Should the 2012 party platform unequivocally call for marriage equality?

Is it time, finally, for the Democratic party to do the right thing?

And that's not the only plank progressives should fight for.

I don't know what that would look like, but yes, it needs to be a plank. If religion is kept sidelined, it would be an easy sell.

This is about gay and lesbian couples going to City Hall and getting married and getting their marriages legally recognized. That's what was so freaking infuriating about, for instance, the veto of civil unions in Hawaii...hell, this wasn't even marriage. Religion had ZERO to do with that bill. And yet...a completely secular bill was vetoed because of bigotry.

We are NOT demanding that churches be forced to perform same-sex marriage. That has NEVER, EVER been pushed and it's a ridiculous lie. It's that "they're trampling on our religious freedom" lie that the bigots have been using to oppose marriage equality.

Will it? I sincerely doubt it. Us 'fringe' groups just aren't that important in the grand scheme of things, it seems.

As we've seen with the Prop 8 trial in California recently, the opposition to marriage equality is based on nothing else but hatred of gay people.

And as we're seeing with the polls, the percentage of Americans supporting same-sex marriage is growing. It is NOT decreasing. There has been a steady increase in support of same-sex marriage in this country. And with the next generation overwhelmingly supporting marriage equality, it is a matter of time before a majority of the American people will support same-sex marriage. Contrary to the Maggie Gallaghers and Tony Perkinses of this country, that is an inescapable fact.

The Democratic Party will never gain the support of the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Research Council. Nor should they pander to their bigotry and hate.

The Democratic Party, in 2012, should call for the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and unambiguously support marriage equality.

It should call for promising but not delivering marriage equality, so that in future elections the party can coerce the GLBT community into voting for it "because there's no chance the republicans will pass it."

:thumbsup:

We don't require our candidates to hold to the platform anyway.

But I'm not holding my breath. However I will never again vote for a Presidential candidate who doesn't support it.

:hippie:

Even Obama and Biden are in favor of civil unions but not marriage...

Granting (or at least trying to grant) people the same rights as all others is always worth it.
Obama and Biden are WRONG on this issue.

LBJ, however, did the right thing.

It's past time.

No more excuses. When you have Ted fucking Olson, of all people, out there fighting court battles in favor of marriage equality, then anybody who calls themselves a "Democrat" no longer has any excuse to oppose it.

Seriously, you so called "pragmatists" are now to the right of Ted Olson. How does that feel?

Actually it's been a bit too late, but then Republicans aren't fond of the LGBT community. But for Dems, it's about time.

He is the head of the party.

Not gonna happen.

And look where that got us. :shrug:

we'll be there before 2012

As long as Fair Pay Act passes. It would create an unfair balance if the couple of two women earn less to support their family than the couple of two men trying to support their family. If all four start working at Walmart tomorrow? They should all be making the same amount of money.

Sorry - on a tangent tonight on Fair Pay - but regardless - I support this being a part of our platform.

there's ZERO chance of that happening.