McCain Opposes Gay/Lesbian Adoption

John McCain, an adoptive father himself, said he opposes adoptions by gays and lesbians in an interview with The New York Times.

His presidential campaign clarified that he does not seek a federal ban on the practice. Only one state, Florida, outlaws adoptions by gays, which have become commonplace in much of the nation.

"I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption," said McCain. McCain then remarked that he and his wife, Cindy, were proud to be adoptive parents of a daughter born in Bangladesh, and he encouraged others to adopt. Asked if those adopting should be a "traditional couple," McCain answered, "Yes."

McCain Backs Initiative Barring Marriage Equality

[Sourced from a 6/28/8 article in The Sacramento Bee]

GOP presidential candidate John McCain has endorsed the November ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in California. The endorsement was announced on ProtectMarriage.com.

"I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona," McCain said in a statement released by the Protect Marriage campaign. "I do not believe judges should be making these decisions."

McCain endorsed a 2006 Arizona initiative defining marriage as only between a man and a woman – which was defeated – but voted against a federal constitutional amendment against marriage equality.

Obama Statement On LGBT Pride Month

Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement commemorating Pride month:

"I am proud to join with our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered brothers and sisters in celebrating the accomplishments, the lives, and the families of all LGBT people during this Pride season. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans.

It's time to live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. Let's enact federal civil rights legislation to outlaw hate crimes and protect workers against discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Let's repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell and demonstrate that the most effective and professional military in the world is open to all Americans who are ready and willing to serve our country. Let's treat the relationships and the families of LGBT Americans with full equality under the law.

We are ready to accomplish these goals because of the courage and persistence of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who have are working every day to achieve equal rights. The gay couple who demand equal treatment in our family laws as they raise their children; the lesbian soldier who wants nothing more than to serve her country openly and honestly; the transgender workers who asks for the simple dignity of being judged by the quality of their work. Generations of LGBT Americans, at once ordinary and extraordinary, have made possible this moment in our history. With leadership and hard work, we can fulfill the promise of equality for all."

Hillary Clinton Comes Out Stronger For Equality

From Yahoo! News:

Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said she would defend gay rights as president and eliminate disparities for same-sex couples in federal law, including immigration and tax policy.

Clinton said states such as New Jersey and Massachusetts are extending rights to gay couples "and the federal government should recognize that and should extend the same access to federal benefits across the board. I will very much work to achieve that."

Clinton's comments came in an interview with the Philadelphia Gay News that was posted on its Web site Thursday.

Clinton said she and her husband have many gay friends that they socialize with when they get the chance. "I've got friends, literally, around the country that I'm close to. It's part of my life," she said.

She said that when they ask her why they can't get married, she tells them marriage is a state law. She said that fact helped defeat a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex weddings that she said would "enshrine discrimination in the Constitution."

"States are really beginning seriously to deal with the whole range of options, including marriage, both under their own state constitutions and under the legislative approach," she said. "I anticipate that there will be a very concerted amount of effort in the next couple of years that will move this important issue forward and different states will take different approaches as they did with marriage over many years and you will see an evolution over time."

Clinton said she opposes a measure that would ban gay marriage in Pennsylvania.

"I would be very distressed if Pennsylvania were to adopt that kind of mean-spirited referendum and I hope it won't happen," she said.

Clinton's Democratic rival Barack Obama and Republican John McCain declined the newspaper's invitation for an interview. The paper criticized Obama and highlighted his refusal to talk by leaving a blank space on the front page where his interview would have appeared.

Clinton also said she would:

• Eliminate her husband's policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that prevents gays from serving openly in the military. Asked if she could do so by a signing order connected to a military appropriations bill, Clinton said she didn't think that is possible but she would look into it and do it if it were legal.

• Be "very strongly outspoken" against foreign governments that execute gays and use financial assistance and other leverage to prevent the killings.

• Support federal domestic partner legislation to extend rights to all same-sex couples.

• Support services for gay youth, including guidance for schools about the discrimination they face.

• Continue to support gay pride celebrations, to the extent that security would allow. "I don't think the Secret Service let Bill walk in a parade when he became president," she said.

Mitt Romney Drops Out

Mitt Romney announced that he is leaving the presidential race to let rival John McCain start unifying the Republican party behind his candidacy. Romney's departure came two days after a poor showing on Super Tuesday left him badly trailing McCain.

