Obama: Still a 'No' on Gay Marriage - Community

Obama: Still a 'No' on Gay Marriage - Community

By: Arthur Canales
Posted: 11/1/07The race for the presidency continues to open issues Americans feel they need to address. One of those issues is gay marriage. Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) held a question and answer session with the public in Iowa on Monday when the issue was brought up. Obama stated that although he opposed same-sex marriage, he was in favor of civil unions for gays and lesbians.A civil union is defined in Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a recognized union similar to marriage. With a civil union, same-sex couples have the rights, benefits and other responsibilities similar to a civil marriage. Civil unions are currently legal in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Obama said he believes that same-sex couples should have the rights and privileges as married couples, but that the relationship should be called a civil union rather than a marriage. According to The Des Moines Register, Obama was quoted saying, "You want the word marriage and I believe that the issue of marriage has become so entangled - the word marriage has become so entangled with religion - that it makes more sense for me as president, with that authority, to talk about the civil rights that are conferred with civil unions. Individual denominations should make the decisions about what to recognize as a marriage."Alex Lamb, a gay student from Coe College and Abbi Swanson, a mother who's son is gay, where among the people during Obama's campaign stop in Iowa. Both were not satisfied with Obama's position."There isn't an electable candidate out there that has given me the answer I want, which is everything," Swanson told The Des Moines Register. "I'm not completely satisfied that he's not for gay marriage ... but I'm happy he does believe in equal rights for gay citizens," Lamb said.The questions came in relation to the controversy Obama faced when he invited Grammy Award-winning singer Donnie McClurkin to his three-city Gospel concert in South Carolina.McClurkin said he was gay for 20 years, but was "cured" through prayers. McClurkin has been heavily criticized for his view that homosexuality is a choice and people can "fight the temptation that plagues them."Gay-rights activists demanded that Obama cancel McClurkin's appearance on Sunday. Obama, however, did not remove McClurkin, but instead expressed his commitment to gay rights."Part of my job as president, I think, is to deliver a message that everybody is part of the American family," he said during Monday's dialogue in Iowa. "Not just some people."Other Democratic presidential candidates, including Senator Hilary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards expressed similar opinions about gay marriage during a forum last August organized by the Human Rights Campaign.
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