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Loading ...Obama opposes Prop 8, McCain in favor
11.03.2008 11:52am EST
(San Francisco, California) They both oppose same-sex marriage, but Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain differ over Proposition 8, the ballot measure that would ban gay marriage in California.
“I’ve stated my opposition to this. I think it’s unnecessary,” Obama told MTV in an interview set to air today (video of Prop 8 question below).“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about,” he said. He added, “Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don’t contract them.”
Obama has previously stated he would oppose a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and supports repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples.
He also has suggested civil unions as a means of granting rights to gay pairs.
McCain also opposes amending the U.S.Constitution, but for different reasons. McCain says it is a state issue. He is on record supporting constitutional bans on gay marriage in both California and his home state of Arizona where a similar measure is on Tuesday’s ballot.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden has spoken out against constitutional bans, both federally and state, but Republican Sarah Palin takes a stand stronger than that of McCain. Palin has called for an amendment to the US Constitution.
Public opinion polls show that proposed constitutional bans on same-sex marriage are too close in call in California, Arizona and Florida – the third state with a proposed ban on the ballot.
“Ask Obama” airs today (November 3) on MTV at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET, and on MTV Tr3s at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. ET.
He also answers questions about university tuition, the economy and a range of other topics.
365Gay is owned by Logo television, a division of MTV Networks.
McCain’s a no-good, rat-f*cking bastard and Palin is even worse, but how is this news?
Yesterday on the LOGO channel, a documentary said 1 in 2000 babies are born with some form of “intersex” difference. That means there are 150,000 such people existing in the US today. I personally know (or have known) several such people.
Most such babies are surgically altered to make them a male or female, and the parents and doctors do not tell the child about the change.
Some eventually notice their differences, even with the surgery and applicable hormone treatments, often called “special vitamins” by the parents. Most of them are not fertile, unfortunately.
This intersexed group does not include those who are transgendered and are able to have children through the usual means. But that is a separate issue.
So when one has genes that are not exactly XX or XY, but some other combination, just exactly how does a parent or doctor know to put M or F on a birth certificate?
It seems to me that we need to have laws that are inclusive of those who are not purely XX or XY or transgendered. Perhaps the laws should allow one to determine their own situation once they become adults rather than being assigned something by an unknowledgeable parent or doctor, both of which (mostly) never even test for a genetic difference on the baby.
And just why does the establishment have the right to surgically mutilate a baby in the first place? Parents are really uneducated in these situations, and doctors “practice medicine” because they really know very little about the human being, especially a baby’s sexuality which never manifests itself for 12 to 18 or more years.
Just some food for thought and facts to use for the case of “inclusion” of all people in the marriage issues.
As LGBT persons and our allies, I hope we begin to push Senator Obama on his position against gay marriage. His justification, believing that marriage is between a man and a woman, is not sufficient! Since “man” and “woman” possibly represent two poles of a continuum, we in the LGBT community have a responsibility to make Senator Obama aware of this. We must ask him what he believes a “man” and a “woman” to be! His comments appear to be supportive, but are ultimately the same discrimination we’ve been dealt in the past 20 years. Where’s the change in that? Nader in ‘08???
Well Rupert Murdock thinks he should be president and we know he supports Prop 8. Myspace is littered with YES on 8 ads today.
Doug: I didn’t mean to use the term “trailer-trash” to literally mean people who live in trailers. I was referring to rednecks and hicks who are socially retarded and think homosexuality is the biggest problem facing the world today (i.e., republicans). Poor word choice on my part. I didn’t mean to offend anyone but the aforementioned republicans.
Your story about John McCain’s stance on marriage is INCORRECT via one VERY important omission: He is on record as of about 2 months ago as supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban equal marriage rights for same-sex couples if the day comes that the so-called “Defense Of Marriage Act” is ever overturned. So, while he has in the past opposed FMA as “unneccessary,” he would support FMA if it becomes “necessary” in his estimation as defined above. Combined with his stated explicit support of California’s Proposition 8 and its evil twins in Florida and his home state of Arizone, John McCain is FAR from the “moderate” that Log Cabin Republicans would have us believe.
No matter how many times “Wayne” re-runs his pre-programmed Obama-bashing loop on this site, it’s not even slightly convincing. He’s already admitted that he’s voting for McCain/Palin, and we all know how much McCain/Palin support gay rights – not at all.
For gays, McCain/Palin would mean 4 more years of George W., and the possibility of a Supreme Court packed with at least 2 more right-wing extremists, setting back our struggle for full rights for decades.
For public release
Presbyterians Against Proposition 8
October 28, 2008
Brothers and Sisters of many faiths,
Let us be absolutely clear that in our opposition to Proposition 8 we are asking nothing more than what already exists in the respectful balance between the beliefs and practices of our many faiths and California constitutional law.
