Presidential Doublespeak on Civil Rights

President Bush yesterday reaffirmed his desire to write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution by permanently banning same-sex couples from the legal rights and privileges of civil marriage. The president's battle cry for constitutional discrimination fell on the same day he heralded the 50 year anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling outlawing the "separate but equal" fiction as inherently unequal, paving the way for the greater integration of American society.

• President Bush's amendment would be the only constitutional revision in our nation's history to explicitly mandate discrimination against an entire class of people. The Constitution has been amended to eliminate slavery, to give women the right to vote, and to secure for every person the equal protection of the laws. It has never been amended to mandate discrimination. President Bush now wants to use the foundation of our government to bash gay Americans.
• President Bush should stop stoking fear and hatred of gays and lesbians for political gain. Facing rising public distrust of his handling of the economy and Iraq, it is no coincidence President Bush wants to change the subject to divisive social issues. The president's motivation in attempting to ban gay marriage is clear. This is not about protecting the institution of marriage. It's about isolating and marginalizing gays and lesbians and appealing to the worst instincts of the right wing base of the Republican Party in an election year.
• Rights and privileges extended to any American must be extended to all Americans. Protecting equal rights under law is the cornerstone of America's constitutional and historical greatness. Allowing some people to enjoy marriage but not others is inherently un-American and devalues the core notion of family President Bush says he wants to maintain. While religious denominations should be free to decide what constitutes religious marriage under the tenets of their faith, it is time for the states to recognize civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

Click here to read our earlier statement on President Bush's constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

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