's make our founding promise of equality a reality for every American." BARACK OBAMA’S SUPPORT FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY “While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect." [Obama Statement, 6/1/07] BARACK OBAMA ON LGBT ISSUES Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. Barack Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to reach violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law. Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack Obama believes the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees’ domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Promote LGBT Rights: Barack Obama supported legislation in the Illinois State Senate to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing and public accommodations. Support Full Civil Unions: Barack Obama supports civil unions that give same-sex couples full rights, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to married couples, and the same property rights as anyone else. Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage: Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples. “We are better than this. And we certainly owe the American people more than this. I know that this amendment will fail, and when it does, I hope we can start discussing issues and offering proposals that will actually improve the lives of most Americans.” (Barack Obama on the Senate floor regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment, June 5, 2006) Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in consultation with military commanders. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals. Expand Adoption Rights: Barack Obama believes that homosexuals should have the same adoption rights as heterosexuals. Fight AIDS Worldwide: There are 40 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. Every day, AIDS kills 8,000 and HIV infects 6,000 more people. The disease is set to become the third-leading cause of death worldwide in the coming years. Barack Obama has been a global leader in the fight against AIDS. He traveled to Kenya and took a public HIV test to encourage testing and reduce the stigma of the disease. Promote AIDS Prevention: Barack Obama believes that we cannot ignore that abstinence and fidelity may too often be the ideal and not the reality. Obama went to a large evangelical conference in 2006 to promote greater investment in the global AIDS battle. At this conservative Christian event, Obama pushed for a balanced approach to fighting the disease that includes condom distribution. In late 2006, Barack Obama worked to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, which is one of the largest sources of federal funds for primary health care and support services for patients with HIV/AIDS. The bill was named after Ryan White, an Indiana teenager whose courageous struggle with HIV/AIDS helped educate the nation. Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Barack Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.