Chicago rally in support of Gays and Lesbians having the right to marry
NBC's Today show will be taping with Katie Couric at 401 N. Michigan, in front of NBC studios Thursday Feb. 26 from 6-9am.
All of the following statements were released in response to President Bush's Feb. 24 statements.
Schakowsky Reacts to President Bush's Support of a Constitutional Amendment Opposing Gay Marriage, Feb. 24
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today expressed opposition but little surprise following President Bush's announcing his support of a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage.
Below is Schakowsky's statement:
"For a President who supposedly prides himself on family values, why is he objecting to loving couples joining together in marriage? This is nothing more than a desperate attempt by President Bush to switch the nation's attention away from his failed policies and to restart his fledgling campaign.
"President Bush wants to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage sohe won't have to talk about his failed economic and international record. Most Americans would rather have a President who will create good jobs and lower their health care costs, instead of a leader willing to play politics with Americans while dividing our country."
LAMBDA LEGAL STATEMENT
Statement on Bush Support for Amending the U.S. Constitution To Block Same-Sex Couples from Equal Treatment, and Impact of Ongoing Same-Sex Marriages in San Francisco on the National Debate, Feb. 24
"Twelve days ago in San Francisco, this stopped being an abstract discussion when ordinary lesbian and gay people began getting married. Gay married couples are no longer a bogeyman that can be used to frighten the country -- they are real people with very real needs for the protections only marriage can provide, which the country has seen up-close for the first time. San Francisco didn't cause this; instead, San Francisco will help defeat any anti-gay constitutional amendment by continuing to show the nation that married gay couples aren't a threat and that nobody else's marriage is harmed when loving same-sex couples receive equal treatment."
"The kind of amendment President Bush announced his support for today would put families all across America in jeopardy. Same-sex families pose no threat to this country or to other couples. The threat to families is a proposed amendment, which would write discrimination into the Constitution for the first time ever. Our Constitution belongs to every American, and we need to keep it that way. There is no moderate way to amend the Constitution to discriminate against a group of Americans. This extreme constitutional amendment would have a very real impact on real people's lives."
"The President is supposed to be the leader of our entire nation, but he is turning his back on that duty by supporting an attempt at such extreme discrimination. Young gay people listening to him today will wonder if they can be part of the American dream when marrying the person they love might never be part of their future. All across the country people are hearing this nation's leader say it's a good idea to write discrimination into our nation's Constitution. Straight or gay, this is deeply troubling for a lot of people, and we're going to stand with them and fight this attempt to silence and discriminate against our families."
-- Jon Davidson, Senior Counsel for Lambda Legal in its Western Regional Office in Los Angeles
Lead counsel the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal and the ACLU intervened in cases against the City of San Francisco on behalf of several same-sex couples who were married in the last week-and-a-half, a couple who wants to marry, and Equality California (a statewide lesbian and gay advocacy group) on behalf of its members. For more information and background, go to www. LambdaLegal.org, www.nclrights.org or www.aclunc.org .
ACLU Calls Bush Support for Marriage Amendment Un-American; Proposal Would Write Discrimination Into the Constitution,
Feb. 24
WASHINGTON - Responding to President Bush's official endorsement this morning of a constitutional amendment to deny marriage rights to same-sex and unmarried couples, the American Civil Liberties Union said that the amendment supported by the White House is much broader than advertised and would not only ban civil unions but could completely deny a broad range of government benefits to unmarried couples, be they gay or straight.
The ACLU also noted that the measure as written is fundamentally at odds with basic principles of federalism and state authority, which has made the amendment a wedge issue even among conservatives.
"President Bush's endorsement of this mean-spirited amendment shows that he is neither compassionate nor concerned with the rights of all Americans," said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. "Gays and lesbians are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends. They serve as firefighters, police, doctors and professional athletes. They laugh at the same jokes and worry about car payments and credit card debt. Amending the constitution to deny them same rights we all take for granted just isn't very American."
The debate over denying marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples has been heating up in response to a Supreme Court decision prohibiting state anti-sodomy laws and a Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that same-sex couples cannot be denied the same rights enjoyed by straight married couples. The city of San Francisco recently began granting marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples and has challenged California's statutes that prohibit gays and lesbians from marrying.
