Gay Rights Groups Quiet on Marriage Issue

AJC ^

[GulliverSwift]

Gay Rights Groups Quiet on Marriage Issue

By DAVID ESPO

AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP)--Prominent gay rights groups are ready to issue an election-year pass to Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry even though he opposes same-sex marriage, settling for less than they want in hopes of avoiding a constitutional amendment they fear.

``It's always disappointing when we find elected officials or candidates who do not support us 100 percent,'' said Winnie Stachelberg, political director of the Human Rights Campaign.

``But we understand that people are on a journey of becoming more understanding and more supportive of all that affects the gay and lesbian community.''

Democrats have aggressively courted gay voters and their campaign donations in recent years. Exit polls showed Al Gore got 75 percent of the votes cast by self-identified gays and lesbians in 2000, compared to 25 percent for Bush.

Both Kerry and his remaining major rival, Sen. John Edwards, criticized Bush on Tuesday when he called for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. At the same time, the two men were quick to reiterate their opposition to gay marriage--a view widely shared in the country, according to numerous polls.

Matt Foreman, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said he has heard little or no complaining from gay rights supporters about attempts by Kerry or Edwards to finesse the same-sex marriage issue.

``The mortal danger that our community faces right now is not the battle to win the freedom to marry,'' Foreman said. ``It's having the battle shut down by a constitutional amendment.''

A separate constitutional debate is unfolding in Kerry's home state of Massachusetts, and it could yet pose problems for the presidential front-runner.

But for now, he and Edwards stress their support for civil unions and other measures short of marriage that would extend additional benefits to gay and lesbian couples.

These are steps that the Human Rights Campaign officially dismisses as half measures. ``In short, civil unions are not separate but equal, they are separate and unequal,'' the group says on its Web site.

``And our society has tried separate before. It just doesn't work,'' it adds, an apparent reference to the discredited ``separate but equal'' doctrine of the pre-civil rights era.

Even with only 25 percent backing, Bush gained an estimated 1 million votes from gays in 2000, although it's unclear what the impact would be on his re-election campaign if many of those supporters deserted him.

Several states with large gay communities were strongly Democratic four years ago, including New York, California and Massachusetts, and pose formidable obstacles to Bush this time, too.

But even so, Patrick Guerriero, the executive director of the pro-gay Log Cabin Republicans, said the president's support of the amendment could prove politically costly. Guerriero said Bush could rekindle past political cultural wars and give independent voters cause to wonder ``whether or not the president and the party have embraced a creepy social agenda.''

``You can hear the echoes of Pat Buchanan's speech in Houston,'' he said, a reference to the unsuccessful Republican candidate in 1992, who delivered a combatively conservative speech on the opening night of the party convention that said America confronted a cultural war, with gay rights one of the key battles.

Republican strategists later concluded that the speech was politically costly because it conveyed an image of intolerance.

At the same time, said Guerriero, recent events have ``led to something that we had hoped to avoid, which is a cultural war in the midst of a presidential election.''

With a Massachusetts court ruling and San Francisco issuing gay marriage licenses for the first time, public opinion surveys show that support for gay marriage is a losing issue politically. It's a consistent finding that poses a challenge to groups that support it as well as to candidates seeking their backing.

A nationwide CNN poll completed earlier this month found that by a margin of 64 percent to 32 percent, those surveyed said gay marriages should not be recognized in law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages.

Given the environment, politically active gay supporters are willing to refrain from imposing a litmus test on Kerry or Edwards.

``This issue has escalated so dramatically in such a short period of time that the question now has to be whether you are for equal rights for gay people or you're not,'' Foreman said.

``But having said that, the positions of the Democratic candidates on the issues that are key to our community are so much better on every single one of them than President Bush,'' he added.

``We're not happy to know that (Kerry) doesn't support gay marriage,'' said Arline Isaacson, co-chairman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus. ``On the other hand, we're realistic enough to know that none of the front-runners supports gay marriage.''

The political calculations could yet turn in Massachusetts, where the state's highest court has ruled that gay couples are entitled under the state constitution to marry.

Lawmakers have countered by proposing a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Kerry has left the door open to supporting the amendment, depending on whether it is accompanied by civil union and other provisions.

AP-NY-02-25-04 1526EST

Copyright 2004, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

[GulliverSwift]

Al Gore got 75 percent of the votes cast by self-identified gays and lesbians in 2000, compared to 25 percent for Bush.

Shame on you, Bush. Get that down to .5 percent.

But even so, Patrick Guerriero, the executive director of the pro-gay Log Cabin Republicans, said the president's support of the amendment could prove politically costly. Guerriero said Bush could rekindle past political cultural wars and give independent voters cause to wonder ``whether or not the president and the party have embraced a creepy social agenda.''

These insidious people. How dare these perverts use the name "Republican." This reminds me of Russian spies who come to America and pretend to be Americans. They are RINO's except they're the kind of rhino who stays out of the mud to not look "icky" and for some reason doesn't like rhinos of the opposite sex.

``It's always disappointing when we find elected officials or candidates who do not support us 100 percent,'' said Winnie Stachelberg, political director of the Human Rights Campaign.

Setting your expectations a little high, aren't you ma'am/sir?

