Barack Obama‘s walking a fine, gay line.
The Democratic Presidential candidate appeared on MTV this weekend to come out against California’s Proposition 8, which would overturn gay marriage in the Golden State. At the same time, however, Obama reiterated his belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. Said the Senator from Illinois:
I’ve stated my opposition to this. I think [Prop 8 is] unnecessary. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about. Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don’t contract them.
On a related note, the New York Times this Saturday ran an article highlighting the differences between Obama and rival John McCain’s same-sex marriage opposition. While Obama’s motivated more by religious elements, McCain’s a victim of his time. Writes homo-journo Patrick Healy:
As a Christian – he is a member of the United Church of Christ – Mr. Obama believes that marriage is a sacred union, a blessing from God, and one that is intended for a man and a woman exclusively, according to these supporters and Obama campaign advisers. While he does not favor laws that ban same-sex marriage, and has said he is “open to the possibility” that his views may be “misguided,” he does not support it and is not inclined to fight for it, his advisers say.
Senator John McCain also opposes same-sex marriage, but unlike Mr. Obama’s, his position is influenced by generational and cultural experiences rather than a religious conviction, McCain advisers say.
What’s interesting, we think, is that Obama consistently frames his support opposition of Proposition 8 in terms of constitutionality, rather than whether or not gay marriage is right – a tactic that’s quite popular among the center and conservative set. That helps explain Obama’s later comments in which he says he believes in strong civil unions that provide marital rights, like hospital visitations. That believe, he insists, provides a great example of his style of governance:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
If they’ve got benefits, they can make sure those benefits apply to their partners. I think that’s the direction we need to go in. I think young people are ahead of the curve on this for the most part. Their attitude, generally, is that we should be respectful of all people, and that’s the kind of politics I want to practice.
Watch the MTV Prop 8 video after the jump…
fredo777
He still is more pro-gay than McPalin, which is why I am voting for him, but he should have just quit at stating that he was against Prop 8 + for equal legal rights for same-sex couples.
That “I don’t favor gay marriage” bit was “unnecessary”.
I do find it interesting, though, that they waited until right now to share this particular vid with us.
ousslander
HIs religious beliefs revent him from supporting gay marriage but not from condonig and supporting abortion. SO according to him gay marriage is the more abhorrent of the two. UNless he’s just being a hypocrite and using religion as an excuse to cover his anti-gay attitudes.
fredo777
“Obama consistently frames his support of Proposition 8…”
He doesn’t support Prop 8.
fredo777
He doesn’t “support” abortion, as he made clear in the debates that he’d rather prevent it by decreasing the number of unwanted pregnancies in the first place. He also made the — what should be obvious — point that noone is actually “pro-abortion”; however, women are going to abort unwanted babies whether or not they have clinics in which to do it. After all, they were doing it for years before we even had clinics. At least with the clinics, we don’t have women nearly (or actually) killing themselves in the process.
As for his religious beliefs, I personally don’t care if he believes in gay marriage in his own time. What I concern myself with is whether or not he’ll actively block us from acquiring more equal rights while in office. Again, he + Biden are against measures like Prop 8, McPalin are for them. I don’t begrudge any politician his/her personal religious freedoms but I have a problem only when they allow these beliefs to actively prevent me from attaining equal rights.
Voltaire Smith
Obama is just a gay person, who’s pretending to be a happily married heterosexual. I must have a gay life in some point of his life.
crazylove
Ditto- what I need from him is not his personal beliefs but the ending of DOMA and DADT and the selecting of the right Supreme Court Justices. What I also need is his signature on the anti discrimination in the workplace bill for gays and transgendered people. I will leave the whole emotional angle to the rest of you who seem more concerned with how he makes you feel. I didn’t care in the primary, and I don’t care now. Politicians are there so that we can push them to get what we want. They aren’t there (none of them) to be our inspirational leaders.
crazylove
Incidentally- all the things I just listed are the things that Presidents can do. The rest- what he believes personally- is irrelevant. This is why we have a public and private , and why ultimately we live in a secular country. He can believe what he wants, but its the laws I expect him to shape in our favor.
John
Gee, thanks for the “help” Barack. Maybe you should go back to not mentioning Prop. 8 at all. Bill Clinton’s robocalls – saying that Prop. 8 is “unfair and wrong” – are more forceful than this timid and ho-hum endorsement. And he was the one who signed DOMA in the first place.