Within the many communities of faith in our State we have conflicting doctrines and beliefs that already govern the practice of marriage.
Our Roman Catholic, Mormon and many of our evangelical churches do not and will not marry persons who are divorced. But that does not mean that those who are divorced are constitutionally prohibited from the right of legal marriage in our state.
Likewise, our Roman Catholic, Mormon, and some Jewish and Muslim faith traditions will not marry persons of different faith traditions. But that does not mean that interfaith couples, or those of no particular faith tradition, cannot be married in our state.
Our California constitution honors all religious traditions by respecting our differences about religious marriage while at the same time providing and protecting the right of all couples to marry the person of their choice.
Prop. 8 would ELIMINATE the constitutional right of same sex couples to marry. That is unfair and unjust. California constitutional law already honors and respects religious differences. No religious institution is forced to marry anyone. But that does not mean that any person in our state should lose their constitutional right for legal marriage.
I urge you to protect our constitutional rights as well as our right to religious diversity and pluralism by voting NO on Proposition 8.
Thank you.
#
Rev. Daniel E. Smith
Pastor, West Hollywood Presbyterain Church
7350 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Ph: 323-874-6646
E: dsmith@wehopres.org
Worship Service: Sundays at 11 AM
West Hollywood Presbyterian Church
7350 Sunset Blvd at Martel St
(between LaBrea and Fairfax)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323/874-6646
http://www.wehopres.org
Wayne,
Obama’s views on gay marriage are no secret at all.
He is opposed to undoing existing gay marriages and he is opposed to BOTH A US CONSTITUTIONAL LEVEL ANTIGAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT AND TO PROP 8 AS WELL
McCain is opposed to a fe
deral level constitutional amendment
and BUT SUPPORTS PROP 8 AND ALSO AN AMENDMENDJ TO ARIZONA’S CONSTITUTION.
PALIN WANT AN ANTIGAY MARRIAGE BAN IN THE US CONSITUTION.
Obama supports a bunch of gay rights, M=Cain is in favor of practical no gay rights at all.
We have already heard this, that and the next thing about Obama and we’ve heard this, that and the next thing about McCain. Omaam is not perfect and he may tax the living daylights out of us, but under McCain, you’ll likely have no rights at all not one gay right.
Please check out No on Prop 8’s website if you haven’t done so already.
You would see there that a few days back the the Yes on 8 lied and distorted Obama words to say that he supported Prop 8. I see it saying on No on Prop 8’s website that no on 8 had to work all night in emergency mode to come up with an ad and get ready for robo-calls to many households saying that OBAMA AND BIDEN HAVE STATED THEY BOTH OPPOSE PROP 8.
I a Marylander flew all the way to San Francisco to help at No on Prop 8’s regional office in that city, as well as donate time and money to No on 8.
There was a young woman from New Mexico who stayed in San Francisco for 2 weeks to help No on Prop 8.
If you live in California, well then there many more GLBTs in your state than in my small state of Maryland population there about 4 and 1/2 million. You have the power of numbers to overwhelm Prop 8 and to defeat at the polls. And the power of numbers to get training from no on Prop 8’s offices in several CA cities to be able to volunteer on election day and to convince voters in your region to VOTE NO ON PROP 8.
Being a Marylander, I can’t vote in California but if you are a Californian you can vote no on 8. That didn’t stop from flying to CA to give my support because what happens in California is crucial to both future marriage rights and existing gay rights in the rest of the USA not yet contaminated by antigay marriage constitutional amendmenta to their own state constitutions.
Mark my words, if Prop 8 passse it will be a very bitter day, for the far radical right everywhere will be a thousand times more emboldened to keep attacking and attacking until no gay rights anyehere in this country are “left stsanding”.
Its no surprise the McCain is anti-marriage and anti-family! He’s a Republican afterall!
Joe said: Frankly, I am more interested in getting the same rights as our hetero counterparts…
Joe
Unfotunately, words do matter. Gay couples in NJ (where civil unions are the law) are already finding that the companies that issue benefits (ie, health, insurance, etc) do not recognize civil unions as marriages and are therefor denying benefits to gay couples. The Connecticut Supreme Court was right, civil unions are discriminatory 2nd class status marriages and are not equal. A marriage is a marriage.
Frankly, I am more interested in getting the same rights as our hetero counterparts. I could care less what they call it. Give me the SAME rights firsts. We can argure about the semantics afterwards.
Obama is not in favor of gay marriage, he does not believe gays deserve full equality marriages, but would rather segregate gays into a “Separate But Equal” 2nd class marriage status. The Connecticut Supreme Court has recently ruled that Obama’s position of civil unions are in fact, discriminatory against gay people.