Obama on Gay Marriage

Obama: "I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."

Not as hardcore pro-gay marriage as I'd like, but a refreshing change from Kerry's pussyfooting around the gay marriage issue in 2004.

Comments

[thedifferentphil]

Public support for gay rights has advanced a lot in recent years and is clearly higher now than in 2004. That said, I will go out on a limb that John McCain will be much less supportive of gay rights in his speech.

[Rhywun]

What's a pre-gay? I know - all of y'all fingers are flying.

[zach]

...hardcore pre-gay marriage...

Oh yeah!! I just married you so I could have a sense of emotional security while I struggled with my own sexuality!! Take that bitch! West side!!

[zach]

Shit, edited too soon.

[stephen the goldberger]

That was a pretty pathetic endorsement of "gay rights" from Obama. They have the right to visit their partners in hospitals?? Realy going out on a limb there.

This speech was right down the middle. Went down easy without taking a single stand of conviction.

[joe]

I agree with the different phil. It's incredible how quickly gay rights have advanced. John Kerry's pussyfooting around the issue was the same position that was radically progressive when implemented in Vermont, like, a year and a half earlier.

John Kerry's position on gay rights in 2004 was a generation ahead of Gore's position in 2000, and now it's generation out of date. It went from progressive to wimpy between the time he announced and election day!

[texas_libertarian]

The answer to the marriage debate: privatize marriage. This is the true civil libertarian postition.

"Opening Marriage," Cathy Young
(http://www.reason.com/news/show/29058.html)

"Thai Women Want You!," Tim Cavanaugh
(http://www.reason.com/news/show/33426.html)

"Privatize Marriage," David Boaz(http://www.slate.com/id/2440/)

[SIV]

Gays should have exactly the same rights as everyone else.
There should be no laws against consensual sex and people should be free to enter into mutually agreeable contracts.
I think that covers it.

[t. j.]

obama said homosexuality was repulsive during the primaries so fuck him. i'm not impressed. "electable" democrats will be a little better on gay rights then your average neo-con christian conservative but that's like saying getting kicked in the balls is preferable to getting castrated. just cause it's better doesn't make it good.

[t. j.]

did anyone see how uncomfortable mccain looked on the ellen degeneress(sp?) show? why did he even go on there with that position? ya know i'm not mccain fan but i really don't think he cares about gay rights but he has to pander to his crazy base in his party which is why he doesn't come out against gay marriage with more zeal like the pat robertson's do. at least anti-gay barr has come around a little bit on this specific individual rights issue.

[BG]

Gays should have exactly the same rights as everyone else.
There should be no laws against consensual sex and people should be free to enter into mutually agreeable contracts.
I think that covers it.

How about the fact the I can marry a romantic partner who is a non-citizen and she will have an easier time becoming a citizen? And how about the fact that, by marrying that same partner, we establish joint property, next of kin status, automatic visitation rights, etc. without the inconvenience of filling out seperate sets of paperwork?

I would argue that the same thing should be available for same-sex couples.

This is before we get to things like joint tax filing, insurance and pension benefits, etc. There is at least a reasonable argument for eliminating such government-provided benefits.

[joe]

In the future, there won't be government recognition of marriages. And, you'll be able to go on vacation on the Moon.

I'm going to keep repeating this so I don't have to answer the question.

[jtuf]

One of the Saddleback questions was, "Define marriage." Obama said marriage is between a man and a woman. McCain said marriage is between a man and a woman, but that he will respect the policies of states that pick different definitions. Is a national policy of marriage for straights and civil unions for gays better than a state by state fight that allows same-sex marriage in MA and CA now and could lead to same-sex marriage in all states eventually?

[zoltan]

Maybe pick something a little more unlikely. Like "In the future, there won't be government recognition of marriages. And your houses will run on electricity generated by cold fusion."

[johnl]

Zoltan, if you are going for unlikely, how about "and your kid will pick up his room"?