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Obama pledges support for gay families
#1
[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/obamafamily.jpg[/img2]The presumptive Democratic party nominee for President of the United States has pledged to work towards the elimination of discrimination against LGBT families if elected.

Barack Obama was responding to a letter from Jennifer Chrisler of the Family Equality Council.

Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain said in an interview with the New York Times last month that he does not believe gay people should adopt children.

In response the FEC wrote to both candidates asking them to outline their plans to "recognise, respect, protect and celebrate all of the loving families [they] seek to represent."

Senator McCain has so far failed to respond, but Senator Obama said: "I’ll be a President that stands up for American families – all of them."

"The desire to build a life with a loved one, to provide for a family and to have children who will grow and thrive — these are desires that all people share, regardless of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity," he wrote.

"My own experience has taught me this lesson well. I was born to a single mother, my devoted grandparents helped raise me, and then I married the woman of my dreams and had two beautiful daughters.

"The love that has blessed each of those households has been strong and sure, and I know that millions of families across this nation share the same blessings.

"We also have to do more to support and strengthen LGBT families.

"Because equality in relationship, family, and adoption rights is not some abstract principle; it’s about whether millions of LGBT Americans can finally live lives marked by dignity and freedom."

Senator Obama listed more funding for after-school programmes, the abolition of the federal ban on same-sex marriage, an end to discrimination against LGBT families and "equal treatment in our family and adoption laws" as goals for his administration.

The FEC praised the candidate and pointed out that according to the 2000 census, more than 75% of American households "differ from the paradigm of a married, heterosexual couple raising their biological children."

Ms Chrisler stated in her letter to the candidates:

"Thirty-seven percent of parent households with children in the home are not headed by married,
heterosexual couples.

"Since 1940, grandparents have been the primary caregivers (without biological parents in the home) for approximately 2 percent of all children in this country, some 1.6 million children today.

"Forty percent of all children will likely be raised by unmarried partners living together for a portion of their lives.

"Lesbian and gay parents are raising four percent of all adopted children in the United States, as well as three percent of all children in foster care.

"Until grandmothers and grandfathers can easily access the government benefits intended to keep their grandchildren healthy and safe; until lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents can have their relationships universally and unquestionably recognised; until unmarried parents can access benefits without penalty or derision, we will not be doing justice by the millions of American families that do not fit a small minority's notion of what a"real" family is.”

Senator McCain’s comments about gay adoption were seized upon by LGBT rights advocates as evidence that he is hostile to their community.

Jody M Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said:

"We are disappointed and saddened that a public leader who is himself an adoptive father would deny the children in America’s foster care system the opportunity to thrive as part of a welcoming family.

"Love makes a family, but short-sighted positions like Senator McCain’s can certainly tear families apart, too.

"In a country where more than 125,000 children are waiting for foster parents, Senator McCain would deny loving homes to children who desperately need them simply because of an outdated prejudice about what a family may look like.”

In the wake of such criticism after his New York Times interview last month, the McCain campaign’s Director of Communications, Jill Hazelbaker, made the following clarification:

"McCain could have been clearer in the interview in stating that his position on gay adoption is that it is a state issue, just as he made it clear in the interview that marriage is a state issue.

"He was not endorsing any federal legislation.

"McCain’s expressed his personal preference for children to be raised by a mother and a father wherever possible.

"However, as an adoptive father himself, McCain believes children deserve loving and caring home environments, and he recognises that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes.

"McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."
Note: No trees were destroyed in the sending of this contaminant free message. However, I do concede, a significant number of electrons may have been inconvenienced.
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#2
Hee hee LGBT sounds like a sandwich...

Lettuce, Gherkin, Bacon and Tomato, much??

I'm a GHERKIN and i'm proud of it!!

Oh, and 'MON OBAMA!! Whatta lege. He'll never in a trillion years get elected :frown::frown::frown:, but still...

xxx
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#3
sox-and-the-city Wrote:Oh, and 'MON OBAMA!! Whatta lege. He'll never in a trillion years get elected :frown::frown::frown:, but still...
xxx

WoW, a trillion years. WoW...

Cant wait for the debates where McCain has an aneurism on stage Ukliam3

McCain has a really fun history to play with... Keating Five... ranked almost last in his class at the United States Naval Academy (894 of 899) hehehe... divorced his first wife with her nearly crippled from an automobile accident for a wealthy heiress.

If the election is close and it looks like McCain stole the election (as it appears Bush did twice) then I predict riots in the street... Look for me in the crowds, LOL :biggrin:

btw, has anyone followed the McCain ad against Obama and the Paris Hilton response ad?
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#4
Paris Hilton ftw.
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#5
What I don't get, right, is this ...