These developments have prompted social conservatives to introduce a constitutional amendment that would deny all "legal incidents" of marriage - that is the vast bundle of civic benefits conferred by marriage -- to any unmarried couple, both same-sex and straight, and would preclude states from even recognizing so-called "civil unions," which can confer some state level benefits.
"We should not write discrimination into the Constitution to score political points," said Christopher E. Anders, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. "This so-called modest measure is anything but that -- if adopted, it could lead to a dismantling of the protections that state and local governments have given to gay and lesbian Americans. It is the nuclear bomb of anti-gay attacks, forever wiping out most of the protections for same-sex couples."
The proposed amendment, the ACLU said, could undermine state domestic partnership, adoption, foster care and kinship care laws. It could deny all unmarried couples -- regardless of sex -- all legal protections for their relationships by overriding any federal or state constitutional protections and federal, state and local laws. In many states, unmarried persons - including unmarried relatives, heterosexual couples, and even unrelated clergy members -- have the same rights as married persons to jointly adopt or provide foster care or kinship care.
The proposed amendment also lacks across the board support from conservatives. Former member of Congress Bob Barr (R-GA), a strong opponent of same-sex marriage, "does not support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage. He prefers instead to leave the decision to the citizens of each state." Barr was the author of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which allows individual states to reject same-sex marriages performed by other states and has never been challenged successfully in court.--Shin Inouye, Legislative Media Liaison, ACLU Washington Legislative Office, www.aclu.org
LAMBDA LEGAL STATEMENT
Lesbian and Gay Families and Lambda Legal Speak Out on the 'Real Impact on Real Lives' of Bush-Backed Federal Constitutional Amendment, Feb. 24
(New York, Tuesday, February 24, 2004) -- Lambda Legal said today that a proposed amendment to the federal Constitution that President Bush announced his support for this morning could take away critical rights and protections from hundreds of thousands of families nationwide and even block them from seeking such protections through the nation's centuries-old democratic process.
"The kind of amendment President Bush announced his support for today would put families all across America in jeopardy. Same-sex families pose no threat to this country or to other couples. The threat to families is a proposed amendment, which would write discrimination into the Constitution for the first time ever. Our Constitution belongs to every American, and we need to keep it that way. There is no moderate way to amend the Constitution to discriminate against a group of Americans. Amending our Constitution would have a very real impact on real people's lives," said Gary Buseck, Legal Director at Lambda Legal.
Illustrating the substantial harm a constitutional amendment banning recognition of same-sex relationships would pose to a wide range of couples and families in all 50 states, Lambda Legal today issued the following statements from clients and community members:
"We can't fully protect our family if we can't get married. It's frightening to think about such an extreme step as changing this nation's Constitution in order to discriminate against families like ours. We pay New Jersey taxes, support New Jersey's economy and live under New Jersey's Constitution. We don't want to cross state or national borders to get married, which is why we're working this out here in our own state. We have to at least fight for our family, but the amendment President Bush supports would essentially tell our family sit down and shut up." -- Karen and Marcye Nicholson-McFadden, of Aberdeen, New Jersey, who recently celebrated their 14th anniversary together and are raising a 4-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. The Nicholson-McFaddens are among seven couples Lambda Legal represents in a lawsuit in state court in New Jersey seeking full marriage rights for same-sex New Jersey couples. The case is currently on appeal and will ultimately be decided by the state's Supreme Court.
"When the love of my life died, I didn't go out looking for a so-called 'activist judge,' and I didn't get one. I just wanted my case to be heard. My partner died tragically in the prime of our lives, and legally I was treated like a stranger to him. My only option was to go to court, lay out all the facts and ask to have my rights respected. I didn't know where else to turn. What would President Bush and other politicians have me do instead?"
John Langan, of Long Island, New York, whose partner of 15 years died in a New York City hospital after suffering a broken leg in a hit-and-run accident. The hospital tried to block Langan from suing for the wrongful death of his partner, Neal Conrad Spicehandler, saying that because they were gay and unmarried Langan had no legal rights. Lambda Legal represents Langan in his battle in New York state court to be legally respected as a spouse because the couple had a civil union from Vermont. Lambda Legal won in state court, in a ruling the hospital is appealing.
