Freedom to Marry has launched a new campaign, Democrats: Say I Do, urging the Democratic Party to recognize the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples in its 2012 platform. The platform "will be ratified at the Democratic National Convention, which begins September 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina" and the proposed language for the marriage plank would read: "We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, with equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law, including the freedom to marry. Government has no business putting barriers in the path of people seeking to care for their family members, particularly in challenging economic times. We support the Respect for Marriage Act and the overturning of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and oppose discriminatory constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny the freedom to marry to loving and committed same-sex couples.”
Chris Geidner at Metro Weekly reports in an exclusive that Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is onboard:
Freedom to Marry's proposed platform plank would aggressively support marriage equality. The Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Stonewall Democrats all support the inclusion of a marriage equality plank, with leaders of NGLTF and Stonewall Democrats endorsing the specific Freedom to Marry language.
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Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tells Metro Weekly, "Leader Pelosi supports this language."
I've been pretty skeptical that the Democratic Party would come around on this, but getting Pelosi's endorsement so quickly after the campaign's launch is a really good step. And Think Progress has a bit more
about its prospects:
The Democrats’ 2008 platform opposed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which the Obama administration is no longer defending in court, but took no position on marriage equality. Obama has said that he is still “evolving” on the issue, even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers now support marriage. At least 91 Democrats in the House, including Democratic National Committee chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and 23 senators back same-sex marriage. Twelve Democratic governors (and one Independent, Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island) also favor full marriage rights.
Sign the petition to ask the Democrats to add this plank to their platform.