I sit here in my comfortable office, I drive a nice car, I live in a beautiful house, I have my own life, I don't affect many people ... but if you ask me for my opinion on something, I consider what I'm saying before I say it.

... and that's me - a virtual nobody comparatively.

This guy McCain is running for an INCREDIBLY powerful position, where every single word he utters has the potential to affect MILLIONS of people - not just one or two but MILLIONS of them, and he's still content to just belch out an opinion like that without considering its ramifications ?

What IS it with people like that !?!?!

I suppose he'd still want our votes as well ?? Pfffffffffft f*ck that.

!?!?! Shadow !?!?!
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#6
I would like to see the exact quote McCain said...

but Shadow, you have to understand the position McCain is in. He is known here, in the last decade, as a outsider of the Republican party. A lot of Republicans are very disappointed that he got the nomination as he isnt conservative enough. He is in a really tough position. He cant really be himself as if he moves too near the center he will most certainly lose the conservative vote. They will just stay home. But he also has to play to the middle because the population is pretty equally divided between Dems & Repubs. Both nominees need the swing vote, the independents.

It is a given that Obama will take 80 - 90% of the gay vote maybe more... McCain will get the vote of the Log Cabin Republicans - a very odd group.

Actually 8 years ago I would have voted for McCain over Kerry but the Bush team put out some real nice lies about McCain... and what does McCain do? He kisses the ring of Bush... currently his only positive is that he was a war hero a zillion years ago. It really is amazing. That is THE one thing everyone agrees on. He may actually win the presidency because he was held captive, tortured, etc, etc, in Vietnam.
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#7
I hate politics ... I don't understand why it can't just be that the best man for the job gets the job ...

Don't get me wrong, the American Political System isn't the target of my malcontent - it's politics the world over ... I just cannot be doing with it to be honest ... I appreciate the need for there to be a system of checks and balances, debate, discussion and accountability for the higher-level decisions that affect the day-to-day lives of people like you and I, but all the posturing and bullsh!t that politicians get up to just makes me aaaaaaaaaaaargh !!!!

*sigh*.

xx

!?!?! Shadow !?!?!
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#8
Shadow Wrote:I hate politics ... I don't understand why it can't just be that the best man for the job gets the job ...

*sigh*.

xx

!?!?! Shadow !?!?!

I totally agree!

There is really so little we know about how are leaders are actually selected.

Dont follow all the details of all the worlds politics but just looking at how our current idiot was selected - and selected TWICE - really does make one want to scream! The machines we use to vote on have secret proprietary software which even the federal government doesnt have access to... and the owner of a large % of the machines nationwide is a huge Bush supporter and actually made a statement declaring that Bush was going to win a week before the election Cry

OT: Is anyone following the latest scandal of John Edwards and an affair? Well, the conservatives are trying to tie this scandal to Obama - yes, it is insane... so then everyone goes back 30 years to McCains affair... and get this, the conservatives are attempting to give McCain a pass for his moral indiscretions due to the fact that he was a tortured Vietnam veteran.... and when he came back he suffered so badly that he had an affair and all is cool... GIGGLE GIGGLE GIGGLE - just love the conservative logic Astrosmiley2
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#9
I also find it really disturbing how candidates seem to think that slinging mud at their competitors somehow demonstrates how much better they are ?

Surely if it is ever going to be the best man (or woman) for the job that gets it, they would be above that sort of behaviour ?

But it seems to be quite a popular trend in American politics for candidates to openly engage in ad-campaigns to bash each other over their past conduct ... I'm sure the same sort of thing happens in British Politics, but it's just so chilling to me ... am I right in thinking that you guys actually have like ... tv-ads with things like "if you want to elect a man who (long list of vices) ... vote for (x)" (promoted by another candidate) kinda thing ??

... it's kinda like allowing the biggest kid in the playground to win simply because we're all too tired to chastise him any longer !!

*descends from his soapbox* Confusedmile:.

xx

!?!?! Shadow !?!?!
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#10
sorry Shadow, missed your post. I agree about the mud slinging. The candidates alway promise to run positive campaigns but it always ends up with CMs just on the worse things concerning the other candidate and never on what policies they would bring to the table. Also, the campaign to select a president in USA is way way too long and too costly!

BIG NEWS

OBAMA HAS CHOSEN BIDEN AS VP CHOICE - here is his wiki: Joe Biden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biden has been my second choice with Hillary Clinton my first. Biden would make a great VP or President. It looks like he was chosen as he has a lot of foreign affairs under his belt. He is very very out spoken and has gotten into some trouble with his mouth... I find his honesty a plus but many may not.
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