"We already live under a state constitutional amendment blocking any recognition of our relationships. The law here is so extreme that we can't even go to our legislature and advocate for the most basic protections that other couples take for granted, like making funeral arrangements for each other. Since our legislature can't even consider giving us basic protections, our citizenship rights are hindered by the state law. We're working that out here in Nebraska, and it will take some time to see whether our extreme law will stand. We're already locked out in the cold here, and an amendment to the federal Constitution would send us to Siberia."
Nancy Brink and Maria Perez, of Omaha, Nebraska, who have been together several years and are involved in a lawsuit Lambda Legal and the ACLU are litigating in federal court in Nebraska, challenging that state's state constitutional amendment barring any recognition of same-sex relationships. That constitutional amendment, which is by far the most extreme in the nation, blocks lesbian and gay people from advocating for even the most basic protections for their families. A federal judge in Nebraska recently rejected the state's effort to dismiss the lawsuit.
"When my partner died, the coroner refused to turn her body over to me. At the funeral, my late partner's relatives took our youngest daughter from me and kept us apart for two months. Legally, my daughter and I had no rights. Amending the federal Constitution would cement this discrimination and put thousands of mothers and daughters in the nightmare we faced." Lydia Ramos, of Los Angeles, whose partner of 14 years died in a car accident, setting off a chain of events that led to her late partner's relatives taking the 12-year-old girl the couple had raised together since birth. Lambda Legal successfully fought in family court for Lydia to regain permanent custody of her daughter.
Buseck added, "The President is supposed to be the leader of our entire nation, but he is turning his back on that duty by supporting an attempt at such extreme discrimination. Young gay people listening to him today will wonder if they can be part of the American dream when marrying the person they love might never be part of their future. All across the country people are hearing this nation's leader say it's a good idea to write discrimination into our nation's Constitution. Straight or gay, this is deeply troubling for a lot of people, and we're going to stand with them and fight this attempt to silence and discriminate against our families."
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Lambda Legal has worked for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people and those with HIV or AIDS for the last 30 years. In a landmark U.S. Supreme Court victory last June, Lambda Legal represented two Texas men arrested and convicted for having consensual sex at home; Lambda Legal's victory in that case struck down the nation's remaining sodomy laws and established a constitutional right to privacy for lesbian and gay couples. For more on Lambda Legal's work on marriage and other issues, visit www.LambdaLegal.org .
People For the American Way Statement
BUSH PLAYS DESTRUCTIVE AND DIVISIVE POLITICS WITH CONSTITUTION
PFAW calls endorsement of anti-gay marriage amendment shameful, Feb. 24
Today, President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment that would force states to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas called the President‚s announcement "an appalling and disgraceful move that would cause lasting damage to the values enshrined in our Constitution and very real harm to many American families." Neas said People For the American Way is working closely with a broad coalition of organizations opposing a constitutional amendment.
"We must not rewrite the Constitution to require treating one group of Americans differently than others," said Neas. "The Constitution is the foundation of our freedom. Over many years, men and women have dedicated their lives to ensuring that all Americans are treated equally under the law. It is an unprecedented, and extremely offensive, act to amend the Constitution to require states to discriminate against one group of Americans."
Neas noted that the Bush announcement comes just as the president is launching his re-election campaign. Far-right organizations have been demanding that the White House push for a constitutional amendment in order to energize the president‚s political base, and GOP strategists have openly gloated over the prospect of using the marriage debate as an election year "wedge issue."
"The White House is playing a cynical and destructive game with the Constitution, diverting attention from other matters that are of higher priority to American families," said Neas. "We should not allow the White House to distract the American people from issues that pose a real threat to American families, including lack of jobs, the administration‚s reckless deficit and tax policies, its dismantling of constitutional checks and balances, and more. Fair-minded Americans will reject this attempt at playing politics with people‚s lives."
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People For the American Way supports full legal equality for gay and lesbian Americans, and has supported full marriage equality for same-sex couples since 1996. A longtime advocate for equal rights, the affiliated People For the American Way Foundation filed an amicus curiae brief in the Massachusetts case urging the state‚s Supreme Judicial Court to uphold equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, as it did.
