Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Obama's gay agenda

Via Marc Ambinder, we see that the White House Web site now details Hope and Change:
  • 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. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
  • Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws 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. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
  • Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
  • Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President 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.
  • Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President 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. 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. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
  • Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
The Lavender Mafia's wish list, in other words. So if you thought you were voting for economic recovery and foreign-policy realism -- surprise! Welcome to the Howard Dean administration.

5 comments:

  1. Good news in a sense ... if he starts out with this pro-gay agenda, throws in some pro-abortion stuff and other assorted hardcore liberalism, and he'll start off just like Clinton did in '93 - burning away his alleged centrist bonafides before you can finish saying "tax hike."

    And we know how that turned out for Clinton come the '94 midterms.

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  2. The Lavender Mafia. Never heard that before Stacy. Good one.

    But these things are such high priorities! NOT!

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  3. Also known as the velvet mafia. I have a friend in seminary that tells me that the Church will be getting out of the adoption business with these proposals. How does that help people who want to adopt? The neo-coms never consider the consequences of their ill conceived actions and I'd wager even if they did they wouldn't care.

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  4. The adoption issue and the don't ask don't tell are particularly devastating. We can't give up 10% of our fighting force in these times.

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  5. Why aren't these important issues? Gay people pay taxes and are American citizens just like heterosexuals. Shouldn't they have the same rights and priveleges? I mean this is America isn't it?

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