Los Angeles, Calif., Jul 2, 2008 / 20:39 pm
Sen. Barack Obama’s support for homosexual marriage could lose him votes in California, the Campaign for Children and Families says.
In a public letter from the presumptive Democratic nominee read Sunday at the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club in San Francisco, Obama wrote:
“As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same sex couples under both state and federal law. That is why I support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the ‘Don't Ask Don't Tell’ policy, and the passage of laws to protect LGBT Americans from hate crimes and employment discrimination. And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.”
News of Sen. Obama’s letter on homosexuality comes just after his wife Michelle explained her husband’s positions on marriage and gays serving in the military to the Democratic National Committee’s Gay and Lesbian Caucus last Thursday.