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class="RubricLk-gRWSOU fgWnkQ bric__lk" href="/news/news-sk"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">News Dk</span></a></div></div></div><h1 data-ttid="ContentHearHed" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearHed-NCyCC iUEiRd NbxED hpJvIc">Why Bill Clton Signed the Defense of Marriage Act</h1></div><div class="ContentHearAccredatn-lfctVB cKRKZx ntent-hear__accredatn" data-ttid="ContentHearAccredatn"><div class="ContentHearByle-kmPyCa gvUmxJ"><div class="ContentHearByleContent-dpPmNn DRFq"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl ContentHearByl-cZqgyJ bqbBYQ"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH ivtvgj byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss byle__preamble">By </span><a class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM ByleLk-gEnFiw iUEiRd ggMZaT cXqSTL eErqIx byle__name-lk button" href="/ntributors/richard-soris">Richard Soris</a></span></span></p></div><time data-ttid="ContentHearPublishDate" dateTime="2013-03-08T01:56:34-05:00" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearPublishDate-eIBicG iUEiRd kYZrFA kEBrdf">March 8, 2013</time></div></div></div></div></div></hear></div><div data-attribute-verso-pattern="article-body" class="ArticlePageContentBackGround-cNiFNN iEWtkN article-body__ntent"><div class="ActnBarWrapperContent-lasBkU cAHp"><div class="ActnBarWrapperComponent-cjwxLS bEeSLb"><div data-attr-viewport-monor="" class="ActnBarWrapper-dhxmQh kNjTbQ viewport-monor-anchor"><button id="bookmark" aria-label="Save this story" class="ActnBarButton-dyFOZU hQrwCF bookmark large-screen"><span class="ActnBarSendaryButtonPrimaryIn-isbvyN cAwccV bookmark-button-in"><svg class="in in-bookmark" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="><tle>Save this story</tle><path 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3H20V0H19V3H16V4H19V7H20V4H23V3Z"></path></svg></span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ActnBarButtonText-bYXYuh iUEiRd bkefvo gkccfO">Save this story</span></button></div></div></div><div class="LightboxWrapper-dxsWBV hhylRt"><div class="ArticlePageChunksContent-etcMtP bwyLBj"><div data-ttid="ArticlePageChunks" class="ArticlePageChunks-fLyCVG gBDqlf"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa EOneK body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><div class="GenericCalloutWrapper-tojWn iHBnEl llout--has-top-borr set-embedd-le" data-ttid="GenericCallout"><figure class="AssetEmbedWrapper-eVDQiB byBkf asset-embed"><div class="AssetEmbedAssetContaer-eJxoAx dBHGoQ asset-embed__asset-ntaer"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO KhjZz AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset rponsive-image rponsive-image--expandable"><noscript><img alt="Why Bill Clton Signed the Defense of Marriage Act" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src=" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w, 1280w, 1600w, 1920w, 2240w" siz="100vw"/></noscript></picture></span></div></figure></div><p>It is extremely rare for former Prints to adm mistak ma office, and rarer still for one to disavow a major piece of legislatn. That’s partly why <a href=">Bill Clton’s op-ed the Washgton <em>Post</em></a> llg the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act—a law that he signed—“patible wh our Constutn,” and askg the Supreme Court to overturn , is so important.</p><p class="paywall">The say, a Clton associate told me, was Clton’s own ia; he wrote out himself longhand on a legal pad. As his former Whe Hoe adviser on gay-rights, I was not surprised by the msage. But Clton’s willgns, jt twenty days before two gay-rights s go to the Supreme Court, to publicly ll <em class="small">DOMA</em> discrimatory is a big step, even if his ments stopped short of the full apology some have asked for.</p><div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--article-mid-ntent" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--article-mid-ntent nsumer-marketg-un__slot---ntent"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><p class="paywall">But the op-ed leav a polil mystery tact. Clton, though clearly unhappy wh the law today, do not really expla why he signed , other than to say “ was a very different time.” Perhaps that is explanatn enough. Still, how was that Bill Clton, the first Print to champn gay rights, put his name on one of the most discrimatory anti-gay statut Amerin history?</p><p class="paywall">The simple answer is that he got boxed by his polil opponents, and that his mpaign posns on gay rights ran ahead of public opn. But there was another important factor: a failure to image how quickly gay rights would evolve, and how difficult would be to undo the damage that <em class="small">DOMA</em> did.