[Betaille]

"Prominent gay rights groups are ready to issue an election-year pass to Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry even though he opposes same-sex marriage"

First of all, every special interest group is ready to give a pass to any democratic presidential candidate on ANY issue.
Second of all... John Kerry does NOT OPPOSE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE!!! The fact that AP is spreading that lie is infuriating to me. He has supported gay marriage every time it has come to a vote. I hear he also wrote a letter opposing the massachussets state defense of marriage act.

[kellynla]

Does anyone know how many "homosexuals" there are in America. Are we talking about in the millions or what? Talk about the "tail wagging the dog." I bet there are less than one percent in the entire population.

[anniegetyourgun]

``But we understand that people are on a journey of becoming more understanding and more supportive of all that affects the gay and lesbian community.''

READ: Very soon we will have your children convinced. In fact, we'll be bearing your grandchildren through surrogates. No matter what, we're gonna beat you down.

[GulliverSwift]

What makes you think Kerry is in favor of pervert weddings?

[upchuck]

My understanding is that queers and fagots make up about 2-4% of the population. Can't cite a source. Something I read somewhere.

[GulliverSwift]

The mayor of San Fag said it was "ten-plus" percent. Of course he's basing that on the Kinsey research, of prisoners, no less.

[upchuck]

``But we understand that people are on a journey of becoming more understanding and more supportive of all that affects the gay and lesbian community.''

People? What people? Not THIS people, that's fer damn sure!!!

Y'all can just keep your sick, twisted, perverted "lifestyle" to yourselves.

Ping to ya lj.

[GSWarrior]

``The mortal danger that our community faces right now is not the battle to win the freedom to marry,'' Foreman said. ``It's having the battle shut down by a constitutional amendment.''

I'd have thought a terrorist attack on a major American city might register a little higher on their "mortal danger" scale...but that's just me...what do I know?

[syriacus]

The degenderization of America continues....as Leftist judges sneakily bring about a de facto Equal Rights Amendment.

I'd love to have a bird's eye view of all the liberal webmasters busily changing webpages that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

I'll bet that they are in a hurry to get rid of any references to the millennia-old definition

For example:

Legaldefinitions.com has a table of "M" legal terms...which currently "happens" to omit the word marriage.

You have to do a google search of "marriage" and "definition" to get legaldefinitions' page with the definition of marriage,

marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as a husband and wife, though the definition might be evolving.

[little jeremiah]

Homosexual Agenda Ping.

People please note: The Log Cabin Republicans chose that name to promote the idea that Abraham Lincoln was a fellow homosexual. And the reason they call themselves "Republicans" is solely to get the GOP to veer towards the left, especially in the realm of "gay rights". They are insiduous and duplicitous.

Thanks to all for alerting me to useful articles.

And the number of homosexuals is very small, you can read about the various dependable studies that have been done over the last several years in the Categorical Index the EdReform always posts. The numbers I've seen are between 1.5 - 3%, mostly towards the smaller number.

[N. Theknow]

Gay Rights Groups Quiet on Marriage Issue

Now this is news!

Homosexuals and lesbians are going to keep their mouths shut!

[MEGoody]

``The mortal danger that our community faces right now is not the battle to win the freedom to marry,'' Foreman said.

Just curious - who decided that being able to marry is a right? Why wouldn't it be considered a priviledge, like driving?

[Tempest]

Previously posted here already:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1085365/posts

[mollynme]

The mayor of San Fag said it was "ten-plus" percent.

Maybe if we were just talking that corner of California. If S.F. were to fall into the sea, the population percentage of same-gender sex folks would plummet.

[Paleo Conservative]

Talk about the "tail wagging the dog."

Are you sure that's the tail?

[Unam Sanctam]

a creepy social agenda

How is preserving the definition of marriage that has existed in almost all times and cultures a "creepy social agenda"? An agenda implies one is changing something. It is the gay activists who have a creepy social agenda -- and it's working out beautifully for them.

[swampfox98]

Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry even though he opposes same-sex marriage

This is a lie. He is saying he opposes it, but he would be for it if he were President. I believe this issue is going to hurt the Democrats and I think they know it. So they'll try their best to lie out of it.

[CyberAnt]

"settling for less than they want in hopes of avoiding a constitutional amendment they fear"

Good! If they fear the amendment .. then that is exactly what we should do!!

[longtermmemmory]

These are pictures of Kerry with the Human Rights Campaign.

Kerry has will fall in line with the homosexuals.

They are PANICED at the thought of an amendment protecting marriage.

It would eliminate the HRC work.
We need to publicize the TRUTH about Kerry and Democrats.

You can also find pictures of Edwards and hitlary.
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:krjlCeu6gpMJ:www.hrc.org/pressroom/olpc/pres_forum/high_res/kerry1v.jpg




http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:oF0coxkWFx4J:www.hrc.org/pressroom/olpc/pres_forum/high_res/birch1v.jpg




http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:U0a9i-3s6kcJ:www.hrc.org/pressroom/olpc/pres_forum/high_res/kerry3v.jpg

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:iiRUcAYKFJgJ:www.hrc.org/local/boston/images/kerry_1.jpg


Below is a 2000Gore pic.
Make no mistake, Homosexuals are a special interest of the Democrat Party.