Politicians have the right to evolve on gay marriage

[Mass]

Good to read, particularly when it comes in mainstream media and not in a GLBT newspaper. (and interesting typo).

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/07/10/politicians_have_the_right_to_evolve_on_gay_marriage/

PUNDITS ASK whether President Obama can afford to “change’’ his position on gay marriage. It’s a phony debate about a real issue.

Marriage is deeply personal - our positions are based on unique combinations of reason, belief, and experience, not polling and politics. Everyone is entitled to his own view, in his own time, including the president.

...
But it’s not just in politics that we have come to a “better place’’ - it’s also the example of thousands of gay marriages in Massachusetts that pushed many of us along in our own journeys. In preparing for the 2008 presidential debatessic, I felt at times that it was an exercise in legalese to articulate differences between the civil unions I favored and marriage. But seven years after marriage equality became law in Massachusetts, it’s no longer theory, it’s reality.
...
Where do we go from here? I hope more states follow Massachusetts’ lead. But Washington still has work that’s been deferred too long. We repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell.’’ One day that era will seem as antiquated as the era before President Truman desegregated the military. So too will the era of the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act.’’ Repealing it is an unfinished challenge. I’ve joined with many colleagues in introducing legislation to end the law and provide federal recognition and benefits to married gay and lesbian couples. It would end the law’s discrimination, which for three years left a married Massachusetts couple separated by an immigration system that only recognizes heterosexual marriages. It took my intervention to reunite them; thousands just like them are still waiting.

Is this a journey for all of us? Yes - and appropriately so, because it’s a journey for our country. And although it sometimes takes too long, America always ends up on the right side of history.

[karynnj]

1. This is a great editorial

I remember back in 2008 that there was a long thread here wanting Kerry to do what he has done here - to unequivocally endorse gay marriage. His own evolution was is some ways easier to understand than Obama's - given his generation and religious background. However, this is a subject where opinion is changing quickly, but the change is not easy.

[Mass]

2. I am a little bit surprised by the way this editorial was interpreted.

It seemed to me it was a polite demand to Obama to change his mind on the issue, but I am not sure the GLBT magazines have interpreted this way. This sounds weird.

[karynnj]

3. I take it as you do - with a change of one word - "demand" to

a "strong argument" for Obama to change.

This link seemed to take it that way, summarizing it as:

While Kerry agrees the president should be able to move at his own pace, the senator also insists, "The America we aspire to doesn't have any second class citizens," and concludes, "Although it sometimes take too long, America always ends up on the right side of history."

Basically, Kerry says Obama is entitled to his position, but would be better off leading the way, rather than being remembered as a stumbling block to progress. Whether the president agrees remains to be see

Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/07/john-kerry-defends-presidents-evolving-gay-politics.html#ixzz1RpFSI400

Now there last sentence goes further than Kerry politely would, Kerry's words quoted in the previous paragraph are very strong. I suspect the difference is that Kerry knows that Obama may not want to make a stronger statement until he is re-elected. Ater all, most of us thought that Kerry was more cautious in his overt support until he gave up the idea of running for President in 2008.

But it is pure laziness that has most of the papers missing the nuance and going with the title of the article. I suspect it is because most are closer to his daughters' age than his - and really don't get that there are many who really are not ready for what they see correctly as a right, but incorrectly as the overwhelmingly predominate POV now.

[Mass]

4. Sorry, French came in the way. I just transcribed the French word for ask, which is what I actually

meant.

[ObamaKerryDem]

5. I am so happy to read this from the Senator!

While he has long been an advocate for equality in other ways (being one of the relative few to go against DOMA in 1996, for a strong example), I have always wished/hoped to hear something more pronounced like this from JK on this issue (one of the very few areas he has ever even come close to dissapointing me in politically, though I am comparing this more to his stances or perceived stances in 2004-though we would be remiss to forget how much harsher the political climate was on these issues then as compared to now). Of course I cannot speak for JK, but I have always gotten the impression that he was holding back a bit on this issue, his pre-2004 voting record (again, the DOMA example, among others) especially gives me that impression. I get the same vibes from the President, though I'd have to agree with you, karynnj, that JK's own "evolution" on the topic is a bit easier to understand at least on the surface (the generational factor, which is, in many cases, a valid point..not to mention religion, etc). I get the impression, though, that President Obama is putting his proverbial toe in the water at the moment when it comes to this (his speech at that fundraiser a couple weeks ago, in which he termed his stance as "evolving" was telling), though I do wish that he would come out and say it. The tide of history is and would be on his side if he did so and I don't think he'd lose too many Independants by taking the stand (most who would not vote for him over a Pro-Equality stance would probably not be inclined to vote for him in the first place).

But JK has done so much for equality apart from marriage before this (though I realize that it's a big "apart"). I think he felt/was told he had to hold back more in 2004 especially because let's face it...the GOP/Bush/..ROVE camp played that card and played it to great effect at least with a certain element of voters (though it's arguable that such voters would've even considered voting Kerry in the first place, but that's another discussion). Glad he's now made it "official" and has done so, so very eloquently and at the same time, is providing the President a persuasive (I think anyway) little nudge in the process. :)

I too don't get the incredulous rebuke this is getting from some fellow Pro-Equality folks (though I can understand the overall frustration when it comes to this issue). I think the overall editorial speaks louder than the title, which is where many of them may have stopped reading unfortunately (such seemed to be the case with this on Twitter..ugh such short attention spans/knee jerk reactions!). But I think it's a great editorial from JK and should be shared as much as possible!