</p><p class="paywall">When Bill Clton first ran for Print over twenty years ago, he was the first ndidate for natnal office to seek and receive support om an anized gay polil muny, which was self new to Printial polics. In 1992, after twelve years of Republin ntrol of the Whe Hoe, the feral ernment had neglected fundg the battle agast the quickly burgeong <em class="small">AIDS</em> epimic. Clton was sympathetic; bee of his tert civil rights generally, and long iendships wh gay and <em class="small">AIDS</em> activists, he was then one of the natnal policians most nversant on gay-equaly issu.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-1 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Durg that mpaign, May of 1992, as ernor of Arkansas, Clton spoke at the first large-sle Printial mpaign event for gay and lbian supporters, Wt Hollywood, California. He gave an emotnal speech largely focsed on the <em class="small">AIDS</em> crisis, which he spoke of the moral sts to the untry of ignorg those sufferg om the disease. Gay men wh <em class="small">AIDS</em> had been dyg at a stunngly rapid rate. Their fai, iends, and retakers had, many s, shunned them, and so had natnal lears. In ntrast, Clton said, “I want to give you my thanks for that stggle…,” and nclud, “I have a visn and you’re a part of . I believe we’re all a part of the same muny and we’d better start behavg as if we are.”</p><p class="paywall">Clton won the enthiastic support of gays and lbians the 1992 electn. For the first time, ntributns om gay Amerins factored signifintly mpaign fundraisg. Gays and lbians fally had a Print who clud them rhetorilly the natnal policy bate.</p><p class="paywall">But soon after Clton took office, 1993, was apparent that his tenure was off to a rocky begng. The early days of the Admistratn were marred by opposn wh the ary and the Democratic Party self to Clton’s ia of gays and lbians servg openly the uniformed armed forc. The Whe Hoe was unprepared to shepherd a major social-policy change through Congrs. The Senate Armed Servic Commtee chairman, Sam Nunn, a Democrat om Geia, led opposn to Clton’s gay-rights policy, workg behd the scen wh General Col Powell, who was a Bh-holdover as Chairman of the Jot Chiefs of Staff. The so-lled Don’t Ask Don’t Tell promise was born: gays and lbians would be allowed to serve so long as they kept their sexual orientatn secret. Gay-rights advot were outraged that Clton had agreed to a bad promise, but at this pot, the sprg of 1993, was clear that the Print was gog to lose this battle. (Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, fact, turned out to be a policy and personnel disaster.)</p><p class="paywall">After what was regard as a fias on gays the ary, the Admistratn entered a phase of ep reluctance to tackle substantive gay-rights issu on the natnal stage. Although Clton ma a number of first-ever, high-profile appotments of gay lears to his team (I was one of the mor on), any kd of gay-rights policy agenda seemed stalled as a rult of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell haner.</p><p class="paywall">As Republins prepared for the 1996 Printial electn, they me up wh what they thought was an extremely clever strategy. A gay-rights lawsu Hawaii was gag prs verage as an ial seri of prelimary urt lgs suggted that gay marriage might be legally nceivable there. Clton was on the rerd opposg marriage equaly. But Republins Congrs believed that he would still veto legislatn banng feral regnn of otherwise valid same-sex marriag, givg them a mpaign issue: the fense of marriage.</p><div class="Contaer-bkChBi byNLHx"></div><p class="paywall">What Republins had not unted on, though, was jt how adverse the Admistratn had bee, pecially an electn year, to gettg ahead of public opn on gay rights after havg had to backtrack on open ary service.</p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><asi class="PersistentAsiWrapper-VGrR daRVRt persistent-asi" style="posn:absolute;top:to;height:to" data-ttid="PersistentAsiWrapper"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="ist9sp"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></asi></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan full-bleed-ad row-mid-ntent-ad"><div class="StickyMidContentAdWrapper-fSBzwl drzyIa ad-stickymidntent"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--mid-ntent should-hold-space"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--mid-ntent" data-no-id="nbr3wo"></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa EOneK body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><p class="paywall">On May 23, 1996, as <em class="small">DOMA</em> began s rapid journey through Congrs, the New York <em>Tim</em> <a href=">reported</a>:</p><blockquote class="BlockquoteEmbedWrapper-sc-SdiGL jPeLne paywall blockquote-embed"><div class="BlockquoteEmbedContent-RbGs gmbtPx blockquote-embed__ntent"><p>Gee Stephanopoulos, a senr Printial adviser who has overseen the issue, said: “It’s wrong for people to e this issue to monize gays and lbians and ’s pretty clear that that was the tent tryg to create a buzz on this issue. But the fact remas that if the legislatn is acrd wh the Print’s stated posn, he would have no choice but to sign .