FAMILY PRIDE COALITION ANGERED BY BUSH'S SUPPORT FOR ANTI-GAY, ANTI-FAMILY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT , Feb. 24
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 24, 2004 - The Family Pride Coalition expressed its anger and disappointment with President George W. Bush's formal expression of support for the anti-gay, anti-family, anti-marriage constitutional amendment. In a televised statement broadcast from the White House, Bush urged Congress to "promptly pass" an amendment that would prevent government at all levels from granting any of the legal protections of marriage to same-sex couples.
In spite of widespread reporting to the contrary, the proposed amendment would not allow for recognition of civil unions, and could even ban rights and responsibilities including hospital visitation, child support, health care benefits and inheritance rights.
"This election-year maneuvering should be called out for what it is - a blatant and hostile attack on our families," said Aimee Gelnaw, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition, the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to securing equality for LGBT parents and their families. "While the President attempts to add a touch of compassion to his language by calling for a debate without anger and bitterness, the reality is that this attempt to permanently ban all forms of recognition for our families is based in the deep homophobia and intensely anti-gay rhetoric of this country's right wing.
"Despite Bush's descriptions of America as a free society, gay and lesbian couples in our country are not free when their relationships are denied legal protections. This isn't second-class status, this is no status at all," Gelnaw said. "In this situation, the President is acting as Divider-in-Chief. This measure, and others like it, does nothing but cause harm to our children and families. To continue with this effort to deny marriage -- or any legal recognition of our relationships -- is anathema to any call to stand for families.'
The anti-marriage amendment has been introduced in both the House and Senate. House Joint Resolution 56 had 107 Republican sponsors and six Democrats at the time of Bush's statement. Senate Joint Resolution 26 has seven Republican sponsors and one Democrat. In order to add an amendment, the resolutions must pass by a two-thirds vote in both Houses, and then be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.
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The Family Pride Coalition is the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to securing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their families.
From the Human Rights Campaign
HRC SHARPLY CONDEMNS PRESIDENT BUSH'S ENDORSEMENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT DISCRIMINATING AGAINST AMERICAN FAMILIES
President Has Broken Promise of Being a Uniter, Says HRC, Feb. 24
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign today sharply condemned President Bush for endorsing a discriminatory amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban marriage rights for same-sex couples.
"To use the Constitution to discriminate against our families is un-American, shameful and divisive," said HRC President Cheryl Jacques. "Constitutional amendments have historically served to expand liberty and equality - such as giving women the right to vote. This amendment would be the first to reinstate discrimination in our Constitution. There is no doubt in my mind that the American people will see this as an ugly and discriminatory game of politics. Americans remember the president's promise to be a uniter, not a divider. Today, the president has broken that promise."
According to an ABCNEWS/Washington Post survey in January, a solid majority oppose an amendment barring marriage equality - 58 percent think we should not amend the Constitution but instead let each state should make its own laws on the issue. Also, key voting blocs - 59 percent of women, 52 percent of Republicans, 55 percent of those in the South and 60 percent of independents - all say that this should be a state issue.
"The President explained that if the existing Defense of Marriage Act were to be found constitutional, it would still allow a state to enact its own marriage laws. The president wants to prevent states from making their own policy - this is hardly conservative and, in fact, quite radical," added Jacques.
"The President said he wanted to proceed with kindness, good will and decency - make no mistake, that is not possible. It is neither kind nor descent to discriminate against Americans and deny them critical rights," said Jacques. "Instead of pulling the country together to fight terrorism and meet our common challenges, the President is now working to divide the country with a long and bitter political fight over the Constitution."
"The President keeps talking about protecting minority rights in Iraq. What about those of us in his own country?" asked Jacques. "With his approval ratings at an all-time low, this ploy is sure to backfire against the President."
On the President's claims that he's "protecting" marriage, Jacques added, "The only marriages under attack are those of same-sex couples whom the President either wants to prevent from marrying or forcibly divorce by nullifying existing marriages."
