(from the press release)
November 11th, 2003 Lancaster, PA—US Senate Candidate Charlie Crystle today released an extended statement on the issue of same-sex marriage, taking a bold position in a conservative state known for its anti-gay legislation and the homophobic, mean-spirited, anti-gay statements of Senator Rick Santorum. “Rick Santorum represents the worst of the Republican Party and the neo-con movement. His anti-gay statements are a clear attack on good, tax-paying citizens of this country and represent either Rick’s deep emotional confusion about homosexuals or his outright disdain for all people, the Constitution, and the basic tenets of freedom in America” said Crystle.
Crystle continued: “The first section of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States contains the following:
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Marriage laws fall under the category of any law, and homosexual persons fall under all persons born or naturalized in the United States. Nowhere does it say ‘equal protection of the law – except for marriage law.’ Nowhere does it say ‘equal protection of the law – except for when it makes certain people feel uncomfortable.’ Nowhere does it say ‘all persons born or naturalized -except for homosexuals.’ State laws that limit marriage to heterosexual couples are therefore unconstitutional; clearly same-sex marriage is constitutional. Further, allowing same-sex marriage fixes a huge number of current economic and social injustices same-sex couples encounter throughout their committed lives. This is not a states issue, it’s a constitutional issue.”
continued at
http://www.charliecrystle.com/archives/000123.html