Organizing for America | Alex Okrent's Blog: Obama's Gay Supporters Speak!

Obama's Gay Supporters Speak!

By Alex Okrent, Louisiana Field Director - Feb 25th, 2008 at 3:28 pm EST

Also listed in: 8 groups

Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

This article recently published in Bay Windows, a leading LGBT newspaper.

Obama’s gay supporters speak
by Laura Kiritsy
Editor-in-chief
Friday Feb 22, 2008

Queerty.com has some interesting interviews with three of Barack Obama’s gay supporters, Tobias Wolff, Stampp Corbin and Eric Stern - who, incidentally, initially backed John Edwards. Some interesting insights from these guys about why they’re supporting Obama, including the fact that unlike his rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama wants to repeal DOMA in its entirety.

Check out the article at Queerty

Reader Comments	Comments RSS
Comments are closed for this post.

Gay Clinton Backers Defect to Obama, Eroding Another Bastion | Report to Admin

By Dr. Umee D. Mar 1st 2008 at 2:49 pm EST

from:

Link

============================== =
Gay Clinton Backers Defect to Obama, Eroding Another Bastion

Kim ChipmanFri Feb 29, 12:09 AM ET

Feb. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Hillary Clinton cemented years of goodwill with gays in 2000, when she walked in New York's Pride Parade.

``Having the first lady march was enormously powerful,'' said Representative Barney Frank, one of two openly gay members of Congress. ``I've never seen such a strong emotional outpouring.''

Now some gay voters, who have been among Clinton's most stalwart supporters and helped her defeat Barack Obama in Democratic presidential primaries earlier this month, may be drifting toward the Illinois senator, according to political activists and campaign officials.

``Clinton probably is still a little bit ahead of Obama among leadership in the community,'' said Steve Elmendorf, a Clinton supporter and lobbyist with ties to the gay and lesbian communities. ``They have a longer and deeper relationship with her than Obama, but he has a good record,'' said Elmendorf, deputy campaign manager for Democrat John Kerry's 2004 presidential bid.

``Obama has presented more detailed position papers on gay and lesbian issues than Clinton,'' said David Mixner, 61, a writer and activist who helped longtime friend Bill Clinton win over the homosexual vote during the 1992 presidential race and who supported both of Hillary Clinton's successful Senate races in New York.

`The Young Reformer'

This time, Mixner is backing Obama. The Clintons have become ``a machine, and Obama's the young reformer,'' Mixner said.

Clinton's support among gay voters helped her hold her own against Obama, 46, in the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday contests. In California, the most populous state, 63 percent of people identifying themselves as homosexual voted for Clinton, according to exit polls. In New York, she drew gay support of 59 percent.

Since then, Clinton has lost 11 consecutive contests to Obama, who according to exit polls has cut into her base of support among single women, Latinos and blue-collar workers. To keep her candidacy afloat, she needs victories March 4 in Texas -- and particularly in the large gay communities in Houston and Dallas -- and Ohio, which has the sixth-largest gay and lesbian population in the U.S.

Supporting Civil Unions

Both Clinton, 60, and Obama oppose same-sex marriages while supporting civil unions. A major difference between the candidates is that Obama supports full repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a law signed by Bill Clinton

Edwards to Obama | Report to Admin

By ckundecided Mar 3rd 2008 at 8:21 pm EST

I too, previously supported John Edwards and now support Barack Obama. Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act that was a Presidential Executive Order in President Clinton's final days leaves me wondering how anyone in the GLBT community would favor a Clinton. She can say she wasn't in favor of it but in light of the hand he's had in her campaign and statements on what she would do I find it hard to separate the two. It reminds me of a sale, "Buy one, get one free!"
My point of uncertainty is how Barack and Hillary both say the federal government should leave decisions on the rights of the LGBT community to the States. Recent facts show that if a State recognizes civil unions no other State has too. So you get a civil union in one State and then go to another and too bad. Isn't this as a form of discrimination or is it okay because we have the option of moving to a State that will recognize our relationship?
Then there's the fact that if a State legally recognizes your relationship and gives you the full rights of a married couple in that State you still get none of the federal rights of the married man and woman. Your estate does not have the tax exemption at death, you get no Social Security benefits from you deceased spouses work record, nor do any of your children and many others that there is not enough space to mention. I think you get the idea.
Point is what real civil liberties are there if the decision is done at only the State level? Isn't that just another lost opportunity? After all States can and do pass laws now but many are tied up in court and wouldn't a federal law greatly reduce or eliminate that?
Senator Obama is a civil rights attorney and has taught Constitutional law so applying those to our situation what it the path we need to be on for civil union rights and benefits to equal those of a 'married' couple?

Content on blogs in My.BarackObama represents the opinions of community members and in no way should be interpreted as endorsed or approved by the campaign.