Begich Supports Same-Sex Marriage
Alaska Senator Mark Begich has come out with a definitive statement in support of same-sex marriage. Monday night, the Senator’s office sent the following statement to BuzzFeed:
“I believe that same sex couples should be able to marry and should have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as any other married couple.
“Government should keep out of individuals’ personal lives—if someone wants to marry someone they love, they should be able to. Alaskans are fed up with government intrusion into our private lives, our daily business, and in the way we manage our resources and economy.”
The comment comes after statements in the media (including a 2008 article in the New York Times) that Begich had been evasive in stating his position on the issue.
The number of gay and lesbian households in Alaska, according to the 2010 census, has grown by about 57 percent over the last decade – from 1,180 in 2000, to 1,851 in 2010. Alaska also ranks third of all states for the highest proportions of same-sex couples (23%) who are raising biological, adopted or step-children. Only Mississippi (26%), and Wyoming (25%) are higher.
A recent Public Policy Poll in February of 2013 about same-sex partnerships yielded interesting Alaskan results:
Which of the following best describes your opinion on gay marriage: gay couples should be allowed to legally marry, or gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry, or there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?
Gay couples should be allowed to legally
marry ……………………………………………………..40%
Gay couples should be allowed to form civil
unions but not marry …………………………………27%
There should be no legal recognition of a gay
couple’s relationship …………………………………30%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 3%
So, the overwhelming majority of Alaskans (67%) support a legal recognition of same-sex partnerships, with 40% supporting marriage proper. Only 30% support no legal recognition.
A federal recognition of same-sex marriage would overrule Alaska’s Constitutional amendment banning it. Once again the strange disparity between what Alaskans really think, and what our policies are, shows a clear contrast – and the fact that voter turnout matters.
This Tuesday and Wednesday the Supreme Court will hear two arguments in two landmark cases of civil rights.
On Tuesday, it will hear arguments about Proposition 8, a California constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2008 banning same sex unions.
On Wednesday, the court will review the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of taxes and benefits.
Kudos to Senator Begich for speaking out on the right side of history.
You can too. Join Christians for Equality, members of the LGBT community and their allies in Anchorage on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 from 5:00 – 6:00pm at the Federal Courthouse on the corner of 7th and C Streets, downtown for a gathering to show support for marriage equality in Anchorage.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/03/28/murkowski-says-her-views-on-same-sex-marriage-are-evolving/
Uh-Oh!
I just want to design and make the wedding outfits for my son and his partner.
My sister and her girls want to do the cake and decorations.
And auntie will totally take over the entertainment. She maybe 70, but she still uses dancing shoes.
But noooooo.
And that makes me mad.
And if you think I’m mad, you should hear what my hubby has to say.
After a lifetime of raising his sons to be loving, responsible, honorable men, he feels his parental teachings are denied for one kid and not the others.
We are not happy that our son is left out of all things that encompass marriage.
You deny my son, you also deny two families who take marriage very seriously.
grrrrrrr…
So do I,not that it matters.
The key phrase in this post is “voter turnout matters.” Yes, it does. Primaries can be even more important than general elections, which is why I stay registered as a Democrat, even though my politics make me a Green.
My Fb page is all ablaze with red Equality symbols today, and I’m told, will be so for the rest of the week. My friends have replaced their ‘normal’ photo with them. It’s a tad difficult to keep track of who is saying what, but so what? I rather like the look of my pages, now. it’s Quite heartwarming to see so many of my Fb peeps all openly pulling for the same thing: total Equality.
Here’s a tiny to where you, too, can get the symbol, iffn you’re so inclined: http://tinyurl.com/cqrzsgo beth.
Marriage is a legal contract between people. If 2 people want to be married in the eyes of the law, they should be able to take up those rights and responsibilities. Definitely a civil right. Neither the government nor I have any right to restrict others’ rights. I’m sure Begich had his tongue firmly in check when he said, ““Government should keep out of individuals’ personal lives…” considering all the things that “government” has attempted recently to get INTO individuals’ personal lives.
Good for Senator Begich, now it is time for Murkowski and Young to voice their support also. I am not holding my breath. There is ample evidence that sexual orientation is a biologically determined characteristic with an incidence approximately equal to that of left-handedness, and that it is not a matter of choice. Left handed children used to be forced to write with their right hands from kindergarten on, but that practice has been largely abandoned because it serves no purpose other than to frustrate small children.
I am surprised that this argument has not been advanced more often. Do we expect trisomy 18 (Down Syndrome) to work hard to change their genetic make-up and comform to “normal” developmental standards? Do we feel that the mere existence of developmentally delayed children presents a danger to “normal” children? Obviously not. So why should we expect a naturally homosexual sexual orientation to be a danger to those of a heterosexual orientation?
It is a puzzlement.
good for him. Like our President, Begich is no liberal, but his views on this issue have obviously evolved over time, and his pro-equality statement is greatly welcomed.