Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - May 25, 2007
Joshua Lynsen
Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina affirm their support of civil unions in various papers outlining their positions.
Edwards said in a Human Rights Campaign questionnaire that surfaced this week that committed gay couples should have "the same rights, benefits and responsibilities" as straight couples.
"I support civil unions to guarantee gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples, including inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, equal pension and health care benefits, and all of the 1,100 other legal protections government affords married couples," Edwards said in the questionnaire.
Clinton and Obama also expressed support for civil unions in documents their campaigns provided the Blade.
"Hillary will work to ensure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits ù from health insurance and life insurance, property rights and more," says a document from her campaign titled "Fighting for the LGBT Community."
"Barack Obama supports civil unions that give gay couples full rights, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to traditional married couples and the same property rights as anyone else," says a campaign document titled "Barack Obama's Support for the Gay and Lesbian Community."
Edwards was the only candidate among the three to address marriage equality in his document.
"Gay marriage is an issue I feel internal conflict about and I continue to struggle with it," he said in his questionnaire. "However, I believe the right president could lead the country toward consensus around equal rights and benefits for all couples in committed, long-term relationships."
Edwards also noted he supports "the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act provision that prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex relationships.
In their documents, neither Clinton nor Obama addressed the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Edwards affirmed in his questionnaire support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, increased funding for the Ryan White CARE Act that combats HIV/AIDS, equal adoption rights and equal immigration rights.
He also said gays should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces.
Clinton and Obama also noted their support of ENDA and the CARE Act. Both said gays should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces. Obama additionally noted he supports equal adoption rights.
HRC spokesperson Brad Luna, who provided the Edwards questionnaire to the Blade, declined to immediately release any other questionnaires.
"We are not planning on releasing our composite of all the questionnaires for about another week or so simply because we're still getting them all in," he said, "and then once we get them, we're going to do sort of a side-by-side analysis kind of thing and then release it."
Joshua Lynsen can be reached at jlynsen@washblade.com.
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