Erection ’08 Coverage: Who’s Harder For Gay Rights?

Some people think that Barack Obama and John McCain are indistinguishable when it comes to their stance on gay issues. Here we compare the two gents to let you decide and discuss:
GAY RIGHTS
Obama: Supported gay rights during his Illinois Senate tenure. He sponsored legislation in Illinois that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
McCain: Regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment, he said, “The constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans.” However, he has supported an Amendment to Arizona’s Constitution that would ban gay marriages and deny government benefits to unmarried couples.
HATE CRIMES
Obama: Co-sponsored legislation to expand federal hate crimes laws to include crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation and gender identity.
McCain: John McCain did not support the Local Law Enforcement Act of 2005 which had hate crimes legislation attached.
EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION
Obama: Supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes it should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
McCain: Does not support a federal non-discrimination law that would outlaw job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
DON’T ASK DON’T TELL – GAYS IN THE MILITARY
Obama: Believes we need to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. His campaign literature says, “The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve.”
McCain: According to an April 16 letter to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, McCain says “[Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell] unambiguously maintains that open homosexuality within the military services presents an intolerable risk to morale, cohesion and discipline.” He also stated on Meet the Press in November 2007, “I do believe the don’t ask, don’t tell policy has been very effective. We’ve got the best military we’ve ever had…I think it’s logical to leave this issue alone.”
ADOPTION
Obama: Believes gays and lesbians should have the same rights to adopt children as heterosexuals.
McCain: Has said, “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.”
GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNIONS
Obama: He supports civil unions, but is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, “I’m a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.” Barack Obama did vote against a Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as letting individual states determine if same-sex marriages should be legalized.
McCain: Does not support same-sex marriage. From his website, “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. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.” However, he opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
We’d like to hear your thoughts…
Sources: Chicago Daily Tribune, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Earth Times, On the issues, JohnMcCain.com, and the Arizona Republic.