Reply #55: "Equal Rights for All"

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I’m proud to say that as Governor of Vermont, I signed legislation to grant homosexual couples the right to enter into civil unions. This law, the first of its kind in the United States, guarantees lesbian and gay couples the same basic legal rights that married couples enjoy: the right to inherit property, obtain child custody, visit a partner in the hospital, and control a partner’s affairs upon death.


The Republican Party seems eager to run against me because of my role in enactment of this historic law. I welcome that debate -- I can’t wait to ask the President of the United States why he doesn’t support equal rights. I can’t wait to ask him to repudiate the GOP-authored Defense of Marriage Act, an unconstitutional, mean-spirited law that stoked fears of homosexuality and pitted one group of Americans against another.


I’m tired of being divided. America is better than that. In this election, I promise that when Republicans pander to our lowest fears, I will fight back by speaking to our highest aspirations. I will offer the American people the chance to choose hope instead of fear, community instead of division, healing instead of hatred.


I’d like to tell you about my vision for an America that includes every one of us. As President I would:


Work to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars employment discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and national origin. But nothing in federal law prevents an employer from discharging or refusing to hire someone because he or she is gay. I will fight for enactment of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to remedy this gap in federal law.

Strengthen federal protections against anti-gay violence. The murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming was not an isolated incident but part of persistent anti-gay violence in the United States. I support enactment of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act to help states investigate and prosecute bias crimes and to add “sexual orientation” to the list of protected categories in the federal hate crimes statute.

Give federal employees the right to name same-sex partners as beneficiaries. Major U.S. corporations, such as Boeing, Ford Motor Co., and AOL-Time Warner, have adopted human resources policies to allow employees to designate a domestic partner as a beneficiary of health and other employment benefits. The federal government should do the same.

End bias in the immigration laws. Current law authorizes family members of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to obtain immigrant visas, but the Immigration and Nationality Act's definition of family does not include same-sex partners. I support enactment of the Permanent Partners Immigration Act (H.R. 832) to add the term "permanent partner" to the statutory list of family members eligible to obtain immigrant visas.

End the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Last November, several Arabic and Korean linguists from the Army's Defense Language Institute were discharged for being gay despite the critical need for qualified linguists in the war on terror. That was wrong. As President, I will offer gay and lesbian soldiers the opportunity to serve our country openly.

Ensure access to affordable health care, including AIDS/HIV Services. My health care proposal ensures that all Americans would have access to affordable health insurance. This would be a major step forward for individuals suffering from AIDS, many of whom lack coverage despite the need for costly life-saving interventions. I also support increased funding for public health programs like the Ryan White CARE Act.

As President, I will fight for the civil rights for all Americans, and that includes lesbian and gay Americans.



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