Obama’s repeating that he’s against same-sex marriage, and then making some vague statement about how we shouldn’t start “playing around with constitutions” isn’t exactly a soundbyte we’d want to see played on the news around this state. Everyone will focus on the “against same-sex marriage” part because it is clear. Whereas the explanations of why he’s against Prop. 8 is clumsy and convoluted.
CHURCHILL-Y
“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.”
“he does not support it and is not inclined to fight for it, his advisers say.”
CHURCHILL-Y
I know who I’m voting for then, OBAMA ’08.
crazylove
No Churchill- you should vote for McCain because he supports Prop 8 and is for traditional marriage. Also he’s in favor of keeping DADT and DOMA. But you are right- there are no clear differences at all between the two choices. Jesus, got to love the gay conservatives- the perfect as the enemy of the good is there answer to everything.
crazylove
By the way- because I think you are kind of stupid, let me explain the nature of the perfect as the enemy of the good argument. Basically, it is the idea that a good choice is to be hated because we can’t obtain perfection as to our best case scenario while ignoring that there are really bad choices that provides us none of what we want at all.
Purists are often used by people like Chruchhill because they are too stupid to realize that there purism allows for the status quo to remain.
In politics, this is often used by purists who are myopic about long term accomplishment of a goal or by conservatives trying to block or end progressive efforts. Purists will say “well he’s is for us on Prop 8, he’s for civil unions, he’s for ending DADT, he’s for ending DOMA”, but because I am for marriage and he says civil union- let’s ignore all the other points of commonality. Thus getting nothing instead of something because you can’t get everything. The nothing aids and abeds the conservative agenda not progress on our rights. Hence why some of you are retarded. Who does this serve? You?
CHURCHILL-Y
Bottom line: When people tell you who they are and what they believe(about you) BELIEVE THEM!
OBAMA ’08
crazylove
Bottom line? The bottom line is you think people are stupid. Lucky for you there are enough purists and binary thinkers that you can play this game with them. Don’t be confused. I know what game you are playing because I’ve seen it before in different context.
I also notice, bottom line, you didn’t refute any of my argument because we both know what you can’t.
It’s kind of sad if it weren’t so dangerous. You have to pretend as you do that this is the perfect as the enemy of the good. If you didn’t you might have to look in the mirror at yourself. It’s been my experience that folks like you Churchhill can’t look in the mirror.
Bottomline- I am holding the mirror up for others to see your comments for what they are. Perfect as the enemy of the good. And yes, I believe Obama based on his actions– the difference is what i get from his actions versus what you get from it. I get that he didn’t have to say no on 8 at all. Apparently you don’t. It’s that sense of entitlement again.
seitan-on-a-stick
Churchill-y, you have seen the Democratic Light? Voting for Obama? Make sure you get up EARLY to vote or be prepared to wait hours after work.
SARAH PALIN – ALAN KEYES 1813
(w/ Horse and Buggy Parking in Rear!)
Gay Equality Before Gay Marriage!
M Shane
It’s highly significant that Obama rejects proposition 8 on the grounds of it being contrary to his overriding beliefs that Contitutuions are not meant to prohibit rights, but the contrary. He assistds this view by saying that he may be wrong in his personal beliefs about marriage and that peoples beliefs change. This is not double talk but a wise man’s recognition that decisions put in a constitution are prohibitive to a degree that does not allow sufficient leeway for altering beliefs especially in the way of liberalizing freedoms.
MissaA
I really do wish Obama had taken a stronger stance on this, throughout the campaign. But he wants to have a strong mandate of support, hence statements that will make the religious right feel like he’s on their side. I’d like to think that he’ll be more bold once elected, but I know that’s naive and it probably won’t happen.
fredo777
Also, John, perhaps the most important line was when Sway asked: “So you would vote… ?”
And Obama answered: “I would vote no on the proposition.”
That is the key. Believe whatever you wish from whichever bible scriptures in your own time, as long as at the end of the day, you wouldn’t vote against my personal rights.
CHURCHILL-Y
He’s better for Gays than Republicans:
“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.”
HOPE!
CHURCHILL-Y
He’s going to appoint liberal and more favorable justices towards Gay issues:
“he does not support it and is not inclined to fight for it, his advisers say.”
CHANGE!
fredo777
Desperate little trolls, of course, will only focus on the negative elements of what was said, as opposed to looking at the whole picture.
Sad + pathetic.
Jason_M
The distinction that will work for him is civil vs. “sacred” marriage.
He has said something about Prop 8; better than nothing. Thanks, Barack.
