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Loading ...Senate Majority Leader Reid announces support for National Equality March
10.06.2009 12:38pm EDT
From a press release:
(Las Vegas) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is supporting the National Equality March (NEM) saying in a letter addressed to steering committee members, “I write to join in your commitment to ensure equality under the law.” The letter was delivered on September 30.
“We are honored that Senator Reid has endorsed the National Equality March and our fight for full equality,” said Derek Washington, Clark County Nevada Democratic Black Caucus director and director of diversity outreach for NEM. “Senator Reid is a man of his word and I believe he supports the LGBT community and our struggle for full federal equality.”
The full text of the letter follows.
As you prepare to come to Washington, DC, for the National Equality March, I write to join in your commitment to ensure equality under the law. As Senate Majority Leader, I will continue to work tirelessly to pass the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, as well as to repeal the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. I will also continue to advocate for funding of HIV/AIDS prevention treatment research and housing programs.
I believe that every American should be treated equally under the law regardless of religion, sexual orientation, gender, race or other forms if identity. I see your struggle for equality as part of a larger movement for peace and social justice.
My best wishes to you.
Sincerely,
Harry Reid
United States Senator
Nevada
A PDF copy of the letter can be seen here: http://equalityacrossamerica.org/blog/?p=5265
>Democrats love to sweet talk, but don’t deliver.
FWIW, some deliver. Governor Patrick of MA said he’d defeat efforts to overturn marriage in this state, he (and the senate and house leaders) worked like dogs, and they got it done.
When state politicians have pulled through for us, it has almost always been done by Democrats. They ain’t perfect, but the other side is *much* worse on our issues.
Nice symbolic support.
Now, to quote Lady Goo Goo or whatever her name is: Get off your a** and get ENDA and expanded hate crimes legislation passed by the end of the year.
I’d rather have results than your “endorsement” of a march.
Trace: Since clearly passing the Matthew Shepard Act is ‘nothing’ to you… what in god’s name would you define as ’something’?
Democrats love to sweet talk, but don’t deliver. DADT and DOMA will still be there one year from now at the time of the midterm elections, because democrats have no balls. I am staying home.
“As Senate Majority Leader, I will continue to work tirelessly to pass the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, as well as to repeal the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.”
Tirelessly? Certainly he must be talking to individuals that do not realize that Washington has done nothing.
If Harry Reid does support gay rights, he may be the highest-profile Mormon to do so. I still miss Governor Huntsman even though he was a Republican…he was so kind and generous to us, even at the cost of his own reputation in his party.
I don’t care what the Dems support as a group. That’s irrelevant. Senator Reid is the leader. If he is in favor of full equality, it’s his job to encourage the rest of the Senate Dems to also support full equality–not to wait for everyone of them to get on the bus. End DOMA!
This is a nice letter, and might be a first from a Senate majority leader, and those changes in it must happen. But this march is about full equality, not piecemeal.
It is important that LGBT people make their voices heard loud and clear if they expect to gain action from legislators on our issues. I am pleased to see the Senate Majority Leader say he will act on key issues in our community. A strong action by our community will make sure it happens. Failure to act on our part to support our demands only strengthens our opponents.
DaveW: You are correct in saying that the Dems in the Senate are not collectively in favor of marriage equality (though there are several who would support repealing DOMA). But I’d charge you to name a Republican in the Senate right now that has gone on the record saying that he or she would support the repeal of DOMA.
And thus we have the crux of the problem: There’s no Republicans who would support repealing DOMA, and among the Democrats it’s a very divided house.
Even if the issue of a Republican filibuster was not in the way, there probably aren’t even 51 Democrats in the Senate who would vote to repeal DOMA.
As for our President, he has said many times that be believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. That said, he has consistently opposed attempts to amend the US Constitution to define marriage in that way, and has indicated that if the Respect for Marriage Act (which would repeal DOMA) were to pass Congress he would sign it.
Also, I’m a bit confused about your comment regarding “regressive taxation and redistribution of wealth”. When people talk about redistributing wealth, they are generally referring about redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor. Regressive taxation is defined as taxation where the poor pay a larger portion of their income than the rich.
Unless you’re talking about redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich, reducing both regressive taxation and redistributing wealth at the same time isn’t a rational approach.
Can you please clarify?
Bob, he did not forget DOMA. He leads the democratics in the Senate. They do not as a party support marriage equality.
It would have been strange for him to add “but not marriage equality” as a disclaimer to his otherwise supportive comments. He therefor left it out (being a man of his word as someone affirmed).
The democrats as a group are not behind marriage equality (many are individually, as are many republicans).
Our president is against marriage equality.
We need to face reality and start looking for other people to put our resources behind if that is something we care about. The current party we can’t learn to stop fawning over is on the wrong side of history on this one.
Of course, as many of you will likely point out, what option do we have?
Try being someone who thinks it is very important to reduce regressive taxation and redistribution of wealth, support healthy business environment AND wanting equality.
And I think liberal gays have a tough choice….
He forgot to mention repealing DOMA.
Well I got to give the man credit….lets hope it is not just more rhetoric!