</p></div></blockquote><p class="paywall">That was a b of a bombshell, but laid an tentnal marker. The lumnist Frank Rich, then wrg for the <em>Tim</em>, <a href=">wrote</a> that, “The bill also forc Mr. Clton, who says he oppos both same-sex marriage and anti-gay discrimatn, to a rner…. He’s prumably prayg will never reach his sk.”</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-2 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Insi the Whe Hoe, there was a genue belief that if the Print vetoed the Defense of Marriage Act, his reëlectn uld be jeopardy. There was a heated bate about whether this was a realistic asssment, but beme clear that the Print’s chief polil advisers were not willg to take any chanc. Some the Whe Hoe poted out that <em class="small">DOMA</em>, once enacted, would have no immediate practil effect on anyone—there were no state-sanctned same-sex marriag then for the feral ernment to ignore. I remember a Printial adviser sayg that he was not about to risk a send term on a veto, however noble, that wouldn’t change a sgle thg nor make a sgle person’s life better.</p><p class="paywall">What we didn’t fully prehend was that, sooner than anyone imaged, there would be thoands of fai who would be harmed by <em class="small">DOMA</em>—nied feral benefs, regnn, and secury, or kept apart by immigratn laws.</p><p class="paywall">Durg the mpaign season, Clton would sometim pla publicly about how the Republins were g the marriage issue agast him. He said, risively, that was “hardly a problem that is sweepg the untry” and his prs secretary lled “gay bag, pure and simple.” And that September, when the Defense of Marriage Act was passed, Print Clton signed .</p><p class="paywall">There are no pictur of this ocsn—no pens that were saved. My advice to the people who arranged for the thgs was to get done and out of the way as quickly as possible; he signed late at night one eveng after returng om a day-long mpaign trip.</p><p class="paywall">The Defense of Marriage Act beme law, and Print Clton was reëlected, aga wh overwhelmg support om gay Amerins. He was enthiastilly endorsed by the natn’s leadg gay polil group, the Human Rights Campaign, which had urged him to veto the legislatn. They had lled <em class="small">DOMA</em> “a Bob Dole for Print publicy stunt.” (There was a small dtup durg the later stag of the mpaign when a Clton-related mtee ran a rad ad the South, heraldg the enactment of the legislatn. The ad was quickly pulled.)</p><p class="paywall">Was realistic to thk that a Printial veto of <em class="small">DOMA</em> would have put Clton’s reëlectn jeopardy? At the time I thought not. But 1996 ls than thirty per cent of Amerins supported gay marriage, and even eight years after that, 2004, Print Gee W. Bh ed gay marriage extremely effectively as a wedge issue agast John Kerry, who at the time only supported civil unns. In fact, many believe that was the Bh mpaign’s very strategic placement of anti-gay-marriage state nstutnal ballot iativ throughout morate and nservative leang stat (like Oh) which brought out nservative Bh voters and rried the day for him that electn. Could siar tactics have been ed wh the same effectivens 1996? Obvly, we will never know.</p><p class="paywall">Had there been a Print Dole, none of the advanc Print Clton acplished his send term for gay equaly would have been possible. Fundg for H.I.V. and <em class="small">AIDS</em> would have no doubt been cut. A <em class="small">DOMA</em> veto would likely have been overridn anyway, and so even if Print Clton had been reëlected, we would still have had the Defense of Marriage Act.</p><p class="paywall">After his reëlectn, Print Clton beme nsirably bolr on gay-rights issu. He beme the first Print history to endorse gay-rights legislatn by announcg his support for a new feral hate-crim statute that clud sexual orientatn. He supported legislatn banng employment discrimatn agast gays. He ntued, and even stepped up, appotments of openly gay Amerins to important Admistratn posns, cludg the recs appotment of Jam Hormel as the first openly gay Ambassador. He signed an executive orr banng sexual-orientatn discrimatn the feral civilian workforce, leadg the way for much of rporate Ameri to follow.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-3 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">A later, 2009, when Clton fally endorsed same-sex marriage, he mented, an terview wh Anrson Cooper, “So I said, you know, I realized that I was over sixty years old, I grew up at a different time, and I was hung up about the word. I had all the gay iends, I had all the gay uple iends, and I was hung up about . And I cid I was wrong…. I had an untenable posn. ”</p><p class="paywall">What are the lsons of the Defense of Marriage Act? Perhaps the cleart one is that if you promise on prciple, on the assumptn that the world will never tch up wh your ials, you will likely e to regret . Marriage equaly was not some pletely far-off visn; was somethg that uld be achieved. Clton never believed that the feral ernment had the right to discrimate. The harr qutn is this: When is wng the most important thg? Would a veto, retrospect, have been worth the risk?