Say what? So, gays and lesbians can die for their country, but we better amend that Constitution so they can't get married?
Four more members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of a bill that would repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" ban on LGBT military personnel.
Reps. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., Julia Carson, D-Ind., and Michael Doyle, D-Pa., have joined 110 other members of the House calling for repeal of the LGBT ban, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network reported.
"More and more lawmakers of both parties are increasingly disillusioned by the military's policy of exclusion and discrimination," said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of the military activist group.
The bill introduced by Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., in March 2005, now has 114 members of Congress signed up as co-sponsors. It needs the support of 218 members to be approved in the House.
A March 22 poll from the Pew Research Center showed that Americans by a margin of two to one support repealing "don't ask, don't tell." According to the poll, a majority of moderate Republicans (62 percent), liberal Democrats (85 percent), Catholics (67 percent), Protestants (53 percent), Americans living in the Northeast (66 percent) and those living in the South (58 percent) all support allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly.
Tides are turning in the "marriage" issue- I don't expect to see that Constitutional amendment get any traction in Congress, regardless of what Bill Frist might say...
WASHINGTON - The public backlash over gay marriage has receded since a controversial decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 2003 to legalize those marriages stirred strong opposition, says a poll released Wednesday.
Gay marriage remains a divisive issue, with 51 percent opposing it, the poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found. But almost two-thirds, 63 percent, opposed gay marriage in February 2004.
"Most Americans still oppose gay marriage, but the levels of opposition are down and the number of strong opponents are down," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center. "This has some implications for the midterm elections if this trend is maintained. There are gay marriage ballot initiatives in numerous states."
The number of people who say they strongly oppose gay marriage has dropped from 42 percent in early 2004 to 28 percent now. Strong opposition has dropped sharply among senior citizens and Republicans.
People are now evenly split on allowing adoptions by gay couples and six in 10 now favor allowing gays to serve openly in the military.
Legal challenges of laws on gay marriage could result in more court decisions that stir public opinion, but this midterm election year is starting with far less public anxiety about one of the nation's most volatile social issues.
In the span of two years we have seen a 14 point drop in the "strong disapproval" category. Good deal. This November will tell if that is really true as 7 more states vote : Alabama (in June), Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Idaho and Wisconsin. Unfortunately most of these are "red", so I would expect them to pass.