I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding
promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s
wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I
ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for
all LGBT Americans.
Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to
eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully
inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and
gender identity, extending protection 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 provide benefits to domestic partners of federal
employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the
enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive
Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation and gender identity.
Click to read the full letter.
As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex
couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil
unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the
federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own
how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian 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 repeal only part of
the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not
discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA
does. I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to
improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same
rights and obligations as married 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 be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should
have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We
should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we
should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of
infection among drug users. In addition, local governments 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 to evangelicals 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 issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for
those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort
zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully
inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to
bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones – and
that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to
all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I talked about
the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have
been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from
local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in
Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached.
Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will
never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But
neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is
the work we must do to move forward together. 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 this country. 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 all Americans, gay and straight alike.
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