California February 5, 2008 Election Results

Hillary Clinton bested Barack Obama statewide 52-42% and countywide 55-38%.
John McCain outpolled Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee statewide 42-34-12% and countywide 40-37-11%.

See Orange County results by city at the Orange County Register.

Propositions 91, 92, and 93 were all voted down.
Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97 were all approved.

ECCO-endorsed Jordan Brandman won a seat on the Anaheim Union High School Governing Board.

It's Super Tuesday — Vote!

Hillary Clinton guest posted on the LGBT site The Bilerico Project yesterday and discussed many of her feelings about our community and its concerns.

ECCO Endorsements For February 5, 2008 California Elections

Update: Voter Guides have been printed and mailed.

Update 2: Dennis Kucinich (D) has withdrawn from the race.

Update 3: Rudy Giuliani (R) and John Edwards (D) have withdrawn from the race.

Update 4: Rudy Giuliani and Governor Schwarzenegger have endorsed John McCain in the CA primary. John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich haven't made an endorsement as of 2/2/8 although Kucinich did designate Barack Obama as his second choice to his supporters in the Iowa Caucuses.

ECCO will be mailing a Voter Guide that covers endorsements for the California Propositions and Anaheim Union High School Board. In lieu of the Voter Guide mailer, this post will help absentee voters.

Propositions
No Position on 91: Transportation Funds
NO on 92: Community Colleges. Funding. Governance. Fees.
YES on 93: Limits on Legislators; Terms in Office [Prop 93, if passed, will allow almost all current LGBT members to remain in office!]
NO on 94: Amendment to Indian Gaming Compact — Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians
NO on 95: Amendment to Indian Gaming Compact — Morongo Band of Mission Indians
NO on 96: Amendment to Indian Gaming Compact — Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
NO on 97: Amendment to Indian Gaming Compact — Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

Anaheim Union High School
Jordan Brandman — Endorsed
Denis Fitzgerald — Unacceptable

ECCO will not be endorsing any candidates in the presidential primaries.

Instead, the Voter Guide will feature a comparison chart with candidates' positions relevant to our community.

Democratic Candidates
• Hillary Clinton
• John Edwards
• Dennis Kucinich
• Barack Obama

Republican Candidates
• Rudy Giuliani
• Mike Huckabee
• John McCain
• Mitt Romney

Issues
• Military "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy
• Hate Crimes
• Same-Sex Marriage; Civil Union; Domestic Partnership
• HIV/AIDS
• Employment Non-Discrimination (ENDA)
• Healthcare
• Gay Immigration
• Choice; Judicial Nominees
• Iraq War

The information for the Voter Guide was gathered from the January 15, 2008 issue of The Advocate, the USA Today website, the CNN website, and the candidates' websites.

To obtain a copy of the Voter Guide, send ECCO an email with your postal address to eccopac@yahoo.com.

Kucinich Out

Democrat Dennis Kucinich is abandoning his second, long-shot bid for the White House as he faces a tough fight to hold onto his other job — U.S. congressman. The six-term House member said he was quitting the race.

Huckabee Wants The U.S. Constitution To Apply "God's Standards"

"The Bible was not written to be amended. The Constitution was."

Read the full interview on beliefnet.

ECCO Voter Guide Update

ECCO is currently researching candidates' positions and developing its February 2008 Voter Guide.

Iowa Caucuses Knock Candidates From Next ABC News Debate

Saturday's prime-time presidential debates from New Hampshire will be less crowded because ABC News is excluding GOP candidate Duncan Hunter and Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel.

The Republican debate will include Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. It starts at 7 p.m. EST. Shortly after that 90-minute forum, Democrats Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Bill Richardson will take the stage.

The excluded candidates failed to meet benchmarks for their support that were outlined prior to the Iowa caucus. ABC set rules to narrow the field. Candidates had to meet at least one of three criteria: place first through fourth in Iowa, poll 5% or higher in one of the last four major New Hampshire surveys, or poll 5% or higher in one of the last four major national surveys.

Democrats Joe Biden and Chris Dodd quit the race Thursday night.

Barney Endorses Hillary

The Clinton campaign announced the endorsement of Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank and named him as an Economic Advisor to the campaign.

Presidential Candidates React To Iowa Marriage Equality Decision

Even as an Iowa county judge issued a temporary stay on his ruling knocking down the state's same-sex marriage ban, the presidential candidates jostled to stake out a position with the state's conservative voters in mind.

