FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Contact: Geoffrey Kors, 415-596-6810
January 20,
2004
PRESIDENT
BUSH SUPPORTS DENIAL OF MARRIAGE TO LESBIAN AND GAY
AMERICANS
Equality
California Condemns Bush Bigotry in State of the Union
Address
SACRAMENTO
– In his State of the Union address tonight, President
Bush strongly articulated his belief that marriage
is an institution that should remain closed to same-sex
couples, stating “our nation must defend the sanctity
of marriage.” The President warned that if “activist
judges” continue to rule that same-sex couples have
the same right to marry that other American couples
have, a federal Constitutional amendment denying same-sex
couples the right to marry is the appropriate response.
“On
the day after Martin Luther King’s birthday, the President
of the United States suggested that the equal protection
clause of the Constitution should not apply to all
Americans,” stated Geoff Kors, Executive
Director of Equality California, the statewide lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights advocacy
organization. “By indicating that he would support
amending the United States Constitution to discriminate
against a particular group of Americans, Bush is taking
America down a path that will undo the protections
put in the Constitution to end slavery and to treat
all Americans equally. As long as Bush is President,
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans
will clearly remain second-class citizens.”
Bush also announced
that he will double federal funding for abstinence
education, in an effort to protect youth from sexually
transmitted diseases. Bush did not address education
needs of youth who do not abstain from sexual activity.
“The focus
on abstention as the only way to prevent sexually
transmitted diseases is dangerous and threatens the
lives of millions of American youth,” Kors said. “Whether
the President approves or not, some American teenagers
do have sex – and they should have access to life-saving
information that allows them to make realistic choices
to protect themselves.”
Bush also asked
for immigration reform “to reflect [American] values.” However,
he ignored the plight of thousands of binational same-sex
couples, who do not have a legal option for staying
together as a family in this country. Unlike Americans
who can marry, lesbian and gay Americans cannot sponsor
a foreign-born partner’s application for citizenship
or a work permit. These Americans are forced to choose
between love and country.
“Bush is not
a President for all Americans,” Kors said. “He does
not support all families, he does not support all
youth, and he thinks it is acceptable to amend the
United States Constitution to exclude some Americans. But
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans
will not settle for less than full equality, and we
will not accept this President’s uneducated judgment
about our families.”
Founded
in 1998, Equality California (formerly CAPE ) is a
nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide
advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure the
dignity, safety, equality and civil rights of all
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians.
Equality California is one of the largest and fastest
growing statewide LGBT organizations in the country. We
can be contacted through our website at www.eqca.org
.
January
21, 2004
Copied from
MECA
President’s State of the Union ‘Neither Compassionate
nor Conservative’ in Denying Same-Sex Couples Civil
Marriage
Marriage Equality California denounces President
Bush for using his State of the Union address today
to promote discrimination against same-sex couples seeking
the full rights and responsibilities of civil marriage.
The President used his speech to undermine the
progress made for marriage equality within the states,
including in California and with the recent Massachusetts
Supreme Court ruling in favor of civil marriage for
same-sex couples. He indicated his support for an unprecedented
constitutional amendment to define civil marriage as
only between a man and a woman.
“It is neither compassionate nor conservative
for the President to tell dedicated same-sex couples
that they don’t deserve the rights, responsibilities
and protections of civil marriage,” said L.J. Carusone,
Co-Executive Director of Marriage Equality California.
“Using the constitution to deny rights to a group of
citizens undermines the sanctity of our democracy. Same-sex
couples pay the same taxes, form the same committed
relationships and deserve the same benefits and recognition
as any other couple.”
Couples who contract in civil marriage are afforded
over 1,000 state and federal rights and responsibilities
that no other contract confers, such as social security
benefits, Medicare, veteran’s benefits and child protections.
Even though same-sex couples may live in committed,
long-term relationships and raise children together,
they are denied full government recognition of their
families and critical legal protections reserved only
for different sex couples.
Marriage Equality California is organizing a
state-wide Valentine’s Day rally in Sacramento to demand
civil marriage for all couples. Speakers will include
comedian Margaret Cho, religious leaders, same-sex couples
and Assemblyman Mark Leno, the sponsor of bill for marriage
equality to be introduced in the legislature.
“Even though California now has a comprehensive
statewide domestic partner registry, the government
must take the next step and fully recognize same-sex
couples in civil marriage,” Carusone commented. “Anything
less is less than equal. It’s that simple.”
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