These three great LGBT leaders each give very different reasons as to why they have chosen to support Senator Obama.
University of Pennsylvania professor Tobias Wolff is serving as the chair of Obama's LGBT policy group. He comments on why it appears Hillary has been winning the LGBT vote and why he thinks gay voters are now coming over to Obama's camp:
"...the actual result that the [Clinton] presidency produced: the only two occasions in American history when anti-gay policies were written into the statutes of the United States. I think the story of the gay vote in this election, once again, has been the story of a familiar name, a familiar brand and then gay and lesbian voters having to learn about somebody new. I think the more LGBT people learn about Barack”s record on LGBT equality and HIV/AIDS and the way that he talks about LGBT equality to general audiences, the more excited they become and the more they switch over to his side."
Wolff continues to address the policy differences between Clinton and Obama. He particularly sides against Senator Clinton on her Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) position. The Senator does not support a full repeal of DOMA.
"I find her position on DOMA quite unacceptable. It is incomprehensible to me that she continues to support vicious anti-gay legislation. When Representative Lewis spoke on the House floor against DOMA when it was enacted and, invoking the full authority of his experience in the civil rights movement, he said, “I know what bigotry looks like and this is bigotry, pure and simple”. I cannot understand why Senator Clinton will not endorse a full repeal of that statute. It’s incomprehensible to me."
National LGBT Policy Committee Co-ChairStampp Corbin has a long history with Michelle and Barack, but he cites Senator Obama's LGBT policy viewpoints as the reason for his support.
"One, Barack Obama is great on LGBT issues and that’s of primary importance to me. Secondarily, I look at all of the other issues across the spectrum. There are a variety of them, from the war in Iraq to economic policies, but from an LGBT perspective, I think he’s better on those issues, particularly with the DOMA situation. He wants the full deal and Clinton believes - it’s just a difference of opinion. It’s strategic to leave parts of this Defense of Marriage Act so our opponents can’t get a federal marriage amendment passed. [But] I don’t think a federal marriage amendment can get passed if we have a Democratic president."
Eric Stern is the former Director of the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT outreach program. He was a supporter of Senator John Edwards, but since Edwards suspended his candidacy, Stern transitioned over to the Obama campaign because of Obama's refusual to take money from special interest.
"One of the reasons why I endorsed Obama is because I believe the candidate whose campaign is essentially financed by people instead of corporations ensures that he’s directly accountable to the people, not the special corporate interest. I’m confident that Senator Obama knows to whom he’s directly accountable: the American people."
It appears that this election more than any other will prove that the LGBT community is not a monolithic voting bloc. These three leaders show that there are many reasons why people are drawn to fight for an Obama candidacy.
No comments:
Post a Comment