Marriage and Politics

As you may have heard, there's a presidential election this year, and on Tuesday millions of people will head to the polls to take their first step toward picking the next president. I took care of my mail-in ballot already. I know Vicky loves to vote. We are voters.

For some reason, marriage has become a political issue. I don't think it should be. Any two adults who love each other should be able to get married. But some people don't agree with that.

To celebrate Super Tuesday at Flaming Tulle, here are the candidates' views on gay marriage and civil unions. I found all of this information neatly compiled at LesbianLife.

Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment (S.J. Res. 1) which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and included language which could have prevented recognition of civil unions and domestic partnership benefits. The amendment failed by a vote of 49-48....

Some gay and lesbian voters don't feel like Hillary Clinton has done enough to support gay and lesbian rights, while others believe she is the best candidate for gay and lesbian issues. Clinton opposes gay marriage but supports civil unions between members of the same sex. During her husband's administration, she supported the Defense of Marriage Act, a law preventing the federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

"Marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage always has been, between a man and a woman." - Hillary Clinton, opposing same-sex marriages, quoted in The New York Daily News.

However, in October 2006 Hillary Clinton was quoted by 365gay.com as saying,"I believe in full equality of benefits, nothing left out. From my perspective there is a greater likelihood of us getting to that point in civil unions or domestic partnerships and that is my very considered assessment."

Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee opposes same-sex marriage and would push for federal legislation to make marriage between one man and one woman only. On his website he says, "I support and have always supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. As President, I will fight for passage of this amendment. My personal belief is that marriage is between one man and one woman, for life."

Mike Huckabee opposes civil unions. In an interview with GQ magazine he said, "Once the government says this relationship is in essence similar to or equal to a marriage—we’re not going to call it that, but that’s what it is—and you grant it the same basic rights as marriage, then you’ve effectively done it."[redefined marriage
"I have never supported civil unions, and I don't. I don't think it is something that is a good thing," Huckabee said in a November 2007 interview with Salon.com.

John McCain
John McCain does not support same-sex marriage. From his website, " The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation."
However, he opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage....

Regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment, John McCain said, "The constitutional amendment we're debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans."

John McCain said he supported an Amendment to Arizona's Constitution that would ban gay marriages and deny government benefits to unmarried couples.

Barack Obama
Although Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, he is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, "I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."

Barack Obama did vote against a Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as letting individual states determine if marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be legalized.

"Giving them a set of basic rights would allow them to experience their relationship and live their lives in a way that doesn't cause discrimination," Obama said. "I think it is the right balance to strike in this society."

Ron Paul
Ron Paul opposes same-sex marriage, but does not support a federal amendment to define marriage as only between a man and a woman....

At a Values Voter Debate in September 2007, Ron Paul said, "True Christians, I believe, believe that marriage is a church function, not a state function. It's not a state function. I don't think you need a license to get married. We should define it."

Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney was the governor of Massachusetts when that state became the first in the United States to legalize gay marriage....

Mitt Romney has opposed gay marriage since his state became the first in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage. He said, "I believe that the family is the foundation of America - and that it needs to be protected and strengthened."

He told a group of republican women, "Every child in America deserves a mom and a dad. We've got to have marriage before we have babies if we're going to have parental involvement in our schools."

Romney supports the Federal Marriage Amendment which would change the US Constitution to prevent gays and lesbians from marrying.

When asked by Chris Matthews of MSNBC about what he thinks the difference between marriage and civil unions is, Romney said, "Well, I would rather have neither, to tell you the truth. I'd rather that domestic partner benefits, such as hospital - hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples. I don't want civil unions or gay marriage." He continued, "I'm going to want to see a marriage limited to a man and a woman. I don't want to see civil union either. Of course, if we find ourselves in a setting where the only choice is between civil union and marriage, I will prefer civil union. But I would prefer neither.

Well, there you have it. Maybe it's not the most important issue on your mind, but it does involve restricting the rights of certain Americans, which is a slippery slope.

If there's a candidate you feel passionate about, go out and vote in your primary or take part in your caucus. Even if polls are overwhelming in either direction, go out and show that candidate support.