Politics

Hillary Clinton Announces Her Support for Gay Marriage

 

Former Secretary of State and potential presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton endorsed gay marriage on Monday, making her announcement in a new six-minute video released by the Human Rights Campaign.

“LGBT Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends and our loved ones, and they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship. That includes marriage,” she says into the camera. “That’s why I support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law.”

Clinton’s declaration comes at a time when it appears that the tide is turning in the fight for same-sex marriage.

Last week, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), a front-running Republican vice presidential candidate in 2012, became the first Republican senator to announce his support for gay marriage, saying his gay son provoked his change in heart.

Earlier this month, Hillary Clinton’s husband — former President Bill Clinton — wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that the Defense of Marriage Act, which he signed into law in 1996, is unconstitutional and should be struck down. In February, seventy-five Republican officials and strategists signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of the suit seeking to strike down California’s Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that barred same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on DOMA as well as Proposition 8 by June.

As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton wasn’t given much room to comment on domestic issues like gay marriage. But, as the Associate Press points out, ” Hillary Clinton was a strong support of gay rights, both in the U.S. and abroad, during her tenure at the State Department. Under her watch, the U.S. government made it official policy to promote gay rights around the world.”

Many are speculating that Clinton’s endorsement of gay marriage is a strategic move meant to endear her to an important constituency before the 2016 presidential race. Other potential Democratic presidential candidates, including Vice President Joe Biden, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, all support same-sex marriage. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin predicted Monday that it will be “very difficult for any ultimate nominee, Republican or Democrat, to be against marriage equality” in the 2016 election.

TAGS: gay marriage | hillary clinton

• Top 10 Reasons Why Women Are Better
• Cut the Cost of Making Your Home Energy Efficient
• Inside The Life Of A Six Year Old Millionaire
• 7 Things You Don't Need to Buy