Obama and McCain on equality

[pegkerr]

Thanks to thistlerose, who pointed out this post from penknife outlining where Obama and McCain stand on LGBT equality.

Comments

[utterings.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Commenting here, as am LJ-less and can't comment to Penknife.

I'm acutely aware of McCain's cavalier disregard for LGBT people. Not outright hatred as with so many social conservatives, but just a general belief that LGBT people are less human. A general awareness-malaise hangs about McCain, an unwillingness to consider our existence when considering the value of people in general. Hard to be a politically-aware lesbian and not have noticed.

My issue is that I'm not convinced Obama actually thinks any differently. I keep seeing people -- like Penknife -- say "Obama supports X" without any backup in the details. I'm not convinced he wouldn't throw us, alive and screaming, to the wolves if it meant capturing a few electoral votes. I have yet to see anyone truly back up the claims that Obama is an advocate of LGBT rights and claims -- including Obama.

I'm a New Yorker; my rights and liberties are better protected than those of most of my LGBT peers nationwide. I fear for my friends and neighbors and my "family of choice." And under the Executive leadership of either candidate, I know that my life could get a whole lot worse.

On this issue, I distrust Barack Obama far more than I fear John McCain. McCain can't win anything by taking action against LGBT people, and has serious, difficult battles to fight, about which he (and the leaders of his party) care more deeply. Obama could gain a whole hell of a lot.

[penknife.livejournal.com]

I've checked my comment settings, and they should be set to allow anonymous and OpenID commenting -- is that not working for you?

I'm not sure what to offer you that would constitute proof of Obama's positions on these issues. Obama strongly urged Bush to sign the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act (http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/48733561_barack_obama_barack_obama_obama_statement_passage_hate_crimes_prevention_act).

He says he will help usher through an Employment Non-Discrimination Act and sign it into law (http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_id53285.asp) and work to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell (same interview). He says he supports civil unions that are exactly equal (http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2007/11/obama-and-gay-m.html) to marriage in how they are recognized by the federal government.

There's no way to know for sure what he'll do when he gets into office, no. There's no way to know that for sure about any candidate. But I'd rather bet on the one who says he'll support equality, rather than the one who says he won't.

(Sorry about deleting and reposting! I am failing at cutting and pasting tonight.)

[utterings.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Peg, thanks for letting me use your journal to get in on the conversation -- shall leave you alone now. :o)

Penknife, I wasn't able to comment to your original post, but I was logged in to LJ via openid on my blackberry -- two failed attempts and I couldn't go through the six-steps of links and retyping to try again. :o)

Just to clarify, I have no plan to vote for John McCain - I'm not torn between Republican and Democrat for anything. But Obama hasn't won my vote away from either of two potential "sideline" candidates I'm interested in.

That said, thanks for the links. I'd given up on listening/reading more than a few words of Obama's "general audience" interviews, because the Preacher-man tone grates so jarringly. And yet, I am in love with what he has said about Civil Unions (as an actively non-religious woman I abhor the notion that a marriage in the eyes of a God with whom I want nothing to do is somehow "better" than a government sanctioned legal contract that claims nothing but earthly jurisdiction), and I want to believe him about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and Don't Ask Don't Tell. But I'm not convinced he's anything more than talk and a pretty face -- it'll be very easy for him to shove campaign promises that will take work in the face of incredible opposition into the lower desk drawer of some flunky at the OEOB and "never get around to it" during his term in office -- or worse, table them in order to get something "more important" through Congress.

If I didn't despise his other plans (in terms of war, finances, and healthcare his naivete and lack of specific, concrete, financially feasible plans make me shudder) he might be able to win me over with these positions alone. If he gets righteously angry, if he gets emotionally powerful, if his inspiring words come to include any legitimate, specific call to action other than to give money to his campaign and he shows actual evidence of brains and backbone in face of Republican good ol' boy opposition, he might win me over in spite of them. But those are some pretty big "if"s.

Anyway. Thank you for a great,thought-provoking post and for your response here. So as not to intrude on Peg's space any further, feel free to email me if you'd like to continue conversing -- though that's certainly not necessary and you seem to have your fingers full with responding to comments -- utterings[at]gmail[dot]com.

- Lissa