</p><p class="paywall"><em>Richard Soris is an attorney, polil strategist, wrer, and longtime gay-rights advote. He served as Whe Hoe Special Assistant and Senr Adviser durg the Clton Admistratn.</em></p><p class="paywall"><em>Bill Clton shak hands wh members of gay-rights groups after a speech 1992. Douglas C. Pizac/AP.</em></p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="02mvu"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 PaywallInleBarrierWhWrapperGrid-fyrGfS kLQIUk grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__le-barrier article__body"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"><asi class="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper-iBnuqk lfXXa-D" data-ttid="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper"><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--paywall-le-barrier" role="prentatn" aria-live="pole" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--paywall-le-barrier"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></asi></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ContentWrapperGrid-fvkmBv brYtrA grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__ntaer"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"></div></div></div></div></div></div></article><div class="ContentFooterWrapper-jVNdRG dTJkpP ArticlePageContentFooterGrid-ccsXYy eMZRHU article-body__footer"><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="ContributorsWrapper-eNpWFu GWFsc ntributors" data-ttid="Contributors"><div class="ContributorBWrapper-bnVHbt gMon"><div class="ContributorBContent-ubQdr jZTSSi"><div class="ContributorBHear-ledood XOIEx"></div><div class="ContributorBB-fBolsO giFhKz"><a href="/ntributors/richard-soris">Richard Soris</a> is an attorney and longtime gay-rights advote. He served the Whe Hoe durg the Clton Admistratn and has also been a polil strategist. He now overse public affairs at GLG. Opns exprsed here are only his own.</div><div class="ContributorBFooter-brqDlv ezUmSv"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"></div></div></div><div data-ttid="ContentFooterBottom" class="ContentFooterBottom-jwWZfC kcbyiW"><div class="ContentFooterNewsletterContentWrapper-bmjtna kixtae"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper-fCqqkN jKSBhE newsletter-subscribe-form ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper-fpMElW eglIBL"><h3 class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDangeroHed-kRwWjt feDzQf newsletter-subscribe-form__hed ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf">Daily</h3><div class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDek-kXonvc grEaES newsletter-subscribe-form__k">The bt of <i>The New Yorker</i> today, cludg sential reads, fictn, humor, and a peek behd the scen of our biggt stori.</div></div><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper-keARJE hVWbzr"><form class="form-wh-validatn NewsletterSubscribeFormValidatn-iCYa-Dt dweEln" id="newsletter" name="newsletter" novalidate="" method="POST"><span class="TextFieldWrapper-Pzdqp hNhevp text-field" data-ttid="TextFieldWrapper__email"><label class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TextFieldLabel-klrYvg iUEiRd stdEm fvoOvz text-field__label text-field__label--sgle-le" for="newsletter-text-field-email" data-ttid="TextFieldLabel__email"><div class="TextFieldLabelText-cvvxBl eeDYTb">E-mail addrs</div><div class="TextFieldInputContaer-jcMPhb oFrOs"><put type="email" aria-scribedby="privacy-text" aria-valid="false" id="newsletter-text-field-email" required="" name="email" placeholr="E-mail addrs" class="BaseInput-fAzTdK TextFieldControlInput-eFUxkf eGzzTT lglhcT text-field__ntrol text-field__ntrol--put" data-ttid="TextFieldInput__email"/></div></label><button class="BaseButton-bLlsy ButtonWrapper-xCepQ bqVKKv dwpimO button button--utily TextFieldButton-csBrgY edxbrw" data-event-click="{"element":"Button"}" data-ttid="Button" type="subm"><span class="ButtonLabel-cjAuJN hzwRuG button__label">Sign up</span></button></span><div id="privacy-text" tabx="-1" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDisclaimer-bTVtiV bsgLJZ"><span><p>By signg up, you agree to our <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">User Agreement</a> and <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement</a>. 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BaseText-ewhhUZ SummaryItemDek-CRfsi iUEiRd kxnNhB jDyfzW summary-em__k">Sudnly, a New York p remembered a long-ago murr.</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-em__byle"><div class="summary-em__byle__ntent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss byle__preamble">By </span>Philip Gourevch</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="SummaryItemWrapper-iwvBff hNpSyX summary-em summary-em--ARTICLE summary-em--no-in summary-em--text-align-left summary-em--layout-placement-text-below summary-em--layout-posn-image-left 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speech supporting gay marriage