This “moderate” prefers to the writing discrimination into constitutions frame to the gay marriage rocks frame. Any group that has been discriminated against in law should have no trouble understanding the fundamental wrongness of this approach. And leaders of THEIR and our communities should make strong statements about.
Jason_M
John, Bill Clinton is inconsistent to put it mildly. I’m very glad he sent out this call but it doesn’t cost him anything. As him if he supports same-sex marriage. He’ll say no, betcha. To put it bluntly, black and brown religious conservatives vote yes on 8. Barack’s statement, though muted, is much more important politically, and better late than not at all.
Plus the blood libel of the Yes campaign about the homos are gonna git your children — well, that takes all the religious distinctions right out of it. The campaign has been about writing a group out of humanity, pure and simple.
bastique
This article has a mistake. Barack Obama does not support Proposition 8, and has stated his opposition to it. He is opposed to Gay Marriage on religious grounds, but is also opposed to a constitutional amendment defining marriage. I encourage the writers to print a correction.
Yesman
Unfortunately, this vote stands in the middle between church and state. People have the right to choose their beliefs in this country and the state. This is why Prop 8 will win tomorrow because it falls on the majority belief system.
In California, the marriage licenses have been reprinted since the Supreme Court decision, replacing the bride and groom signatures with -Part A- and -Party B- (I know because I downloaded it from the ca.gov site). Sounds discriminatory to hetero marriage doesn’t it? So it’s OK to omit bride and groom from the marriage lexicon?
And if you’re going to comeback with “Then they can have two separate marriage licenses” you have proven the argument that same sex marriage IS different.
Put two pictures up side by side of traditional marriage and gay marriage. If you see no difference, then vote NO. If you see a HAIR of difference, vote YES.
fredo777
Blah, blah, blah.
Vote NO on 8, regardless of all the semantics + “how is this picture different?” word games.
Carey Gosa
Well, the ‘Yes on 8’ people are using Obama in their ads…
http://www.protectmarriage.com/four/
NY Diva
The interviews in the Washington Blade painted a clear picture of the differences. I just read them online.
Obama: http://www.washingtonblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20935
McCain: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=21367
rick
marriage is for churches, civil unions are for everyone without religion involved.
My View
Barrack Hussein
Obama Is A LIAR
The Lie Of Omission Is The Biggest Lie Of All
A Vote For Obama Is A Vote Against The
US Constitution, America, Morality And Truth
11-3-8
Among things Obama is lying by omission to America about – by willful concealment – are his: Occidental College records, Columbia University records, Columbia Thesis paper, Harvard College records, Selective Service Registration, Medical records, Illinois State Senate schedule, Illinois State Senate records, Law practice Client List and his TRUE country of birth.
Obama is NOT Constitutionally or morally entitled to be President and a vote for him is a vote against America and for Marxism, Islam, and Socialism/Communism to name a few. He and his disciples say ‘We Need Change!’ WHAT KIND OF CHANGE?
His announced ‘Change’ Foreign Policy Advisers are: Zionists Zgibniew Brzezinski and Billionaire George Soros, George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, CFR/UN/NWO Richard C. Holbrooke, Cold Warrior Brent Scowcroft, Colin (Iraq WMD liar) Powell, among others. THAT’S ‘CHANGE’? In reality, Obama has encircled McCain from the right and we will see much more war and extremely worsening times…that kind of change we can live without.
Keep firmly in mind, Obama wants to bankrupt the entire US coal industry which could power the entire country for CENTURIES with proper environmental guarantees.
* Obama will institute FORCED national service and return the SS draft registration for our boys and girls.
* Obama voted FOR the MASS GENOCIDAL, illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (BushCo has MURDERED 3-4 MILLION innocent human beings).
* Obama voted FOR increasing taxes over 70 times.
* Obama voted FOR the outrageously un-Constitutional FISA ACT
* Obama voted FOR the trillion dollar ‘bailout’ theft.
* Obama will seek to destroy the First and Second Amendments.
* Obama wants all Ameircan children 0-5 in government indoctrination ‘pre-schools’.
* Obama believes your children should be forced to learn Spanish.
* Obama has called for a ‘Second Bill of Rights’ – when all we need do is to proudly enforce the one we have.
And there is much, much more about this media-created, political ‘rock star’ to think about before casting your vote. Consider the truth about this mesmerizing, slick, highly-trained NLP mind control, NWO sock puppet whose close friends are an unrepentant bomber-killer terrorist and a jailed Chicago financial criminal. Study the FACTS before you vote. Use your head, not your reflexes and emotions.