The only such proposal currently before Congress (H.J. Res. 56; S.J. Res. 26) would not only deny marriage to same-sex couples but could also deny any state legislature or electorate from ever voting to pass their own state's domestic partnership, civil union or marriage laws. Under the Federal Marriage Amendment, courts could be barred from enforcing the legal protections that a legislature provides through civil union or domestic partnership laws.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
STATEMENT BY GLAAD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOAN M. GARRY ON PRESIDENT
BUSH'S ANNOUNCED SUPPORT FOR AN ANTI-GAY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT,
Feb. 24
GLAAD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOAN M. GARRY -- "As America has watched images in the media of thousands of gay and lesbian couples who have joyfully made formal commitments to one another, they have seen something President Bush has obviously missed completely: that true equality under the law is something that every American yearns for deeply -- and is entitled to.
"This is a day of great sadness for all Americans who believe in that principle of equality. The president's statement today calling for the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would target a group of Americans for discrimination demonstrates just how terribly out of step this administration is with what fair-minded Americans understand in their hearts.
"In his nearly four years in office, President Bush has still not publicly uttered the words 'gay' or 'lesbian.' And he has refused to recognize the lives and families that would be so terribly devastated by his callous call to codify discrimination.
"We call upon all Americans who care about equality to recognize and acknowledge the families and lives at the heart of this debate - and trust that media will help all of us understand the real-life impact of the president's decision today."
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
News Release from the US House of Representatives
U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO)
U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Bush Threatens Sanctity of Constitution
President's Support for Amendment Divides Nation, Feb. 24
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who are leading a coalition of Members in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution, strongly denounced President George W. Bush's support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution permanently banning millions of Americans from receiving equal protection under the laws of the United States.
"President Bush's shameful decision to support for a constitutional amendment on marriage is both radical and divisive. His action flies in the face of more than 200 years of American tradition of being conservative with our constitution and exposes as hollow his claims of being a compassionate leader," said Rep. DeGette. "Instead, the President seeks to use the constitution to make millions of Americans second-class citizens, denying them such essential rights as hospital visitation, the ability to make medical decisions for a partner, or inheritance benefits."
"Our founding fathers would be appalled by the President's efforts to use our Constitution as a weapon to divide our nation and discriminate," said Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). "Americans are deeply concerned about the loss of good paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and quality education for all children. It is clear that these are not the President's priorities. Marriage has always been a matter for the states, and it should remain so," Baldwin added.
NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE CALLS PRESIDENT BUSH'S DEMAND FOR
ANTI-MARRIAGE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 'DESPICABLE NEW LOW'
RESPONSE BY NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MATT
FOREMAN:, Feb. 24
"Today the President of the United States, solely for political gain, called upon Congress to amend the United States Constitution to enshrine our second-class citizenship in the nation's most revered document. This is a despicable new low.
This is nothing more than a transparent election year ploy to use our lives and families to drive a wedge into the electorate and divert attention away from the critical issues that face our country.
In the face of this, the president's exhortation that this debate be conducted 'without bitterness or anger' is an insult to our families, our dignity and to our contributions as citizens to the life of this nation. We consider today's announcement a declaration of war on gay America.
Marriage equality for same-sex couples harms no one. As the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has said, 'the history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal.' Yet, the President calls for just that: separate and forever unequal rights for gay Americans.
Over the past 200 years our nation has resolved and reached consensus on social justice issues through a process involving its courts, national discourse, and legislation. The freedom to marry for same sex couples should be resolved the same way. Bowing to the religious and political zealots who comprise his base, however, the President now seeks to subvert these democratic processes and shut down the national dialogue about same-sex marriage.
We call upon members of Congress as well as candidates seeking the Democratic party's nomination for president to strongly oppose amending the United States Constitution and to call the President's support for the amendment for what it is: anti-gay, partisan, divisive and distinctly un-American. We call upon all Americans, our families and friends to rally and defeat this attack."
More information on the struggle for equal marriage rights can be found in the Task Force Marriage Information Resource Center at www.TheTaskForce.org/marriagecenter.
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Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is the oldest national organization working to eliminate prejudice, violence and injustice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people at the local, state and national level. The Task Force trains activists and leaders and organizes broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation. The Task Force Policy Institute, the community's premiere think tank, researches and reports on critical policy issues. As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, the Task Force is creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. For more information on the Task Force, log on to www.TheTaskForce.org
