Obama's View on Gay Marriage

I've heard a LOT of people say that Obama is against Gay Marriage. A lot. This is wrong.

To clarify:

My view is that we should try to disentangle what has historically been the issue of the word "marriage," which has religious connotations to some people, from the civil rights that are given to couples, in terms of hospital visitation, in terms of whether or not they can transfer property or Social Security benefits and so forth. So it depends on how the bill would've come up. I would've supported and would continue to support a civil union that provides all the benefits that are available for a legally sanctioned marriage. And it is then, as I said, up to religious denominations to make a determination as to whether they want to recognize that as marriage or not.

-Barack Obama, 2007 HRC/LOGO debate on gay issues Aug 9, 2007

To sum up: He believes in a total separation of church and state, saying that the government should grant "civil unions" to any couple, and churches can grant "marriages" as they please.

Which.. y'know, makes sense. If religious/bigoted assholes want to get the panties in a twist over the term "marriage" then fine, whatever. The legal protections that the civil institution offers should be available to all tho. Nice solution if you ask me.

Tweets for Today

• 04:49 Whoo! That is all #
• 04:51 just hopes that Prop 8 doesn't pass now. That would make everything awesome. #
• 04:51 Oakland is STILL honking horns! Wow! #
• 05:05 is much more impressed with Obama's speech than McCains - McCains started classy but turned into dross. #
• 05:06 WTF!! Prop8 is winning???!! #
• 05:11 Wow... Obama's acceptance speech is really, really, really, good. #
• 05:21 @GeekMommy - Yes. Exactly. That was one of the best parts of the speech. #
• 05:36 @bberrymom - Prop 8 is winning, but... early days. #
• 05:53 @poisson - *I* haven't felt this way about America in a long time, and I'm not even a citizen! It's awesome! #
• 10:12 Is listening to EVERYONE in Oakland honk horns!! Obama won!! #
• 14:37 is pissed that Prop8 is going to pass :( a vote for bigotry #
• 21:30 Just took my 35th mugshot! www.dailymugshot.com/main/show/2363 #

...because posting full entries is hard

Do they even listen to themselves??

Miriam got a phone call the other day. It was a relative of Martin Luther King calling to urge Californians to vote yes on Prop 8, saying it was God's will, and that (basically) it's what MLK would have wanted because... y'know he's a relative of MLK and so is right.

Oh really? I paraphrase, but:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of homosexuals and the sons of heterosexuals will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by their sexuality but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

Fuck you bigots. Fuck you.