Obama is not black nor is he white. He is a mulatto. In either case, the color of his skin has less than NOTHING to do with the issues he stands upon and his ‘worthiness’ to be President.
He is the bringer of more WAR and death to Americans and to countless others in faraway countries whose ONLY sin is that their nations have natural resources, or otherwise stand in the way of the NWO exploitation of same. Obama’s adviser-controllers show unmistakable signs of attempting to provoke a war with Russia. Is that the kind of ‘change’ America needs?
Obama is the bringer of Fascism and Socialism, of massive Corporate/Government big brother control, and a dismemberment of what’s left of the Constitution of the United States of America, the greatest single piece of national governance ever conceived.
Think before you vote. This man and the NWO machine behind him represent the greatest danger to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness in American history. That’s the kind of ‘change’ we all face. And his supporters…already blind witnesses to multiple flips on major political and social positions, will ultimately be the most shocked of all by an Obama presidency.
THINK before you vote.
http://rense.com/general83/huss.htm
fredo777
THINK before you post vicious nonsense, “My View”.
Obama gets my vote because he’s the best choice for president + he gets my condolences because he just lost his grandmother + I’m not a vile troll.
Doreen
I don’t understand how Mr. Obama can recognize the biblical fact that marriage is between a man and a woman and then say prop 8 is not neccessary, you can’t really be on both sides of the fence on this one, you either believe that God’s word is right or you don’t, you can over ride the authority of God, I am still voting for Obama and think he’s going to make a great leader, but i’m a little disappointed in this one, sounds a bit hypocrital, wanting to be everything to everyone for a few extra votes, better to have a leader who sticks to his guns and what he believes, please don’t be a sell out !
ina
“mulatto”????
Are you freaking kidding me?
That post ought to be pulled, since it’s obviously nothing to do with this thread re: gay marriage.
My View
@ 31 · fredo777 – In March 2003 I met an American soldier in a gay bar in Cologne. He told me that he was off to Iraq in a few days time to topple evil dictator Saddam. I told him that the US would be invading Iraq and that it had no mandate from the UN to do so, in fact the US would commit a huge crime by attacking a sovereign state. Arrogantly Eric, the soldier, told me that the world did not want another Hitler and Saddam needed to be removed. I said to him that the world already had another Hitler, his name was Bush! Anyway, we had a beer together and Eric told me not to worry, the ‘war’ would be over in six months time and we would meet again before Christmas, in the same bar, and laugh about our ‘little’ disagreement. In 2006 I met a friend of Eric’s in Cologne. I asked him how Eric was and whether he had seen him recently. He said ‘Eric died a few months ago after losing both his legs in an attack in Iraq.’ In 2003 Eric thought he’d be back in six months time because he believed the lies he was told. Eric died a horrible death, over three years later, because he believed the lies he was told by his superiors. He was 23 years of age when he went to Iraq and 27 years of age when he died! All this because of a fake 9/11 attack by Bush and co.
You are playing with fire by voting for psychopath Obama! Obama has been brainwashed and is not his own man. I hope that when he introduces National Service you’ll be one of the first to join the ,don’t ask, don’t tell’ killing machine and help him to fight the whole world. No hiding then girlfriend!
My View
33 · ina
“mulatto”????
Are you freaking kidding me?
That post ought to be pulled, since it’s obviously nothing to do with this thread re: gay marriage.
______________
I was quoting. Anyway, what do you call a mixed-breed person of white and black parentage? He ain’t black and he ain’t white. In South Africa and Southern Africa we call them Coloured. No Zulu, Tswana, Xhosa, Ndebele etc. person will see a Coloured person as black. No Coloured person will see himself as Black or White but as Coloured! Hope that helps!
warren
Thanks for nothing Obama….give the enemy amo why don’t yah. I see web banner ads on many LGBT interest sites with show McCain and Obama and the copy says something like this: They agree on one thing. Marriage is between a woman and a man.
Wonder how many fence sitters he just empowered to vote yes on 8 to discriminate.
Snoodle
I think that while he personally does not support gay marriage, it’s nice to see he doesn’t try to impose his beliefs on other people.
logan767
i can’t believe you all are trying to justify obama’s non-support of gay marriage. first of all, if marriage is solely a religious sacrament to be carried out by the church, then get rid of ALL marriage performed by the government, or for that matter anywhere outside a church. this justification is absolute bullshit. marriage is a legal contract, and has mostly been for the sake of binding families, passing wealth, and securing power. there are a million benefits – including social recognition – that come with marriage. and the fact is separate will never be equal, as barack and all of us posting here should know.
