Senator Obama just released an open letter concerning LGBT equality in America, reaffirming his steadfast commitment to equal rights for ALL Americans.
I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our foundingpromise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothersand sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-classcitizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so thattogether we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.
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Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminatediscrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill thatprohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extendingprotection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. In the U.S. Senate,I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and providebenefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight ofmy administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes anda fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on thebasis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with fullequality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the bestway to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should notstand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay andlesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage.Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)– a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repealonly part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should notdiscriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. Ihave also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the UnitingAmerican Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations asmarried couples in our immigration system.
The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention,we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should bepart of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sexeducation that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act tocombat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needleexchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, localgovernments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives.
We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma – too often tied to homophobia– that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech toevangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president.That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issuesis only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winningbroad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repealDon’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discriminationin the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as wellas friendly ones – and that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message ofinclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I talkedabout the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I havebeen talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBTactivists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. MartinLuther King once preached.
Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromiseon my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears tothe voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forwardtogether. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.
Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible.I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in thiscountry. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit.Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for allAmericans, gay and straight alike.
Barack Obama
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