LGBT Issues in the 5th District Primary: Honoring Committed Relationships

Part 4 of 4: Relationships

LGBT folks in the 5th Congressional District are facing a tough choice for the DFL Primary on Tuesday. In an effort to see where the candidates stand on certain LGBT issues, I sent a LGBT candidate questionnaire to each campaign last week to garner some specific responses. Keep in mind I've never done a candidate questionnaire before, so if the questions seem odd, it's just me honing my skills.

The 4th question was: "Same-sex couples struggle every day to create families and relationships without having the benefits of marriage. How would you work in Washington to secure federal benefits, such as Social Security for a surviving spouse, for same-sex couples?"

Paul Ostrow: We must work across party lines to establish domestic partnership benefits for same sex couples. I have always supported domestic partnership benefits as we have always included the right for Minneapolis to provide these benefits in our state legislative agenda, This is a matter of equal protection under our laws. This is a matter of conscience for me as I am a member of a Reconciled in Christ congregation in Minneapolis that is committed to equality for the LGBT community.

Mike Erlandson: Same-sex couples should be treated no differently than male-female couples under the law. This issue affects my family directly. My Uncle Phil and his partner Al, who have been together more than 35 years, deserve the same rights and privileges that my wife Dawn and I have. In particular, I support the rights of same-sex couples to marry, parent children, file joint income tax returns, and obtain Social Security retirement and disability benefits. I will vote against any federal marriage legislation or Constitutional amendment that seeks to discriminate against same-sex couples. I will support legislation such as H.R. 5152, the Equal Access to Social Security Act to entitle dependents’ and survivors’ benefits to Social Security benefits based on permanent partnerships as well as marriage.

Ember Reichgott Junge: I support H.R. 5152: The Equal Access to Social Security Act, introduced by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). I hope that Democrats will retake the house so that Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee will no longer be able to hold up this legislation. Partner benefits, however, are not enough. I support full adoption rights and full marriage rights for everyone. In the Minnesota State Senate I voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. In Congress I will continue to fight for families regardless of their composition.

Keith Ellison: Would a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage help us to welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, heal the sick, or visit those in prison? No, it wouldn’t. In fact, I believe it would only serve to harden our hearts against the civil urgency of the last fifty years— extending equal rights to all people. Equal access to government benefits is clearly part of this moral and political imperative. Same-sex couples work just as hard as everyone else, love just as deeply as everyone else, and are as committed to their families as everyone else. There is no reason why they should not have the same benefits as everyone else.

Discrimination against one people is an affront to all people. My campaign is one that believes that we must boldly and unapologetically assert that we are all better off together than apart, and we cannot come together until everyone enjoys the same rights and responsibilities. I will work to achieve this the same way I have always worked: by building coalitions amongst diverse populations in order to achieve positive results for the common good. As a community activist, I have always led by example, and my actions in the United States Congress will reflect this commitment to be on the front lines of all human rights struggles.