Bill Perdue
The bigotry of the Obama and McCain tickets about same sex marriage is the one single factor that hurts us the most in California, Arizona and Florida, the three states where anti-GLBT initiatives are on the ballot.
From day one McCain and Obama have relentlessly competed to win the trophy for pandering to bigots using same sex marriage as a wedge issue. The polls say that Obama won that race. His tedious petition of his prejudices about same sex marriage is a green light to bigots to vote against us. When Obama attacked same sex marriage using the phrase “god’s in the mix†he that same sex marriage is a sin and secondly that the clueless bigotry of the christians is sanctioned from “On Highâ€. Let’s have a big down home hallelujah for Brother Obama… the bigot.
And his supine apologists, who’ve believe anything, accept anything and defend anything he does, over and over, are getting just a little old, and more than a little pathetic.
The right wing and the christist bigots are so enthused by Obama’s bigotry that they’re running ads quoting him against us. That’s becasue Obama constantly says that same sex marriage is a sin, and that civil unions, which cements our second class status, are all that we deserve. And like George Wallace, another bigoted Democrat and enemy of civil rights, Obama is quite content to let the ‘state’s rights’ dogma, which had it origins in the slavocracy’s demand to be allowed to extend slavery, to be his guide, allowing state DOMAs to mistreat us.
With Democrats like that who needs Republicans?
Don’t get caught voting for bigots. Vote against McCain and the other Republican bigots. Vote against Obama and the other Democrat bigots. If the union led Labor Party gets on the ballot despite the roadblocks placed by the Democrat party then vote for them, or for any socialist or communist candidates or write someone in or just skip it like millions of disgusted working people do every four years.
WHATEVER YOU DO, IF YOU LIVE IN ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA OR FLORIDA VOTE AGAINST THE BIGOT BALLOT ITITIATIVES.
fredo777
“My View”, you are off your rocker.
As always, I’ll be voting for the candidate that is best for my interests as a gay man.
That is Obama/Biden.
And NO on 8.
Joe
Why do we keep blindly supporting candidates who don’t support our key issues and then do backflips to rationalize our choices? Just because someone is a liberal, doesn’t make them our friend. After all, the most demonic conservative of our generation, Dick Cheney, is the only national candidate to openly support gay marriage and other key issues to our community – – why Obama and not Cheney? We’ll never get anywhere by giving away our votes to those that don’t help us and then turn our backs on those who do just because they don’t have the magic “d” next to their name.
fredo777
“Why do we keep blindly supporting candidates…?”
Speak for yourself, Joe. Not all of us are “blindly” doing anything, but have researched the candidates + are weighing the pros + cons which still point to certain candidates being better for LGBT citizens than others. Not perfect, obviously, but better.
Check out the Washington Blade articles NY Diva posted.
josh
From the no on prop 8 ads itself: “no matter how you feel about marriage, don’t take away a person’s fundamental rights”
he feels a certain way about marriage, fine. that isn’t a crime. but is he going to let his feelings trump the rights of those people, hell no. vote obama.
seitan-on-a-stick
So Obama is against Proposition 8 but the dastardly “yes on HATE” people are mis-using his stance on Gay Marriage as a Green Light for their Prop-on-8.
No on Proposition 8
Yes to Barack Obama as President
PS – I really noticed a lot of old people voting at 6am but no young people in sight….
Bill Perdue
Yes seitan-on-a-stick, Obama tells us one thing and the bigots another, just like Clinton did.
Clinton gave us DADT and DOMA and we’ll just have to wait to see what nasty tricks OBama will pull.
fredo777
Obama hasn’t told anyone anything different. He’s always said he doesn’t personally believe in gay marriage, but that he’s for more rights in the form of civil unions + that he acknowledges that his own beliefs might not be perfect.
Anyway, DADT was a compromise, which you probably already knew. Clinton was met with resistance + had to settle for DADT. That’s old news. I’m looking forward now + I’ve already ‘Baracked the Vote’ today.
Bill Perdue
fredo777 – DADT and DOMA are recent news, and so is the Democrats refusal to repeal them during the last two years they’ve controlled Congress. There is, after all, at least some continuity in the Democrat party. Especially regarding bigotry. For instance Biden voted for both DOMA and DADT, as did scores of other Democrats who’ll be in the next Congress.
The gutting of ENDA by a ‘liberal’ named Barney Frank is even more recent, and so is their contemptible decision to empower thugs by refusing to press the hate crimes bill while hate crimes against us are soaring. (Google the FBI hate crimes story of a few weeks ago.)
