…and then there were 6. My job got a bit easier after Florida as John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani both dropped out of the race, so their positions no longer need to be considered in this series. I suppose I could probably eliminate Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, also, as neither of them really has a shot at the nomination, but as long as they keep them in the debates, I’ll keep writing about them.

So, this time, I’ll take a look at the candidates’ positions on gay rights. Like abortion, this isn’t a strictly religious issue, as there are people with strong secular opinions against both (see almost any post by the Raving Atheist for secular opposition to abortion). However, since most opposition is of a religious nature, I’ll include it.

Clinton: Hillary Clinton received an 89% rating on this issue from the Human Rights Campaign in 2006. She supports civil unions, and believes that marriage is an issue for the states. She voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. While she once supported Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, she now favors its elimination so that gays can serve openly. Hillary supports giving gays and lesbians equal adoption rights. In 2002, she voted to add sexual orientation to hate crime legislation.

Huckabee: I’m sure no one will be surprised by the results on this one. Mike Huckabee opposes legislation to protect gays from employment discrimination and hate crimes legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as criteria. On marriage, Huckabee says on his campaign web site “I support and have always supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.” He signed similar legislation in Arkansas in 2006. He also opposes civil unions and gay and lesbian adoption and foster parenting. Finally, he doesn’t “think” he would change the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

McCain: Like Huckabee, McCain opposes protecting gays from employment discrimination and including sexual orientation in hate crime laws. On same-sex marriage, McCain’s web site says “The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman.” Despite this, he opposes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. He supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell because he feels that open homosexuality in the military is potentially risky. If he has ever taken a public stance on gay adoption, I wasn’t able to find it.

Obama: During his tenure in the Illinois legislature, Obama sponsored legislation that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He receive an 89% rating (same as Clinton) from the HRC in 2006. In the Senate, Obama co-sponsored legislation to include sexual orientation in hate crime laws, and he believes the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should include sexual orientation. He opposes Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, saying that “The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve.” He supports civil unions, and opposes gay marriage, citing his religious beliefs as the basis for his position. He did vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Obama supports equal adoption rights for gays and lesbians.

Paul: Ron Paul opposes the the Employment Non-Descrimination Bill, which includes sexual orientation. He opposes all hate crime legislation, so he can’t really be judged on that issue here. He opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes a federal amendment defining marriage as heterosexual. In 1999, he voted for a measure to ban gay adoptions in Washington, DC. He thinks Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is “a decent policy.”

Romney: In 1994, during a run for Senate against Ted Kennedy, he sent a letter to the Log Cabin Republicans, saying “…as we seek to establish full equality for America’s gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than my opponent.” However, he now opposes nondiscrimination laws for gays, supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, opposes gay marriage and civil unions, opposes gay adoption, supports the Federal Marriage Amendment and opposes the inclusion of sexual orientation in hate crime laws. Massachusetts was the first state to allow gay marriage, and Romney lobbied the highest court in the state and the state legislature to eliminate it. Oops.

That’s it on gay rights. There’s more to come in this series. I may wait until after Super Tuesday for the next installment. I think I’ll have a lot less to write.

~I AM~