"You'd thk ke would be apolil, and yet here we are," says one of several D.C.-area pastry chefs who wrought their support for gay marriage to elaborate weddg k.

Contents:

TEN REASONS TO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE

* speech supporting gay marriage *

They clud Judh Kasen-Wdsor, widow of gay rights activist Edie Wdsor; Matthew Hayn, -owner of Club Q, the LGBTQ club Colorado Sprgs where a gunman last month killed five people a mass shootg; Club Q shootg survivors Jam Slgh and Michael Anrson; and a number of platiffs om s that culmated the landmark civil rights se Obergefell vs. Philanthropist and Democratic donor David Boht, who has been an outspoken gay- and transgenr-rights activist and longtime supporter of Bin, told CNN that Tuday’s bill signg uld not e at a more ccial moment.

’ — and that is the cx of the matter: Rpect for the prciple of equal treatment, and an acknowledgment that the human yearng for love n lead to an equally human yearng for fay… mment to gay marriage puts him on the right si of history, and monstrat his willgns to embrace the future. New York Daily News: “In A Natnal Conversatn That Has Moved Wh Unprecented Speed, Wednday Was A Landmark: Print Obama Pronounced Himself Personally Supportive Of Gay Marriage…Obama’s Statement, Personal Though It Is, May Move The Conversatn Further.

GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS

“We are fightg for the gay muny, and we are fightg and fightg hard,” Donald Tmp told a Log Cab Republins gala. * speech supporting gay marriage *

” “In a natnal nversatn that has moved wh unprecented speed, Wednday was a landmark: Print Obama pronounced himself personally supportive of gay marriage…, speakg wh ABC News’ Rob Roberts, he explaed his shift by sayg of himself and the First Lady: ‘We are both practicg Christians, and obvly this posn may be nsired to put at odds wh the views of others, but, you know, when we thk about our fah, the thg at root that we thk about is, not only Christ sacrificg Himself on our behalf, but ’s also the goln le, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. Baltimore Sun: “Print Barack Obama's Announcement That He Supports Gay Marriage Is A Hearteng Development In The Campaign For Equaly, And It Is Commendable That He Ma His View Public Before The November Electn Rather Than Afterward. ” “Print Barack Obama's announcement that he supports gay marriage is a hearteng velopment the mpaign for equaly, and is mendable that he ma his view public before the November electn rather than afterward….

Salvo not jt for beg one of the few 19% of women that form the Uned Stat Congrs, but for her amazg speech supportg gay marriage to the New York Senate when New York was still grapplg wh the ia of lettg gays marry. What has grown is a much greater acceptance of gays and lbians our culture, as well as the social and enomic eedom for gays and lbians to emerge om the closet that has nfed them for so many generatns. The recent addn of same sex mment ceremoni the Sunday New York Tim weddg and engagement announcements and the populary of shows as "Will and Grace" and "Queer Eye…" dite a shift our culture's attu toward gays and lbians.

IS FONDANT FREE SPEECH? CHEFS SHOW SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE AS COURT CASE LOOMS

Mike Pence, Donald Tmp's nng mate, opposed gay marriage, endg Don't Ask Don't Tell and fightg workplace discrimatn. * speech supporting gay marriage *

My purpose today is not to support or fend gay and lbian marriag—ed, many gays and lbians do not want to marry—but simply suggt a theologil approach that might open up the possibily for greater Christian acceptance of, and eccliastil approval for, same sex unns.

'LOVE IS LOVE': OBAMA LDS GAY MARRIAGE ACTIVISTS HAILG 'A VICTORY FOR AMERI'

'The View' star Alyssa Farah Griff revealed why she agre wh the Supreme Court's lg favor of a signer who do not support gay marriage. * speech supporting gay marriage *

Catholic sistence: one n uphold the digny of homosexual people while not upholdg their right-to-marry; no unjt discrimatn towards homosexuals is acceptable; they mt be treated wh rpect, and their rights fend. Bin, 77, grew up an era when homosexualy, the word routely ed at the time, was often viewed as a s and even a n slip to dated generalizatns about gay and lbian life, as he did an terview wh Anrson Cooper at an L.

Talkg about what San Francis was like “15, 20 years ago, ” he said that the cy, wh s large muny of gay men and lbians, was “all about, well, you know, gay bathho, ” addg, “It’s all about round-the-clock sex.