But the most recent news of all is the enduring bigotry of candidates like McCain and Obama regarding same sex marriage and the gleeful use of that by other bigots supporting attacks on same sex marriage.
Your issue regarding the age of their betrayal is a non-issue, an absurd attempt to deflect from their pattern of betrayals, in which Obama and Biden have both played ugly roles. It’s useless to try to con people with sophistry like that; too many of us are fully aware of what’s been done to us, and even more became aware during this campaign.
Don’t worry; Obama is going to win big. And then he’s going to betray us. Then everyone except a few crumb collectors are going to be very angry. And then the Left will organize them. I can’t wait.
I voted early in Nevada for ‘None of these Candidates”. That’s just one of the reasons I like Vegas.
fredo777
The whole rant is a non-issue.
He’ll get in, make some positive changes + I’ll look back on it + be glad I voted for him.
The End.
ZeeLee
I don’t know. Both Obama and Clintin seem to have one common belief; marriage is between a man and woman.
They both sound OK, but if I had to vote I’d probably vote Obama. (I’m a canadian… YAY!)
ZeeLee
NoOn8
Obama isnt being very clear about prop 8
he says he doesnt support it but then he talks about how he doesnt support gay marriage
that kinda cancels each other out
but hey as long as he votes NO on prop 8 then its all good and he’s obviously a better choice than McCain
only redneck assholes vote for McCain
notice all of the state that only have like 1 or 2 representatives are McCain states and Obama has all of the states with like 53 or 25 representatives
the Electorial College has the votes that count and right now Obama is up by 110 votes
crazyfool
Calling on all gays, move to California and reverse this nonsense. I’m appalled not only by the result of this vote but also that it only takes a majority of those who even bothered to show up and vote to amend California’s constitution. If I understand correctly, increased tax measures or bonds and the like require 75% of the vote. Unbelievable, placing the importance of money over basic human rights.
crazylove, while I agree with your sentiment, you rob your points’ potency with a hackneyed argument. You should speak in a language that can be understood by what should be your intended audience. Activists can understand your gibberish but others? I’m not so sure. And that’s who you needed to convince and need to convince in the future. Please step back and remove yourself from your narrow life’s immersion and learn to speak to those outside your agenda.
Joe USA
Bitter sweet victory. The first African American president. Gay rights denied.
We voted for Animal rights and won. Yet we voted for Gay rights and lost.
As I said a very bitter sweet day for many gay Americans. Colin Powell said of Mr. Obama, he is a good man a great man that happens to be black. I to am a good man and possibly a great man who happens to be gay.
Jim
I understand that president elect Obama is personlly opposed to gay marriage. But on the weekend before the vote to a select audience he said he didnt think the coonstituion should be changed to restrict liberty. In a state he won 61 to 37 he could have done more to help gays and lesbians NOT have their freedom restricted. He didn’t lead here. Why no outrage?
Faghater
Fuckin fags…go fuck urself and die!
Nicole
I honestly believe that Obama does support gay marriage. He just had to say what he did to get elected. It’s sad, but due to Prop 8 passing, it proves that Americans are still prejudice. More about it on my blog.
The fight wont stop until homosexuals have the same rights as heterosexuals, I can promise you that.
K
End government marriage.
It was a dumb idea in the first place.
What business is Caesar doing in God’s sacraments?
Replace government marriage with something else.
denny1699
I understand that Bill Clinton made mass “automated” calls to California voters urging them to vote No on Prop. 8.
Why couldn’t the Barrack Obama people do the same, with all their vast financial resources and armies of volunteers ? ?
amy
@fredo777: ha! obama, more ‘pro gay’ than mccain? bullocks! and you fell for it and voted for this guy? get to the back of the bus where obama wants you.
fredo777
Being that he’ll actually utter the word “gay” in a public speech? Yes.
He’s, by default, more pro-gay than grampa.
And, btw, don’t ever suggest that I go to the back of the bus. Or that I get on a bus at all, for that matter. Hmmph.
Charlito
Hey Amy, if the back of the bus is the dunce section, you have a permanently assigned seat.
clearview
The latest lesson in ‘careful about what you wish for, you just might get it’.
There were too many red flags regarding Obama’s ambivalent, even hostile, position toward gays to ignore——
Obama defended his ‘traditional black church’–which would include the well known black religious tradition of the most extreme faith based homophobia. Beyond that he defended his vitriolic, bigoted preacher Wright– before he denounced Wright once his sharp tongue was directed at Obama rather than others deserving of traditional ‘black christian’ hate.
