Al Gore, the former Vice President and presidential candidate who won the national popular vote in 2000 has made his first political statement during the bruising presidential primary season. He is moving on from his global warming victory to fully endorse same-sex marriage rights.
In a video released on the Current TV network, Gore gives a forceful endorsement of equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians.
“Gay men and women ought to have the same rights as heterosexual men and women… to make contracts, to have hospital visiting rights, to join together in marriage, and I don’t understand why it is considered by some people to be a threat to heterosexual marriage,” he says on the video.
I don’t understand why my marriage or anyone else’s would be threatened by it either. I like this Gore a lot better than Senator Gore, or even Vice President Gore even though I’m not gay.
His endorsement equals that of San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome who openly flouted the federal Defense of Marriage Act signed into law signed by President Clinton by granting marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
New York’s Governor Eliot Spitzer is another big name Democrat who supports gay marriage.
Some are beginning to wonder if this statement is intended to push the Democratic establishment closer to the equal rights position or if he is trying to shakeup the presidential primary race with an issue all three leading Democratic candidates are uncomfortable with, given the political influence and activity of the liberal gays.
Indeed, the leading Democratic presidential candidates have tiptoed up to, but not crossed, the line of support for same-sex marriage. All three support equal substantive rights for gay and lesbians couples, as they’ve sought to woo gay voters without alienating more conservative voters.
Keep in mind, all leading Republican candidates are against gay marriage, not sure about cross-dressing Rudy Giuliani though, and he reportedly lived with a gay couple about 10 years ago.
(Cross-posted at Courage Campaign)