Gore Supports Gay Marriage

[TotallyOz]

Not sure what prompted this, but Al Gore has quietly released a video with a forceful endorsement of equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians. It pushes the Democratic establishment that much closer to a position he now shares with Eliot Spitzer and some other leading Dems, and is prompting a bit of grumbling in gay political circles that this batch of candidates aren't quite there.

"Gay men and women ought to have the same rights as heterosexual men and women -- to make contracts, to have hospital visiting rights, to join together in marriage, and I don't understand why it is considered by some people to be a threat to heterosexual marriage," he says on the video, which appears on his Current TV network. "Shouldn't we be promoting the kind of faithfulness and loyalty to ones partner regardless of sexual orientation?"

Gore's words come after the leading presidential candidates have tiptoed up to, but not crossed, the line of support for same-sex marriage. All three support equal substantive rights for gay and lesbians couples, and they've sought to woo gay voters in other ways: Elizabeth Edwards has voiced her support for same-sex marriage, for instance, and Barack Obama recently scolded the black church for homophobia, in a speech to an African-American congregation

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/010...x_marriage.html

[Guest epigonos]

Just keep in mind that Al Gore isn't trying to win primary elections in places like Iowa, South Carolina, and Florida. The others are. Furthermore whoever becomes the Democratic Presidential Nominee isn't about to alienate conservative Democratic voters in places like Ohio and New Mexico. Remember Bush won those two states and if the Democratic Nominee hopes to win the election she or he must win them this time around. He or she must also hold on to states like Pennsylvania where the election was extremely tight. The one thing their staff's will constantly remind them is the TOTAL NUMBER of states that have passed anti gay marriage consitituional amendments. By the way even California is one of those states although it was passed as a statute not a constitutional amendment and is thus easier to change.

[TotallyOz]

epigonos, I agree with you. I find it sad that we can't really find out where candidates really stand on issues until they have moved beyond the political arena. I will say that Hillary walked the full Gay Pride in NYC for many years when I lived here before. I think she is for gay marriage but would not dare say that publicly.