Obama’s Gay Agenda
By Dylan Matthews - Nov 18th, 2008 at 2:53 pmOnly two weeks after winning the election, President-elect Obama has posted his civil rights agenda to Change.gov, the largest portion of which is devoted to LGBT issues. It includes the provisions one would expect–a repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, a trans-inclusive discrimination ban, adding anti-LGBT attacks to hate crimes statutes–but also has this bullet point:
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
This is something I saw him talk about on the stump during the primaries, but the fact that his press team never emphasized it led me to fear it wouldn’t be a major priority in an Obama administration. He still hasn’t passed anything, obviously, but if Obama makes a good-faith effort to give federal rights to married couples in Massachusetts and Connecticut and those in civil unions and domestic partnerships in other states, that would be the most dramatic pro-marriage equality step by the federal government since, well, ever.
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