Democratic+Stance


 * Democratic Stance **



Democrats tend to be more for gay marriage/rights than Republicans. However, Democrats seem to support civil unions and extending hate crimes to include gay people. This means that if someone was attacked because of their sexual orientation, the person who did the attacking would be charged with a hate crime.

There is widespread support for domestic partnership laws applicable to unmarried people living together in a loving relationship. For example, 72% support granting legal recognition to such couples in the areas of family rights, such as hospital visitation rights, medical powers of attorney and conservator ship. Another 61% favor granting financial dependence status to such couples, whereby partners receive benefits such as pensions, health and dental care coverage, family leave and death benefits. A 54% majority also favors government registries where domestic partners could legally declare their partnership

We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek equal responsibilities, benefits, and protections for these families. In our country, marriage has been defined at the state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there. We repudiate President Bush’s divisive effort to politicize the Constitution by pursuing a “Federal Marriage Amendment.” Our goal is to bring Americans together, not drive them apart. Source: The Democratic Platform for America, p.36 Jul 10, 2004

The very purpose of hate crimes is to dehumanize and stigmatize. Every crime is a danger to Americans’ lives and liberty. Hate crimes are more than assaults on people, they are assaults on the very idea of America. They should be punished with extra force. Protections should include hate violence based on gender, disability or sexual orientation. And the Republican Congress should stop standing in the way of this pro-civil rights, anti-crime legislation. Source: Democratic National Platform Aug 15, 2000

[] __ http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Democratic_Party_Civil_Rights.htm __