Gay Marriage Inclusion Reflects the Country's Views

About Stacey Long:

Stacey Long is the director of public policy and government affairs at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Absolutely! Supporting fairness and families makes for great politics. And that's exactly what the Democratic Party's inclusion of marriage equality is. It affirms our common humanity and is fully in step with how the entire country is moving on this issue, across religious, party, and demographic lines. More elected officials than ever and civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, and the League of United Latin American Citizens have come out in support of marriage equality.

The draft platform also condemns the discriminatory, so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which relegates thousands of same-sex couples to second-class citizenship by ignoring their valid marriages and denying them more than 1,000 federal rights, responsibilities, and benefits.

[See a collection of political cartoons on gay marriage.]

Democrats have traditionally supported LGBT equality, and this year should be no different. In addition to backing marriage equality and rejecting the Defense of Marriage Act, the platform committee is also expected to include positive language regarding federal employment protections for LGBT people. These protections are a key priority of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which has passionately pushed for passage of legislation such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

This is not just "good politics," it is quintessentially American—we are all created and deserve to be treated equally.

The time is right, the country is ready, and we have an opportunity to build on the momentum of support that continues to grow all across the country.

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Tags:

DNC,

marriage,

LGBT rights,

Democratic Party