WASHINGTON (BP)–Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told the board members of the nation’s largest homosexual activist organization March 2 she plans on working with them if she wins the White House in 2008.
“This is exactly the kind of partnership we will have when I am president,” Clinton, D.-N.Y., told 400-plus board members, staff and supporters gathered in Washington for the Human Rights Campaign’s board meeting.
Clinton is the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, and support from the homosexual community could make a difference in determining if she is successful in making it to the general election.
Speaking to HRC, she listed a number of issues on which she and the organization agree, including their opposition to a constitutional marriage amendment. She has voted against it twice in procedural votes.
“When HRC stood up and took on the federal marriage amendment, you were making an important statement, because this amendment was wedge politics at its worst,” she said. “It was mean-spirited, it was against the entire forward movement of American history. But in the end, we stopped the federal marriage amendment, and we sent a strong message that we will not stand idly by when anyone tries to write discrimination into our constitution.”
Although Clinton didn’t re-state her public opposition to “gay marriage,” she did say once again she supports same-sex civil unions, which grant homosexual couples the legal benefits of marriage. She said as a senator she is co-sponsoring the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which she said “would grant the same benefits to domestic partners of federal workers as those [that] are given to legal spouses.”
She also said, “We’re going to make sure that nothing stands in the way of loving couples — gay or straight — who want to adopt children.”
Clinton also re-stated her support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would ban discrimination against homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people in both the public and private workplace. Pro-family groups have opposed ENDA because it equates homosexuality with such traits as race, ethnicity, gender and religion and because they say it would violate religious freedoms, forcing church ministries to hire people opposed to orthodox Christianity.
In addition, Clinton said she supports adding sexual orientation to the current hate crimes law and supports overturning the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which prevents homosexuals from serving openly in the military. It was adopted as a compromise when her husband was president. President Bill Clinton also favored overturning it; U.S. military leaders say open service by homosexuals would harm morale and cohesion.
“[W]e know that courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice — the traits that define our men and women in uniform — have nothing to do with sexual orientation,” she said, adding, it’s a “matter of national security, and we’re going to fix it.”
Clinton also noted that her initials, like the organization’s, are HRC.
“I love the fact that it’s my initials. Have you ever noticed that?” she asked to laughter.
HRC President Joe Solmonese introduced Clinton to the crowd, saying, “You know and I know that every candidate in this field is on their own journey with regard to our issues. I feel very much that Sen. Clinton is on that journey with us.”
Clinton seemed to agree.
“I am proud to stand by your side,” she said in closing remarks. “I want you to know that just as you always have an open door to my senate office, you will always have an open door to the White House.”
THOUSANDS RALLY IN N.C. FOR AMENDMENT — Approximately 10,000 people rallied March 6 in the North Carolina capital of Raleigh, urging state legislators to send a constitutional marriage amendment to voters.
“It’s not right for them to be here, sent by the voters, and not represent the desires of the voters of North Carolina,” said Ron Baity, a Winston-Salem pastor, according to the Associated Press.
A majority of states, 27, have adopted marriage amendments, and North Carolina and Florida are the only two southern states not in the mix. The amendment would protect the natural definition of marriage by preventing state courts from legalizing “gay marriage.” Massachusetts, the only state to recognize such unions, has no marriage amendment. In 2003 its court issued a decision legalizing “gay marriage.”
The Democratic-controlled House and Senate have blocked the amendment in North Carolina previously.
“I have confidence in the people,” Republican state Sen. Fred Smith said, according to AP. “The group that doesn’t have confidence in the people is the power structure here who refuses to let the people vote.”
DOMESTIC PARTNERS ADVANCE IN WASH. — A bill that would legalize same-sex domestic partners in Washington state passed the state Senate by a vote of 28-19 March 1. It is expected to pass the state House and be signed by Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire, the Seattle Times reported.
The bill would grant some of the legal benefits of marriage to homosexual couples. It also would apply to unmarried heterosexual couples when at least one partner is 62 or older, the Times said.
Opponents say domestic partners are marriage by another name.
“Call it what you want, but this bill is absolutely conferring rights that are reserved for married couples,” Republican state Sen. Don Benton said, according to the newspaper.
One of the bill’s sponsors, Democratic state Sen. Ed Murray, said “gay marriage” eventually will pass.
“We’ll keep coming back and keep telling the story and hope people go, ‘Geez, let’s just get it over with, let’s pass marriage,’“ Murray was quoted as saying in the paper.
Washington state has no marriage amendment.
–30–
For more information about the national debate over “gay marriage,” visit www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage.
