gay rights will rank about 40th on obama's to do list. i really don't think he is going to piss off the black, hispanic, and blue collar vote that he is amassing in the Great Lakes states to appease the ardent liberals of New York, Massachusetts and his hometown of Illinois. Who are the gays running to, Sarah Palin?

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vote for him, but not because he's my friend; a true friend would fully back complete civil rights for me.
I'm voting for him because he is less of an enemy. I resent voting for the less damaging candidate to my civil rights and liberties.

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I'm sorry, while I agree that Barack Obama is 1000 times better than John McCain, I think it's a stretch to call him a "friend" of gay Americans. Civil rights are of vital importance to all Americans, and for the presidential candidate of my party NOT to support full civil rights is something that I cannot understand.

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nothing. they use fear, pander, and tell us we have no choice but to vote for them. then they sell us out. everytime!!!! Hello Mr Clinton.

I live in California. It wasn't the democrats that got the gay marriage thing going here. What about Massachusetts? Nope.

Yah Yah, there are other things to think about, (war, economy) just keep it real. Don't tell me you support CIVIL RIGHTS and EQUALITY for ALL when you know that is a lie. Don't sit their in a debate and agree with Sarah Palin!! Don't invite me on the bus and then tell me I have to sit in the back. Just keep driving....

Screw you heteros who insist that I will ruin THEIR chances for an Obama presidency. (My neighbor..a rich actress of course..on her THIRD marriage tells ME not be selfish because I am voting 3rd party) I don't care about Obama and the fake liberal wannabes that he attracts. If he REALLY wasn't homophobic then he just come out and really support us. NO halfway crap just to appease the bigots....cause that's what it's about...walking on egg shells so the bigots don't get upset. The gays ALWAYS have to take the high road, settle, turn the other cheek, and pay the price for appeasement.

If those bigots are more important than us gays...then by all means GET THEIR VOTE...

Just don't ASSUME you will get mine. I think it's fair and I don't think I am being out of line.

I'm voting Green this year. No fake promises, no halfway (crossing my fingers) handshakes...
A platform I really believe in. Gay men LOVE tough women anyhoo (who wasn't a huge Wonder Woman fan!)

Adios Obama and McCain.

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Love your articles, and usually agree with you.

But really?

With the exception of marriage

Gee, thanks but no thanks. Allow me to translate:

With the exception of the only one that would actually require Obama to step up, be a leader, and stick his neck out for non-heterosexuals, Obama is willing to do it.

I'll be voting for Obama, but not because I expect a friend in the white house. It is because of (1) his other policies and (2) he won't be an enemy in the white house.

Apparrently thats as close as we are going to get here, but to me, it isn't close enough.

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What if a legal resident to the US - who is gay, gets into a relationship that leads to marriage/civil union with a US citizen. Are we going to extend that federal benefit - that they become a citizen because of their partner?

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No Presidential candidate is ever going to be completely in line with every issue for individual voters. Obama is already being painted as some radical which is pretty ridiculous and there are other issues more important then Gay Marriage (like it or not). Gay marriage impacts a small percentage of American society but health care, education, foreign affairs, and economy affects all of us. Furthermore Obama if elected will be appointing a possible Supreme Court Justice and other Federal Judges so it would greatly advangtageous to your cause if more left-leaning judges are selected. Who do you think McLame will be selecting because if you think Democrats are indifferent to your cause the Republicans will be flat out hostile which will just turn back the clock on issues that affect the Gay Community.

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As a heterosexual (I dislike "straight" because it implies that gays are "warped"), I can't pretend to understand this issue on a personal level, but I do try. I'm 100% in favor of full marriage rights for gays (actually, I'm in favor of abolishing government sanction of all marriage, but that's not going to happen). However, I think one has to read between the lines and remember that to declare himself absolutely in favor of gay marriage would cost Obama dearly. He's going as far as he can, in our deeply conservative nation, without committing political suicide.

As a "radical" leftist (the Democrats are right-wing, from where I sit), I've tried to read between the lines on Obama's economic positions, and I detect enough of a left-leaning streak that I don't find him as economically repulsive as I do most Democrats (Kucinich is a notable exception). His rhetoric is right-wing, but I do believe he'll lean back towards the left once he's elected. Certainly not as far as I'd prefer, but it's not as though a far-left-wing president would stand a chance in this far-right-wing nation.

The point is, I think gays should try to do the same regarding this issue. Ask yourself if Obama would be a hindrance to gay marriage. I don't think he would. There are clearly better candidates for both of us (e.g., McKinney, Nader), and I think we should vote for those candidates in safely Democratic states, but in Republican states and swing states I think we should vote for Obama.

Lesser-evilism is infinitely frustrating, but it's the reality of our two-party system. We have to play that system pragmatically, while simultaneously working to change it (abolishing or circumventing the electoral college, instant runoff or range voting, proportional representation, etc.).

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Obama a 1,000 better than McCain!? Yeah, right. The sad part of this election is that people are making it a race issue ("isn't it great that a black man can be president?") and the sexism is flying about. And after reading this article, the homophobia is flying high as well. I do not feel better about Obama than McCain--if anything, I repsect Palin's honesty about her feelings on homosexuals much more than Obama and Biden who tip toe through their clear discomfort on the issue as evidenced in their recent answers to these questions. These jokers want us to sit on the back of the bus and that is different than what McCain and Palin propose!!? There is such disinformation about the Republicans and Democrats in the media these days and I cannot really understand how anyone who reads what these candidates say about homosexuality or most every other issue is really a point of differentiation.

Please send me some of what you are smoking and/or injecting because that might just let me get through some of the AlterNet articles which pimp out Obama without exploiting his clearly right-wing agendas whilest alleging he is "our best friend".

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Look at how Obama accepted Colin Powell's endorsement and how he's talking about giving Powell a spot in his administration.

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And when gay couples accidently get pregnant, Obama will support them in having abortions up to (and after) birth!

Hey, wait a minute....

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Will Obama legalize if not all drugs then at least marijuana??

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He's not a Peace candidate: he's already promised his own version of the Never Ending War ... only his will be held in Afghanistan rather than Iraq.

His "Choice" stance is a bit wobbly ...
“... what ultimately I believe is that women in consultation with their families, their doctors, their religious advisers, are in the best position to make this decision.”
... there's a few too many Consultants there for my taste --

But he does however have one single solitary overriding virtue ... he's not a Republican ... his supporters are not Republicans ... his advisers are not Republicans -- his appointees will not be Republicans.

That said, nothing else matters much.

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So Obama allegedly will extend federal benefits to gays. OK, I'm old, so Social Security is the benefit that matters to me. When will my partner and I qualify for survivor's benefits and spousal benefits? Not a peep about this huge issue in this great crusade for "change." Yes, Obama will get my vote but not because he's any close, personal "friend." How many times has he told us he can't support gay marriage because of his religious background? One heck of an excuse for a former instructor in constitutional law.

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I would hope in the future that Obama makes some changes at the EEOC. Please include sexual orientation. Many Gay Americans get discriminated against at their jobs. Everybody has the right to work. I myself was pushed out of a job in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was accused of having HIV. This was not true but when you are not protected there is nothing you can do.

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