His mg about gay men and lbians as secury risks 1973, and his support for a measure rtrictg how homosexualy was prented to schoolchildren, reflects the kd of attus that gay and lbian activists had to battle durg the early s of the movement. “As queer people, we abhor the way that Bin, his eagerns to reach across the aisle, wds up beg an apologist for homophob like Mike Pence, ” Cynthia Nixon, the actrs and activist who challenged Andrew M. Scholars and the general public beme creasgly terted the issue durg the late 20th century, a perd when attus toward homosexualy and laws regulatg homosexual behavur were liberalized, particularly wtern Europe and the Uned issue of same-sex marriage equently sparked emotnal and polil clash between supporters and opponents.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RAILS AGAST GAY MARRIAGE

As Edgars Rkēvičs be the first openly gay print Latvia’s history, here’s a glimpse at other openly gay heads of state om around the world. * speech supporting gay marriage *

Relig and secular expectatns of marriage and sexualy Over time the historil and tradnal cultur origally rerd by the lik of Bachofen and Man slowly succumbed to the homogenizatn imposed by lonialism. In other s, the cultural homogeney supported by the domant relign did not rult the applitn of doctre to the civic realm but may nohels have fostered a smoother seri of discsns among the cizenry: Belgium and Spa had legalized same-sex marriage, for stance, spe official opposn om their predomant relig stutn, the Roman Catholic Church. Most of the world religns have at some pots their histori opposed same-sex marriage for one or more of the followg stated reasons: homosexual acts vlate natural law or dive tentns and are therefore immoral; passag sacred texts nmn homosexual acts; and relig tradn regniz only the marriage of one man and one woman as valid.

Thursday night’s Log Cab Republins’ “Spir of Lln” gala the ma ballroom of Donald Tmp’s Mar-a-Lago beachont club was a joyo celebratn of gay rights and — a se of ironic timg — the historic same-sex marriage law signed by Print Joe Bin days earlier. They creded him for his iativ to bat the crimalizatn of homosexualy, his work phg for public heath iativ to bat the HIV epimic, and for appotg the first openly gay Cabet member, Grenell, as director of natnal telligence. He’s been cricized for drivg a wedge between gay and transgenr muni, and for promotg extreme relig liberty polici and executive orrs they say allowed for discrimatn agast LGBTQ people that phed the movement backwards.

TMP SAYS HE'S 'FE' WH GAY MARRIAGE '60 MUT' INTERVIEW

VioThe Rpect for Marriage Act, which passed Congrs wh bipartisan support, mandat feral regnn for same-sex and terracial Contreras for The New York TimWASHINGTON — Print Bin signed the Rpect for Marriage Act to law on Tuday, mandatg feral regnn for same-sex marriag and ppg his own personal evolutn toward embracg gay rights over the urse of a four- polil an elaborate signg ceremony on the South Lawn, plete wh mil performanc om Cyndi Lper and Sam Smh, Mr. Bin, who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act as a senator 1996 and wavered on lettg gay men and lbians serve the ary, the signg ceremony was an ditn of how much the print has changed when to champng L. His views on issu like abortn, gay marriage and sentencg reform — which once put him on the more nservative si of his party’s iologil spectm — now more firmly match posns that have galvanized Democrats and even many Republins over the past several years.

“I do rpect and appreciate that he is someone that n adm that his views were outdated the past and that he has evolved on the subject and is now an outspoken champn and advote, ” said Kelley Robson, the print of Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights anizatn Washgton. Image source, RtersImage ptn, Pope Francis' statements are a parture om prev ments about LGBT rightsPope Francis has said that he thks same-sex upl should be allowed to have "civil unns" ma the ments, which observers say are his cleart remarks yet on gay relatnships, a documentary directed by Evgeny Afeevsky.

GEE W. BH'S FOTTEN GAY-RIGHTS HISTORY

" He add that he "stood up for that", apparently referrg to his time as Archbishop of Buenos Air when, although opposg same-sex marriag law, he supported some legal protectns for same-sex film Franc, about the life and work of Pope Francis, premiered as part of the Rome Film well as the Pope's ments on civil unns, the film also shows him enuragg two gay men to attend church wh their three Francis's bgrapher, Aten Ivereigh, told the BBC he was "not surprised" by the latt ments. "Unr current Catholic doctre, gay relatnships are referred to as "viant behavur" 2003, the Vatin's doctral body, the Congregatn for the Doctre of the Fah, said that "rpect for homosexual persons nnot lead any way to approval of homosexual behavur or to legal regnn of homosexual unns" words but no sign of doctral changeThe remarks have set tongu waggg among Vatin-watchers - and they mark Francis's cleart support for the issue sce beg Pope. " he 2014 was reported that Pope Francis had exprsed support for civil unns for same-sex partners an terview, but the Holy See's prs office nied 2018, Pope Francis said he was "worried" about homosexualy the clergy, and that was "a ser matter" on this story.