Obama did one profelactic interview with the Advocate when nobody was looking and when he was looking for votes in the couch cushions. Then he never spoke to gay press, volunteered an opinion on the civil rights isssue and group of modern America despite filming ads in support of affirmative action, and lied about equal access to gay press among all minorities. This despite his hope and rose colored glasses campaign and claim of constitutional law scholarship.
Yet, gay Obamanuts backed him. Even rejecting Clinton—a known fighter for gays who openly met with and included gays in her campaign.
Koolaid doesn’t come in rainbow color. So why were you all lapping this guy up??? Thanks a lot.
clearview
GO JOE! Everyone who ever wants gay issues to be taken seriously needs to read comment 41! Every other minority group had their votes courted this election because they demanded it. We silently settled and did what they had done for decades–be taken for granted and therefore have our interests ignored.
Vote for folks who don’t dodge gays ‘in order to be elected’ or for some darker reason, as Obama did. Saying the word ‘gay’ once in a speech is NOTHING. What does that get you? By the way, that’s old news Clinton bet his whole election campaign by being there with us and then his presidency in fighting for us as one of the first things he did. And then, there was no active movement to dehumanize gays as there is now and which Obama will silently, maybe even happily, see pass.
necole marcum
im for obama but him being against gay marriage is not right
im only 16 years old and nobody may agree with me but i think that my opinion matters in this country too.
were all suppost to have equal rights in this country and he is basically going against what the constitution is saying.
my mom voted for obama and if i could i would have too but i think that i would be the one to have spoke what i have to say inorder to have gay marriage approved in all states.
i mean he could atleast have a U.S vote. kind of how they do when they voted him in to the white house..anyone who disagrees with this is iliterate. how can you possible kill a unborn child but be against someones happiness?
Ne’Cole Marcum
Louisville,Kentucky
fredo777
@clearview:
Obama won. I’m glad.
Get over it.
Also, that whole “drinking the Kool-Aid” bit was tired by the early part of this year. And blatant lying isn’t a good look on you, either. If you bothered to look up Obama’s church website, you’d have known that they offered a service inclusive of same gender loving singles, along with their other ministries for single members. Obama has also been quoted plenty of times for his comment about homophobia in a black church.
All this is futile, though, since he is no longer campaigning for our votes. He got them + I’m still glad he did, considering the alternative of a McPalin administration. Ugh.
clearview
Yes, why couldn’t the 150 million in Sept candidate fund robo calls like Clinton’s to defeat hallmark civil rights issue of our generation? Or tape an ad? He did so for state measures attacking race based affirmative action . . . .
Please. Any gay person who voted for Obama and not Clinton deserves the second-class citizen stigma Obama dishes out. As for the rest, straight or gay, we want what’s right for gays.
And yes, a federalist perspective/McCain is better than a religious-based ban/Obama. At least then we can all live in a state or two where bigots aren’t in charge.
fredo777
@clearview: Newsflash: Clinton was for civil unions, too.
*hisssss*
That’s the sound of the air being let out of your argument.
; )
kat in your hat
Obama-Biden-Palin-McCain-Hillary are ALL said they were against gay marriage. Well, Hillary said the states should decide.
Hillary was the one who you knew you could have counted on. Hillary has always been the one to care about lgbt rights.
NOT OBAMA! I cannot believe that there was even one gay who voted for Obama over Hillary. Just so….stupid! grrrrrrrrrrrrr
jh
Florida and Arizona outlawed gay marriage, civil unions, and even private contracts between couples that created the conditions of de facto marriages. Arkansas passed a law that will keep the surviving gay uncle of an orphan from adopting or foster-parenting his own nephew if the parents die. Obama hasn’t denounced the results in California, Florida, Arizona or Arkansas. Let’s face it, folks: he takes more enlightened positions than McCain did, but even those positions he doesn’t care much about. When something clearly violates his stated principles, he doesn’t even speak out against it. How much less can we expect him to act on those stated principles. We’re on our own.
My View
@ JH – Obama is owned! He and his master as well as his handler, Rahm, does not care about what happens to some queers. Let’s hope that he falls flat on his lying face on or before 1 December 2008 when he has to produce his original birth certificate!
http://obamacrimes.com/
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=80931
But maybe Rahm will come to our aid? You never know:
Rahmbo The Killer
11-16-8
“Let me tell you right now, no exaggeration. Rahm Emanuel is the devil. He is . . . a Goebbels, a Mengele, a perfect Cromwell who would, without the faintest evidence of hesitation washing across his face for even a millisecond, order and even personally execute each and every human being he or Obama perceived to be an enemy of the regime. And if you ever personally offended him, and he had the opportunity to kill you, he would probably do it by starting with your children as you were made to watch. He is a bad guy.”
