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Senator Specter – DOMA is a RELIC…. is this a campaign speech or sign of leadership?

By Melanie Nathan – Oct 27, 2009 – Today a post by Senator Arlen Specter appeared in the Huffington Post where Specter categorically states: “The time has come to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Enacted 13 years ago when the idea of same sex marriage was struggling for acceptance, the Act is a relic of a more tradition-bound time and culture.”

Specter went on to say “Connecticut, Iowa, and Massachusetts have already passed laws recognizing same sex marriage and other states are moving in that direction. The states are the proper forum to address this divisive social and moral issue, not the Federal Government with a law that attempts to set one national standard for marriage.

Specter used the example of prohibition in his essay, saying, “Prohibition showed just how difficult it is to enforce law establishing standards of personal behavior or morality. Coercion, whether civic or legal, in matters of this kind rarely works. It certainly won’t halt public controversy surrounding the issue.”  I was somewhat confused as I found it an interesting  as an argument in persuasion for ditching DOMA, yet disconcerted that Specter finds it appropriate to place sexual orientation  in the context of moral issue in the first place.

I for one really appreciate the written word of the Senator.  However I note that the Huffington Post article fosters the impending senatorial battle against Joe Sestak, who has come out ferociously in favor of LGBT equality.

Senator Specter spoke favorably of LGBT Immigration rights at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for UAFA in June this year.

I had the privilege of meeting the Senator after the hearing and I really liked what he had to say. So I find it odd that he did not mention UAFA and immigration equality specifically in this article.  I leave this up to the reader to interpret.

Quote from article:
“The repeal of DOMA is one step among several designed to fully integrate and protect the rights of gays and lesbians in American society. ” He spoke of his sponsorship of The Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and his general support of LGBT issues. “Nothing in the Act impedes the lawful expression of one’s political or religious beliefs. “  All Americans are entitled to hold and express their own beliefs, no matter how provocative.  Measures to combat discrimination against gays and transgendered people in the workplace are another needed measure. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009, of which I am an original cosponsor, was introduced on August 5, 2009 and is currently before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Finally, the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy is outdated, and should be rescinded entirely. A person’s sexual orientation has no bearing on their ability to serve their country in the armed services. Countless studies and the experiences of gays who have served in the military have borne out these findings.”  However no mention of UAFA or RFA or CIR or RMA… noted!

My personal barometer when it comes to endorsing Specter or Sestak will amount to the answers that I want to hear on the following questions:-

1. Where do you stand specifically on the Respect for Marriage Act (by Rep. Jerold Nadler) as the Repeal legislation for DOMA and would you be willing to Sponsor a Senate version including the critical transportability clause (meaning Same-sex marriage entered into in one State must be recognized all other States for the purpose of federal benefits that ensue.) ?

2. Where do you stand on the Uniting American Families Act would you support it as a stand-alone bill, (co-sponsor it?) and will you support Comprehensive Immigration Reform with UAFA included?

Campaign talk is not good enough for me when it comes to trusting, we as a community have been down that road too many times . I want the specifics before my endorsement – specifics on the leadership role the candidate will assume, time lines, and strategy.

I thank Senator Specter for his words of support, his courage to speak out, but challenge him, as well as Rep Sestak, to provide the specifics I have mentioned in this post.

I also encourage those of you from State of Pennsylvania to ask these very specific questions of these two candidates.

Reference:- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-arlen-specter/time-to-repeal-doma_b_335226.html

UPDATE: Please refer to the article by Paula Brooks from Lezgetreal  indicating Rep Sestak’s response to the Specter Article….

 

Blogged and written by Melanie Nathan, CEO Private Courts Inc. an Advocacy and Conflict Resolution Firm. nathan@privatecourts.com, http://privatecourts.com ; http://oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com