Mitt Romney was the first to seize on the ruling, promptly aligning himself with Iowa political leaders in denouncing the decision. The former Massachusetts governor's swift criticism served to bolster the conservative image his campaign has been working hard to promote to Iowa's Republican voters. Romney stressed his support for a federal amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, a stand that distinguishes him from his top rivals, who have said they prefer to leave such decisions to the states.

"The ruling in Iowa ... is another example of an activist court and unelected judges trying to redefine marriage and disregard the will of the people as expressed through Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act," Romney said in a statement shortly after the ruling was made. "This once again highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman."

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the only Democrat to offer a reaction. Taping an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Clinton said she favors civil unions "with full equality of benefits." But she said the question of same-sex marriage should be left up to the states.

"The states have always determined age of marriage, other conditions and over time we've gotten rid a lot of discrimination that used to exist in marriage laws," she said. "That's now happening. People are making decisions. Civil unions, marriage. They're deciding in the states and I think that's the appropriate place for that to be."

Barack Obama's spokesman said the senator "believes these matters should be left to the states, which is why he opposes the Defense of Marriage Act."

John McCain called the ruling "a loss for the traditional family."

"I have always supported the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman," he said. "The ruling of the court only reinforces my belief that we must have a president who is committed to appointing strict constructionists to the bench."

Sen. Sam Brownback, who has worked hard to gain the backing of social conservatives in Iowa, offered a sharp rejection of the judge's ruling. "The people of Iowa reject the redefinition of marriage, and I pledge today to defend the bond of marriage, as I have consistently done in the past," he said in a statement.

Rudy Giuliani's spokesman said simply: "Rudy Giuliani believes marriage is between a man and a woman." Giuliani has supported limited legal recognition for same-sex couples.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, who will officially enter the presidential race next week, has offered support for a federal amendment that would prevent states without gay marriage laws from having to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

Thompson Speaks: Anti Marriage Equality, Anti Choice

Likely Republican White House hopeful Fred Thompson told CNN that he would work to overturn Roe v. Wade if elected president, and would push for a constitutional amendment that protects states from being forced to honor gay marriages performed in other states.

“I don’t think that one state ought to be able to pass a law requiring gay marriage or allowing gay marriage and have another state be required to follow along,” Thompson told CNN’s John King. Thompson added that the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion “was bad law and bad medicine.”

As for when he will jump into the race, the former Tennessee senator said "shortly."

Democratic Presidential Nom Richardson Doing Damage Control

After stumbling through a question at a forum about whether people choose to be gay or are born that way, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson spent part of the day trying to regain his footing by reaching out to prominent members of the gay and lesbian community.

Mr. Richardson's initial response — "it's a choice" — angered many gay rights activists who hold the opposite view. After the forum, the Richardson's campaign issued a statement essentially taking back the remark: "Let me be clear — I do not believe that sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice," Mr. Richardson said. "But I'm not a scientist, and the point I was trying to make is that no matter how it happens, we are all equal and should be treated that way under the law."

Mr. Richardson took to the airwaves, speaking to Michelangelo Signorile, who hosts a daily talk show on SIRIUS satellite radio's gay channel, OutQ. During the ten-minute interview, Mr. Richardson sought to further clarify his answer to the question posed by singer and gay rights activist Melissa Etheridge last night:

"I screwed up. I didn't understand the question. I had flown all night from New Hampshire — that shouldn't be an excuse — but I made a mistake, I screwed up. What I believe is that this is an issue that you're born with. It's not a choice, it's not a lifestyle, and I didn't understand the question. What I thought that the question was — and this was my mind at the time — that there was an implication that politics intervenes with science. And, I always love the word choice. I'm for freedom of choice, I have in my health care plan a choice where everybody can keep their health care plan. And so I always kind of feel it's a golden word, and I didn't think through what Melissa was asking me. I didn't understand the question.

I think I should be judged on my actions. My actions are I've got the best gay-lesbian record of any governor and the best gay-lesbian record of any of the presidential candidates."

Mr. Richardson also reiterated the basic position that he outlined at the HRC forum — he supports civil unions "with full marriage benefits," but does not favor same-sex marriage. (Several of the other Democratic candidates have taken a similar stance.)

The Richardson campaign was quick to point out the Governor's accomplishments in New Mexico, including his push to provide health insurance for domestic partnerships and expand anti-discrimination and hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation.

Democrats Debate GLBT Issues On Logo

Check out the Visible Vote '08 site for video recaps, reactions, and comments on the Democratic debate on logo.