– American war journalist Pat Dollard
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/rahm_emanuel_157.html
America is an Obamanation, oops, Obama nation .
“The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the greatest liars;
the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.” H.L. Mencken
Christian
@fredo777: @fredo777:
Fuck you. YOu think gay rights are secondary and are not as important as civil rights? I’m sick of gays with Obama rainbow stickers and other “liberal” voters who refuse to see the obvious in this. I’m not about to make excuses for anyone and its sad to see this constant “well-at-least-its-not-Mc-Palin” spouted out for everything. At least Palin was honest enough to say what she believed from the start. Obama waited till he won to say what he thought.
Christian
@kat in your hat: THank you. What was everyone reading the whole time we were doing primaries???!!! If I see one more Obama rainbow sticker I’m going to lose it.
Indran Fernando
@crazylove:
No, that’s not the issue. Purism would be not voting for Obama because I’m a vegan and he eats animals–the animal rights movement is too young for me to have such high expectations of presidential candidates–your question, “Who is this serving?” would apply here.
But in this day and age, it’s not “radical” to believe that marriage should be about love, not religion & politics. It’s not “radical” to believe in the separation of church and state (for God’s sake the First Amendment came into effect in 1791!!). It’s not “radical” to want and end to the homophobia that has metastasized throughout our society*, of which Prop 8 is a deceptively benign-looking symptom. Hell, Bill Clinton even acknowledges that Prop 8 “unfair and wrong”–is he a radical?
*Matthew Shepard in ’98, Lawrence King in ’08… What will 2018 look like? If we approach homophobia with the centrist cowardice that you see in this interview segment, the only “change” will be in the name of the victim.
Emmett thee boy
Oh come on! He is just another homophobe.
I don’t get to vote on hetero marriage.
Why do heteros get to vote on mine?
What a load of the same old tired BS.
Obama’s comment? So, he does not favour my lifestyle. I don’t need governmental permission to fu*£ who I want to fu*£.
To love who I want to love.
Simply a watered-down version of the ‘Gods Hates Fags’ brigade as I see it.
Don’t they know that queers bash back?
Up the QUEERS!
Emmett
Hannah
Wow. I’m shocked. I would have thought if any president would be in favor of same-sex marriages, Obama would be. I understand the religious reasons, so I don’t say he is as bad as McCain, but still. Saying that he is not in favor of same-sex marriages is going a little too far. He might as well just not talk about it. He should at least make it so th people decide if they should allow them. I also think that having a religious issue with it is a better reason than just being ignorant. Religion is all about beliefs, but being ignorant about gay marriage is just wrong and there is no reason for it. Its almost like when African Americans were persecuted because of skin color. No wait, it is exactly like that. Since when should sexuality define whether or not you deserve the same rights as others?
Alissa
What the heck don’t you guys get??? All of you people are ridiculous. I’m in the same position as Obama and its completely understandable. I’m a straight woman and honestly thought of two women or two men being together sickens me. But the U.S. constitution states that we should keep religion and state apart. Laws should never be made because of religious beliefs! Its just down right wrong. SO.. Obama does NOT support Prop 8, but he doesn’t believe in same sex marriage. ITS NOT THAT HARD TO GET.
strumpetwindsock
@ Alissa
I get your point. It is like someone being personally opposed to abortion but supporting choice.
Unfortunately when anyone is in public office he or she isn’t just voicing a personal opinion (unless specifically stated). It is a POLITICAL opinion, which carries the weight of that public office and the responsibility for acting in the common good.
And that goes double for the head of government.
mindy rodriguez
Americans, do not be fooled by this guy. He sais he believed marriage was a union between a man and woman and would still stick with that except the people running his campaign want us to forget Obama did not okay the Keystone Pipeline which our country needs. But he didn’t want to upset Julia Louis Dreyfus…and in doing that he did not do his homework. But Americans have done it for the president…Louis Dreyfus Group, family of Julia Louis Dreyfus, has a pipeline business all of their own. Did you see her, Robert Redford, etc., campaigning against her family’s pipelines? Do not be fooled by Obama….he wants you to forget he did not approve the Keystone!!!!!