Ellison Campaign Reaches Out to GLBT Community

He doesn't say he supports marriage equality. Instead, he used the term "domestic partnerships." I suppose it's possible he just doesn't make a distintion between the two. While I was demonstrating against the anti-gay marriage amendment at the Capitol this year, he did come over and express support, but that doesn't mean he supports marriage equality either. What I do know, is that his opponent from the Green Party, Jay Pond, is gay and supports full marriage equality, without question.

Tammy Lee supports equality too, like Jay Pond.

"Domestic partnerships" are equivalent rights, not equal rights. Supporting them while speaking against discrimination or "wedges" is ridiculous. Partnerships are certainly preferable to the current situation, but his support of them is nothing to celebrate.

I agree that Ellison's language and positions are not perfect. And I'm certainly not endorsing or creating cause for celebration. Partnership rights or same-sex marriage are one issue of many that affect us, and I think credit is due to those who support us.

Any campaign that actively engages the GLBT community is news, and it's important, and that's what I want people to take away from this post.

Wow, "ridiculous," "nothing to celebrate?" I understand the semantics of it, but thats all I think it is, semantics. If I have the same rights as someone else, I could care less what straight people call it. The fact that politicians are paying attention to us and speaking eliquently about our issues IS cause for celebration! Also, I trust in his involvement and ability to address our issues more than any other candidate, I've been at small meetings of GLBT people where Keith was present and actively participating in discussion. For me personally, it also helps that he is also a person of color and can best represent my issues in all their intersectionalities.

Andy, Thank you for interviewing these candidates and providing us with the results. It is a great service to the community. I would just ask that when you interview Tammy Lee and other candidates if you could ask them specifically if they are in favor of equal marriage rights for same sex couples. My experience is that candidates will glad hand and back slap our community until the cows come home, professing their support. But when a specific issue of our equality arises, their support may disappear. Everyone thought Paul Wellstone would be with us right down the line until he voted for DOMA in 1996. When a candidate doesn't believe our families are equal, they don't believe WE are equal and don't earn our support.

We are a powerful and highly politically active community. We don't have to go hat in hand to any political organization or candidate. They want our support, our money and our votes. In order to get it, they should have to give us specific information about their intentions on specific issues. If they refuse, there are candidates who are willing to give us the information we need to make the important choices that will protect our families and our future.

It is also possibly worth remembering that should Keith Ellison become an elected FEDERAL representative, he would have no power to legislate regarding marriage, which is governed by state law, other than to oppose a federal marriage amendment that would prohibit such things altogether (or to advocate the repeal of DOMA which, again, would not result in anybody getting married). It might well be that any comparable advances that could be made at the federal level would resemble the recent pension reform bill, which opened up a specific right to people who were not married that previously had been restricted only to married couples.

That's flat wrong Phil. The US Congress can initiate constitutional amendments to guarantee the equal rights of the GLBT citizens. They can mandate that the states treat us equally.

"Domestic partnerships" vs "marriage" is a textbook example of "separate but equal." Ridiculous. Nothing to celebrate.

I never said he was a bad candidate or that he's not interested in the gay community; I think the opposite is true. I said, am saying, and will continue to say that accepting anything less than full equality on this issue sets a dangerous precedent as far as how we will allow ourselves to be treated.

then VOTE TAMMY LEE!!!

As a mom with a gay son .... "domestic partnership" is not marriage. My gay son deserves to be treated with the same respect and dignity his straight siblings have .... they celebrate their love in marriages. We can not settle for "domestic partnerships" or for candidates who do not know the difference.

DavidD -- if your point is that Congress could pass along a constitutional amendment to the states for ratification that would guarantee equal access to marriage for same-sex couples, point taken. Now, let's have a chat about how realistic that would be. We already have a constitutional amendment that should guarantee that, dating to the 1860s. It remains accurate to say, as I did, that Congress may not legislate in the area of marriage because such matters are not included in its Article I powers; DOMA gets around that by using the federal spending provisions that allow Congress to determine the scope of federal programs.

I am voting for Tammy Lee. I do not trust people who believe that they are above the law. The law is the law and power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts. Putting Ellison in Washington D.C. is like putting a child (with poor ethics and no sense of right or wrong) into a candy shop. He ignores parking violations, fees, has had police to his home for domestic calls...and this person represents us. Besides, as a person born and raised in Detroit MI, he brings those values with him. Do we want Detroit values representing us in Minneapolis? Look at Detroit...Look at Minneapolis. Which looks better to you?

I think GLBT people need to think about their values, the things we respect, and select a candidate that most closely represents us.

For me, that is Tammy Lee.

wow steve, you sling mud and lie better than most republicans. afraid of detroit values? is that because of all the poor blacks that live there who create a value of "poor ethics and no sense of right and wrong". you sound like a bigot to me.

as a member of a minority group, ellison has first hand experience of hatered and discrimination. he clearly recognizes the harms due to these social ills and wishes to protect all minority groups from such discrimination, including the GLBT community. i would think the GLBT community should be overjoyed to see a leader in the african american and muslim community with such progressive ideas and should not resort to affirming old and tired stereotypes that have traditionally seperated different but equally hated minority groups.

As a Muslim straight woman, I am proud that Keith Ellison is standing for gay and lesbian rights. He truly stands for what is the best in our faith-Justice, justice jusice.