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| Feingold says he supports gay marriage |
| Wednesday, April 05, 2006 |
Sen. Russ Feingold said Tuesday he supports giving gays and lesbians the right to marry, becoming the fourth U.S. senator to take that position, according to a gay-rights advocacy group.
Feingold, D-Wis., issued a statement saying he was asked about his views on the subject at a listening session with constituents Sunday night in Kenosha, Wis.
In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, he said he decided to express his support for gay marriage at the session in response to what he called a "mean-spirited" Wisconsin constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions, which will appear on the state ballot in November.
"I will be voting against the harsh amendment that's been proposed in Wisconsin, and I thought it was an appropriate occasion to indicate my feeling that if two people care enough about each other to get married, that it probably is a positive thing for society," he said.
"Gay and lesbian people in our country are fighting a mean-spirited movement to harm them and to discriminate against them," he added. "I stand with them against that movement, and I'm proud to stand with them."
Asked if he would support federal legislation to legalize gay marriage, Feingold said he's not focused on that now.
By supporting gay marriage, Feingold, a potential presidential candidate, has once again taken a position that places him to the left of potential 2008 rivals. Earlier examples include his call for a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, his opposition to the Patriot Act renewal and his proposal to censure President Bush for his domestic wiretapping program.
Feingold said presidential politics had nothing to do with his position on gay rights.
"I recognize that it will have some national implications as well, but what caused me to do it at this time had to do with the Wisconsin proposal that I oppose," he said.
Wisconsin state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, a Juneau Republican and amendment sponsor, said Feingold's stance shows how far out of touch he is from mainstream Wisconsin voters.
"Russ Feingold, as usual, is playing to the fringe left," Fitzgerald said.
As to Feingold's contention that the amendment was harsh and mean-spirited, Fitzgerald said, "We didn't go looking for this fight. We're simply reacting" to attempts to change the definition of marriage.
"Marriage is not just about two loving and committed people," said Julaine Appling, executive director of the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin, which supports the amendment. "Marriage is a social institution that provides a social good, and a public good."
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, praised Feingold.
"This kind of statement is something we have been yearning for - at long last we have a fair-minded progressive leader taking an ethical and moral stance," Foreman said. "No |
posted by Jay Are @ 8:52:00 AM   |
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