THE VIEW STAR REVEALS WHY SHE AGRE WH SUPREME COURT LG FOR SIGNER WHO OPPOS GAY MARRIAGE

“Love is love, ” clared Barack Obama, the aftermath of the supreme urt’s landmark cisn on gay marriage on a speech the Whe Hoe Rose Garn, the print warmly embraced the urt’s 5-4 cisn Obergefell v Hodg as a step towards makg “our unn a ltle more perfect”. “You’ve got a ton of people who have entered to gay marriag, and would be more than a ltle chaotic for the urt to do somethg that somehow dispted those marriag that have been entered to acrdance wh the law, ” Mr. Lears did not officially stct their members to vote no, acrdg to two people faiar wh the ternal discsns, makg the vote more a matter of personal bloc of Republins who supported the measure amounted to ls than a quarter of the party nference, but that was a far greater proportn than gay rights legislatn has drawn the past om G.

Read More: Donald Tmp Nam Veep Pick on Twter Here are some of the statements and posns Pence had has related to LGBT issu: He said gay upl signaled ‘societal llapse’ In 2006, as head of the Republin Study Commtee, a group of the 100 most-nservative Hoe members, Pence rose support of a nstutnal amendment that would have fed marriage as between a man and a woman. Wdsor (which stck down a re ponent of the Defense of Marriage Act) and supports proposed “relig eedom” legislatn that crics say would allow bs to ny servic to LGBT ments about same-sex marriage break wh the longtime posn of Vice Print–elect Mike Pence, who signed a “relig eedom” bill to law 2015 but walked back some of s language after facg backlash om across the, who has spent his life liberal New York Cy, referred to LGBT Republins at the Republin Natnal Conventn and said durg his mpaign that transgenr people should e whatever bathroom they feel fortable the Republin printial primari, he said the gay marriage issue should have been left to the stat and that he would nsir appotg judg to overle the Supreme Court’s marriage cisns.

Lee tried and failed to attach chang to the bill that he said would more strongly protect relig Colls phed back, notg that the bill had received strong backg om fah-based groups, cludg the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats, which historilly has aggrsively opposed gay rights. And he appoted Peter Thiel, the openly gay -founr of PayPal, to his transn Thiel, PayPal founr-turned-venture-palist, as he discs his support for Donald Tmp, at the Natnal Prs Club Washgton, LOEB / AFP - Getty ImagHowever, Tmp has also surround himself wh a number of appote and advisers wh anti-LGBTQ track rerds. "I meant 's very important for people not to be overly cril of someone else until you've examed your own heart, " Bh told story went on to note that "As print, Bh opposed gay marriage, and Republins phed ballot measur to ban at the state level.

LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE

''As Republins seek to fd a new way forward the wake of the Supreme Court cisn strikg down DOMA, 's worth rellg that one equently discsed proposed path -- backg civil unns but not full marriage equaly -- would jt take the GOP back to where s succsful printial ndidate was , the more nservative ndidate who lost where Bh won, opposed both gay marriage and civil unns picture wh Bh was hardly one of straightforward support for gay unns, of urse. And tight rac, those voters -- who historilly have leaned heavily Republin -- may have tipped the now Bh, rponse to a journalist Zambia askg about whether gay marriage is agast Christian valu, said, "I shouldn't be takg a speck out of someone else's eye when I have a log my own.

OBAMA'S GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY: 'I AM JT NOT VERY GOOD AT BULLSHTG'

"Basilly, what says is, bee somethg like creatg a webse would be eedom of exprsn or speech, this would also — let's flip on s head — would protect a gay web signer om havg to create a bigoted, anti-LGBTQ webse. She is thought to be the first openly gay prime mister the was an active unnist her nearly 10 years workg as a flight attendant, acrdg to the Council of Women World Lears, a work of female heads of state.

BIN CHANGED HIS MD ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE AFTER MEETG THIS HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE

”Xavier Bettel Prime Mister of Luxembourg (2013-prent)Luxembourg Prime Mister Xavier Bettel at a news nference Belgra, Serbia, on July Vojovic / APBettel was first elected prime mister of Luxembourg 2013, and 2018 he beme the first openly gay prime mister the world to be re-elected for a send marriage beme legal Luxembourg 2015, and the same year Bettel beme the first servg European Unn lear to marry a same-sex partner, the BBC recently cricized a Hungarian law that bans school tnal materials and TV shows for people unr 18 that are emed to promote LGBTQ ntent, Rters reported.

