Compiled By Howard Israel
S/he Said
"From a personal point of view, I can tell you what happened because it happened to me. You get to know more and more gay couples and you see the happiness. You see the economic security that marriage brings. And even more fundamentally, you can see children who otherwise would not have an adopted home being able to have that home. And so same-sex couples raise children, they do a fine job. And I think when you see this – and it has happened in California – more and more people say, 'What is wrong with people being happy?' "
-Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), in a column titled "Dianne Feinstein Defends Obama On Gay Marriage," http://www.huffingtonpost.com, May 15.
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"What I'd like to see Obama do next is turn the tables on conservative opponents of gay marriage, whose position has never made sense to me. Republicans are supposedly about small government and individual liberty, and the GOP has dug in deep to oppose what it calls a creeping encroachment of government into people's personal choices on issues such as health care. But how can the same party believe it's okay for the government to deny equal treatment under the law to an entire class of citizens, based solely on who they are, and who they love? How can freedom in the most personal sense (who we marry) be less cherished than the economic freedom to choose whether or not to buy health insurance? It's an argument liberals haven't made prominently in the gay marriage debate – and one Obama could seize on to not only move the needle on gay marriage, but also to highlight the differences between his party and his opponents."
-Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press Editorial Page Editor, in his column titled "President Obama and gay marriage," http://www.freep.com, May 09.
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"It is an honor to witness our President take such a strong stand in support of gay and lesbian couples across the country. This affirmation reinforces the Administration's ongoing commitment to LGBT Americans and our families. Here is President Obama, the nation's first Black president, taking a position that no sitting president in history has had the fortitude to ever take. If anyone in America has ever wondered what courageous leadership looks like, here it is."
-Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director/CEO, National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), in a statement titled "NBJC Applauds President Obama's Endorsement of Marriage Equality," http://nbjc.org. May 09.
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"NCLR applauds President Obama for his historic remarks expressing support for marriage equality. This issue is about doing the right thing and being on the right side of history. Ensuring fairness and equality while protecting people from discrimination is at the heart of NCLR's mission. Like other Americans, Latinos have shifted their views on LGBT issues in recent years. Acceptance and support for loving couples to have the right to marry is now shared by a majority of Latinos. We celebrate this historic moment with our allies in the LGBT community and with the millions of LGBT Latinos across the nation, and we look forward to working together to advance equal rights for all in the days ahead."
-Janet Murguia, President/CEO of National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., in a statement titled "President Obama Joins Majority of Latinos in Support of Marriage Equality," http://www.nclr.org, May 09.
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