Why Support Barack Obama?

Let me say right off the bat that I was initially skeptical of Barack Obama's true commitment to the GLBT community.

Having been a radical gay activist in NY and having put in many hours on Bill Clinton's first campaign in 1992, I was adamant about Clinton's support of our community. Unfortunately, shortly after taking office, he back-tracked and capitulated on most of the promises he made to us.

To say that I was pissed off would be an understatement. On one hand, I could understand the politics behind his actions but on the other, the radical activist side of me couldn't quite reconcile the opposing reality that the man I believed in would so easily back down to the political pressures of the moment.

It was a very psychologically difficult time for me. I knew without a doubt that Clinton would be a far better option than Bush Sr (who I had virtually no respect for to begin with) and being somewhat of a political pragmatist, I was still glad I supported and voted for him. I couldn't shake the bad feelings I had about his betrayal though so I became "uninvolved" and refused to work for his reelection in '96. But I still did vote for him.

That's the basis of my skepticism of Obama. I'm gun-shy. It's also the reason that I didn't support Hilliary in the primaries. I've heard very strong comments of support from a Clinton before and I just couldn't convince myself that it wasn't deja vu all over again.

I was born in Chicago and raised in a small town north of the city. Much of my family still lives there and I have a fairly good understanding of the psyche of that region. Of course prejudices still exist there but overall it is one of the more progressive and tolerant parts of the country. Even considering the brief controversy surrounding the boat races at Crystal Lake (which is about 5 miles from where I grew up) during the Gay Games, the majority of the population is pretty open and welcoming.

However, many of us who grew up under Mayor Richard J. Daley's powerful grip on the political structure of not only Chicago and the state itself but of that entire region are deeply distrustful of politicians in general. That's why, to me, the wide support Barack has there is very impressive.

The stories and information I hear about him do seem to be true. And the more I hear, the more I'm beginning to believe that he really does mean what he says. He has also backed up his rhetorical support by concrete, political actions.

One of the most telling was right after he took office as an Illinois State Senator. He immediately signed on as a sponsor of legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Even when one of the gay sponsors of the bill wanted to take out that phrase in hopes of making it easier to pass the bill, Obama was insistent on keeping it in and lobbied extensively for its passage. That's a very impressive, proven commitment. Illinois now has some of the most progressive GLBT legislation in the country.

If you are serious about wanting to live up to your obligation to vote but you still aren't sure of voting for Obama, I have a suggestion. The Advocate just published an in-depth piece on Obama and I strongly suggest that you take the time read it. It's a little long but you can always save it to your hard drive and read it over when you have the time. If you're serious about making an intelligent, informed decision, I urge you to read that piece. Trust me, it's worth the effort.

Just one final thought on this - for now.

If you're a person of integrity, intelligence and compassion, there's no way you could possibly justify supporting or voting for John McCain.

His startling reversals of professional and personal morals for political gain have been just too numerous and too mind-boggling to leave any kind of doubt that he would be just as bad as our current President. Maybe even worse considering that he doesn't have the same level of astounding ignorance that "GW" has demonstrated over and over again. McCain is shrewd and calculating and would back whoever and whatever he felt would do him the most good regardless of the consequences for the rest of us.

Obama or McCain. That's what our choices are in November. If you honestly care about the GLBT community, this country as a whole and the world in general then not voting is simply not an option!

To read The Adocate's story go to: The Advocate

Mormons Use Pulpit To Campaign For California's Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

Last week, my partner (who was Mormon but has since resigned his membership) made me aware of a directive issued by the leadership of the Church Of Latter Day Saints that was sent to every Mormon Church throughout California. It said that it was "To be read in the sacrament meetings on June 29th, 2008."

It went on to deride the California Supreme Court's reversal of a 2000 proposition passed by voters that defined marriage as being valid only between a man and a woman. Then it informed it's followers of the proposed California Constitutional Amendment to restore that narrow definition of marriage that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot and told them that the Church will work for its passage.

It closed by saying:

"Local Church leaders will provide information about how you may become involved in this important cause.

We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man an a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage."

At first Peter and I were, of course, incensed at the arrogant disregard for the, until recently, time-honored concept of the separation of church and state and saw this as a clear violation of that conviction. I decided that if they want to disregard the clearly stated intentions of our forefathers then I wasn't going to sit back and let that happen without a fight. After all, it's only a matter of time before they come here to Arizona to do the same thing.

I sent the following message to my Congressman:

Dear Congressman Mitchell,

As far as I understand the restrictions of intermingling religion with politics, isn't preaching a specific political endorsement, whether for a politician or a targeted piece of legislation, from the pulpit supposed to be prohibited.

Clearly, the wisdom of our forefathers, as expressed both in the constitution they wrote and in their private letters to each other, left no doubt that they passionately believed in keeping religious beliefs and the governance of our country separate from each other. Otherwise, as they themselves pointed out, the entire nation could ultimately end up being ruled by the single most politically and monetarily powerful religious sect to the exclusion of all others.

If my understanding of this matter is accurate, then why is the Church Of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) allowed to preach, via a directive sent from the office of the First Presidency, a specific political endorsement from the pulpit of every church they own in California (and no doubt soon to be sent to every mormon church throughout Arizona). And, in so doing, outright direct (or in this church's case, "demand"), again from the pulpit, every one of their followers to "...donate their means (money) and time..." to assure passage of the church's endorsed legislation.

Wouldn't this be grounds for a full congressional investigation of this particular church's questionable practices with the possible end result of revoking their tax exempt status?

I also sent him a copy of that directive as it was sent to their followers. If you would like to see it yourself go to: sunshinepress.org. By the way, feel free to copy and paste the body of my above email into an email to your representative if you don't have time to write one out for yourself. Of course, it's always better to put something in your own words.

I'm not sure how far this will get but since Congressman Harry Mitchell has long been a supporter of GLBT rights here in Arizona it may, at least, spark an investigation by the IRS and make things a little more difficult for the Mormon Church.

If enough people did the same thing and also expressed these concerns to their congressional representatives then maybe, just maybe we could make the religious extremist think twice before getting so directly involved in politics.

Arizona Anti-Gay Marriage Constitutional Amendment

Yesterday, eleven Arizona Senators voted against Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 1042 effectively killing it - for now. This is the resolution that would put the anti-gay marriage amendment to Arizona's Constitution on the ballot in November.

According to Equality Arizona, SCR 1042 failed to pass by a vote of 14-11, with 5 members not voting on final read. It needed 16 yes votes to pass. Openly-gay Senators Paula Aboud (D-28) and Ken Cheuvront (D-15), along with longtime ally Senator Caroline Allen (R-8), stood strong as leaders to defeat this bill.

While the bill failed to pass yesterday, it could be brought back up for another vote because a majority of Senators on the floor at the time supported a motion to reconsider by Senator Linda Gray (R-10)

In its email announcement, Equality Arizona said that the motion to reconsider "...is one more desperate attempt to activate the extremists within these Senators' districts. This is truly divisive politics. Arizonans should be outraged at this abuse of the Legislative process by a handful of legislators who are pandering to the likes of Cathi Herrod and the Center for Arizona Policy, a subdivision of national extremist political groups."

If you live in Arizona, please take a few minutes to either email, phone or fax your state Senator and urge them to vote NO if SCR 1042 is brought back for another vote.

To find who your State Senator is for your district go to: Arizona State Legislature