The State of The Union Missed the Target for Gay Marriage....The big question for our LGBT community is will Obama address
gay civil rights in The State of the Union speech tonight?
Passing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was definitely the game-changer
but until we get rid of the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) &
pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) our LGBT
community remains as second-class citizens in this country. Here
in Massachusetts we have gay marriage but are denied over 1100
federal rights & protections including the ability to file joint tax
returns, take advantage of estate tax breaks & receive spousal
benefits offered by Social Security, such as survivor compensation
for legally married gay couples. The Gay & Lesbian Advocates &
Defenders (GLAD) challenged Section 3 of DOMA which addresses
these rights & it was found unconstitutional in federal court by
Judge Tauro. Unfortunately the Obama Administration is
appealing this decision.
At the State of the Union Address Obama will be introducing
Daniel Hernandez Jr., the openly gay intern credited with saving
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s life. This would be a perfect opportunity
for the President to declare that Mr. Hernandez & all lesbian, gay,
bisexual & transgender Americans should have the same rights &
federal protections as heterosexual citizens. Watch & see if Obama
takes advantage of this moment during The State of the Union
Address on Tuesday January 25 @ 9pm EST. Updates to Come..:)
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View Our Historic Short Trailer on Gay Marriage
President Obama should address gay rights in his State of the Union speech this week, and he should tackle the biggest, most meaningful right of them all: the right to marry. Gay Americans are eventually going to win on marriage just like we won on military service, the president should tell Congress, so why not save everyone on both sides of the debate a lot of time, trouble and money by approving the entire gay rights agenda? Send the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Student Non-Discrimination Act, the Uniting American Families Act and the repeal of the odious Defense of Marriage Act to his desk for his signature.
ReplyDeleteDan Savage is the editorial director of The Stranger, a Seattle weekly.
Dan Savage is absolutely correct. Unfortunately, While President Obama has said he opposes DOMA, he also has clearly stated his opposition to gay marriage. The fight for full rights will continue, not in the short term, but in the long term.
ReplyDeleteSusan Berland
www.allfamilyproject.org
It is just sad that this issue is still not resolved after all these years. Giving them the right to marry and other equal opportunities is not that hard. Obama just doesn't want to offend the religious organizations that oppose these rights.
ReplyDelete