OBAMA: GAY MARRIAGE LG IS 'A VICTORY FOR AMERI'

“Hopefully this will blow over three or four days, and then I won’t be known as the gay mister, ” she told The Associated Prs at the Varadkar Prime Mister of Ireland (2017-20, 2022-prent)Irish Prime Mister Leo Varadkar Bssels on June 30. “Opposn to gay marriage was particularly strong the black church, and as he ran for higher office, he gdggly accepted the unsel of more pragmatic folks like me, and modified his posn to support civil unns rather than marriage, which he would term a ‘sacred unn’, ” Axelrod wr. VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis cricized laws that crimalize homosexualy as “unjt, ” sayg God lov all his children jt as they are and lled on Catholic bishops who support the laws to wele LGBTQ people to the church.

WHERE EUROPE STANDS ON GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNNS

Gay rights advot say the antiquated laws are ed to harass homosexuals, and pot to new legislatn, such as the “Don’t say gay” law Florida, which forbids stctn on sexual orientatn and genr inty krgarten through third gra, as evince of ntued efforts to margalize LGBTQ people. The Uned Natns has repeatedly lled for an end to laws crimalizg homosexualy outright, sayg they vlate rights to privacy and eedom om discrimatn and are a breach of untri’ obligatns unr ternatnal law to protect the human rights of all people, regardls of their sexual orientatn or genr inty.

In 2019, Francis had been expected to issue a statement opposg crimalizatn of homosexualy durg a meetg wh human rights groups that nducted rearch to the effects of such laws and so-lled “nversn therapi. "In a highly ntemplative speech — much of which ntued long after his prepared remarks had end — Obama also lled on supporters of gay marriage to rpect the views of people who differ and "renew our ep mment to relig eedom.

It wasn't until 2012 that he me out favor of gay Print Bin, whose public support for gay marriage predat Obama's, said gay and lbian upl "share a love for their partners nstraed only by social stigma and discrimatory laws. While the print has nsistently supported civil rights for gay upl — pepperg his ments wh specifics such as hospal visatn, transfer of property and Social Secury benefs — his discsn of marriage has differed. "(But) is my obligatn not only as an elected official a pluralistic society, but also as a Christian, to rema open to the possibily that my unwillgns to support gay marriage is misguid, jt as I nnot claim fallibily my support of abortn rights.

HILLARY CLTON'S GAY-MARRIAGE PROBLEM

Still, a 2007 Democratic primary bate sponsored by a gay rights group and a gay-oriented ble TV channel, he spoke stead about his support for civil unns wh "all the benefs that are available for a legally sanctned marriage" — but not for legal regnn of "marriage" between same-sex upl.

]The month of June was filled wh big moments for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr that monthlong stretch, the Supreme Court renred a sweepg cisn providg workplace protectns for gay and transgenr people.

HOW BERNIE SANRS EVOLVED ON GAY MARRIAGE

Tmp has signaled a willgns to publicly align himself wh some gay men and women, he selected a eply nservative nng mate Vice Print Mike Pence, and, as print, has systematilly dismantled protectns implemented by Print Barack Obama, pecially for transgenr over two months before Electn Day, Mr. Grenell referred to his own appotment, as well as to the print’s acceptance of the Supreme Court’s lg of gay marriage as nstutnal and his efforts to ph untri that crimalize beg gay to end those practic.

People has ually been nnectn wh celebry or support they have given Tmp allowed gay members to his Florida club Mar-a-Lago as long as they uld pay the exorbant membership fee; he broadst donatns to groups like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis when the AIDS epimic beme a celebry e; and he publicly embraced the civil unn between the sger Elton John, someone whose mic and fame Mr. Tmp was qutned about whether he would nsir rcdg his ban on transgenr people enterg the ary by a reporter for The Washgton Bla, a gay Tmp gtured to his ch, appearg to signal the reporter’s mask was mufflg him.

SENATE ADVANC BILL TO CODIFY GAY MARRIAGE AS FERAL RIGHT

* The d tensn stemmed om persistent qutng as Clton obfted on an issue that uld damage her chanc a 2016 primary but is relatively unlikely to hurt her a ntt agast a Republin, given that her aln is so much stronger on gay rights than the opposn.

Would the subset of Democrats who thought 2008 opposn to gay marriage should prevent a man om beg CEO 2013 really support the 2015 printial mpaign of a woman who openly opposed gay marriage until last year?

In liberal circl, now seems impossible to have red eply about human rights, to have red about gay rights, and to have objected to gay marriage, even though that was the exact posn of almost all liberals very recently. GROSS: You know, I'm sayg, I'm sorry, I jt want to clarify what I was sayg, I was sayg that you maybe really believed this all along, you know, believed gay marriage all along, but felt for polil reasons Ameri wasn't ready yet and you uldn't say .

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* SPEECH SUPPORTING GAY MARRIAGE

Gay Marriage: Theologil and Moral Arguments - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics .

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