Gay Rights / Gay Marriage

The government should not intrude on our personal decisions of who to love. That is why I support gay marriage. To me, this is an issue of basic equality. While religious institutions must remain free to define marriage as they see fit, the civil marriage laws of our society (and related federal tax laws) should ensure that couples who want to declare their lifelong commitment to each other should be treated equally, regardless of sexual orientation. I would support repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which discriminates against gay couples.  I also would support federal legislation to outlaw such discrimination in housing, employment and other essential areas. And I believe that the current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which effectively prevents patriotic Americans who are openly gay from serving in the military, should be repealed as soon as possible.