Some of you may have noticed a few threads regarding gay civil rights. Most of these threads are about Obama and I am not so sure that that is completely fair. Lets look at some other candidates as well.
Hillary Rodham Clinton on gay civil rightsOn same-sex marriage and civil unions
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., does not support same-sex marriage. "I prefer to think of it as being very positive about civil unions,'' she said at a forum in August 2007 sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.
Clinton would grant partners in a civil union the same legal rights, benefits and privileges as married couples. To equalize federal benefits, she would repeal part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that was signed into law by her husband, Bill Clinton, when he was president. That law set a federal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman and said states don’t have to recognize same-sex marriages performed by another state.
As first lady and a Senate candidate in 2000, she marched in the New York City gay pride parade.
On gays in the military
Clinton said she decided in 1999 that the military's "don't ask, don't tell'' policy, established when her husband was president, no longer worked. She said it should be replaced with a policy that focuses on behavior using the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If elected, Clinton said she would ask Congress to repeal "don't ask, don't tell,'' which allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the military only if their sexual orientation remains hidden. "It hurts all of our troops and this, to me, is a matter of national security," Clinton said in March 2007.
On hate crimes
Clinton was a co-sponsor of legislation that would expand the definition of hate crimes to include offenses based on sexual orientation, gender or disability. The Senate passed the bill by voice vote in September 2007.
John Edwards on gay civil rightsOn same-sex marriage and civil unions
Former North Carolina senator John Edwards, a Democrat, says he supports civil unions for same-sex couples and equal rights for them — including to surviving partners when the other dies.
He was not in office in 1996 when President Bill Clinton signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act, which set a definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. It also said states don't have to recognize same-sex marriages performed by another state.
Edwards cited his Christian faith for his opposition to same-sex marriage, during a forum on faith and values in June 2007. At a forum in August 2007 sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy group, Edwards said it was wrong for him to invoke his religious views on the subject.
On gays in the military
Edwards has said he would get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy, which allows gay men and women to serve in the armed forces only if their sexual orientation remains hidden. The policy was adopted in 1993 under President Clinton.
On hate crimes
Edwards said he favors legislation to expand the definition of hate crimes to include offenses based on sexual orientation, gender or disability. He was a co-sponsor of such a bill in 2001. "Every American deserves to live without fear of physical violence," he said in September 2007 after the Senate passed a bill expanding the definition of hate crimes by voice vote.
Barack Obama on gay civil rightsOn same-sex marriage and civil unions
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., says on his Senate website that he personally believes marriage is between a man and woman. But he voted in 2006 against amending the Constitution to make that declaration. He said decisions about marriage should be left to the states. Obama said he supports civil unions that would give same-sex couples the same benefits as married couples, including hospital visitation rights and health insurance coverage.
Obama has also said he would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which set a federal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman and said states don’t have to recognize same-sex marriages performed by another state. He was not in Congress when President Bill Clinton signed it into law.
Obama told the Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy group, in August 2007 that "we should try to disentangle what has historically been the issue of the word 'marriage,' which has religious connotations to some people, from the civil rights that are given couples."
On gays in the military
Obama said in an interview with Larry King in March 2007 that the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which allows gays to serve in the military only if their sexual orientation remains hidden, "has to be absolutely re-examined." He did not say he would change it by executive order if he was elected president. President Clinton adopted the policy in 1993.
On hate crimes
Obama co-sponsored a bill that would expand the definition of hate crimes to include offenses based on sexual orientation, gender or disability. The Senate passed it by voice vote in September 2007. Obama has supported including sexual orientation in anti-discrimination laws.
Mike Huckabee on gay civil rightsOn same-sex marriage and civil unions
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee says on his campaign website that he supports passage of a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
On gays in the military
Huckabee says he believes in the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the military if they hide their sexually orientation. It was adopted in 1993 under President Bill Clinton. Huckabee has said he would leave it up to military leaders to decide whether to keep the policy.
"I'm not sure that being homosexual should automatically disqualify a person from the military," Huckabee told the Associated Press in April 2007. "If a person can do his or her job, you know that's not for me the biggest issue."
On hate crimes
Huckabee told a Florida Republican "Values Voters" conference in September 2007 that he would veto legislation that would expand the federal hate crimes law to include offenses based on sexual orientation.
See many candidates at link-
http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/issues.aspx?i=4I personally support Kucinich, but I did not include him in this post because I did not want this post to be too long.
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