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Amid the State of the Empire Address,
heavy with foreign policy, President Bush snuck
in a stab against families with same-sex parents.
Under the guise of protecting families, be
vowed to support a constitutional amendment
defining marriage as between one man and one
woman. “For the gixxl of families, children and
society, 1 support a constitutional amendment
to protect the institution of marriage,” Bush said
during rhe State of the Union address Feb. 2.
That statement left hundreds of thousands of
same-sex couples and their children asking
whose families he aims to protect. Gay rights
activists called this announcement a step
toward legalized discrimination.
“History will severely judge any president
who casually calls for such a radical rewriting of
our Constitution without thought of its conse
quences,” said Dave Noble, National Stonewall
Democrats executive director. “This president
lacks the comprehension of the struggles faced
hy American families due to his discriminatory
policies.”
After proposing rhe action against marriage
equality, Bush touted the efforts of “faith-based”
groups providing alternatives to gangs and jail
for young men. “Because one of the deepest val
ues of our country is compassion, we must never
turn away from any citizen who feels isolated
from the opportunities of America,” he said.
Though compassion was not applied to gays
and lesbians seeking the same rights as heteros,
Bush gave nod to those suffering from
H1V/AIDS. He called for reauthorization of the
Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources
Emergency Act, which will fund prevention
and treatment programs.
“We must focus our effort on fellow citizens
with the highest rates of new cases—African
American men and women,” Bush said.
—Jaymee Cuti
faced a political maneuver this was in rhe first
place). But this piece of sanity from the presi
dent deserves praise and reciprocation from
those of us who support equality in marriage.”
Sullivan urged supporters to “refrain from
any constitutional or legal challenge to DOMA
for the foreseeable future” while the experiment
of same-sex marriage plays out in Massachusetts.
Bush’s statement is consistent with his earli
er position on same-sex coupling. His hom-
again experience is tempered by a residual Yan
kee reticence to publicly discuss details of his
religious beliefs.
He has strongly articulated his view that
marriage is between a man and a woman, hut he
is a more reluctant supporter of a constitutional
amendment. While endorsing the concept of an
amendment, he has not backed any particular
language on that subject.
There is the reality of division within the
Republican Party. On Jan. 16 The New York
Tunes carried the wedding announcement of
Dee Mosbacher to her lesbian partner. The
Mosbacher and Bush families have strong ties
through the Houston oil industry; Mosbacher’s
father raised millions for President George H.W.
Bush and served as his secretary of commerce.
And finally, the president is a pragmatic
politician whose administration is exceedingly
g<xxl at staying “on message,” not letting periph
eral issues distract it from its primary legislative
and political objectives. Bush did not lobby
Congress last year on the Federal Marriage
Amendment, and he is not likely to start now.
—Bob Roehr
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President Bush will not press for a constitu
tional amendment to han same-sex marriage, he
told The Washington Post in an exclusive inter
view conducted aboard Air Force One and pub
lished Jan. 16. But even before the article was
published, the White House was seeking to
“clarify” its position.
“Senators have made it clear that so long as
DOMA [the Defense of Marriage Act] is
deemed constitutional, nothing will happen. I’d
take their admonition seriously.... Until that
Winnie Stachelberg, political director of the
changes, nothing will happen in the Senate,”
Human Rights Campaign, says President Bush
Bush told the Post.
meant to divide Americans on issues such as
White House spokesman Scott McClellan ' gay rights
clarified the president’s position as being “will
ing to spend political capital” on the issue, but
R ight -W ingers T hreaten
for practical reasons that is not likely to he
to S tonewall P resident
enough to achieve the two-thirds vote required
A Jan. 24 New York Times article written hy
to pass a constitutional amendment.
a group of conservatives known as the Arling
Social conservatives were apoplectic at the
ton Group (including representatives from
thought of anything less than kamikaze-like
Focus on the Family and the Family Research
dedication to their cause. Tony Perkins, presi Council) stated that the administration’s lack
dent of the Family Research Council, pointed
of clear support for the Federal Marriage
to the “values voters” who overwhelmingly sup
Amendment has made it “impossible for us to
ported Bush in November.
unite our movement on an issue such as Social
“Freshly equipped with the demands of the
Security privatization where there are already
American people, the president should lead the
deep misgivings.”
United States Senate in moving ahead to check
Winnie Stachelberg, Human Rights Cam
the pending judicial assault on marriage,” he said.
paign political director, said: “This amendment
Log Cabin Republicans executive director
was conceived to divide the American people
Patrick Guerriero is hopeful that Bush’s com
but over and over has done nothing hut divide
ments “recognizing the lack of support for the
the Republican Party. President Bush promised
anti-family Federal Marriage Amendment will
discrimination to his extremist base, and now
result in a second-term agenda that can con
they want him to deliver.
centrate on much-needed reform.”
“This should come as no surprise—instead of
Gay pundit Andrew Sullivan wrote on his
bartering between divisive proposals, the so-
blog that the amendment “has gone un called family leaders should focus on the health
mentioned hy Bush since the election—and it
and safety of all American families. This
appears more and more like a pre-election ploy
amendment would deny responsibilities and
rather than a principled stand. (Of course, that’s
protections to millions of Americans. There’s
a relief, hut it’s also an indication of how bald
nothing family-friendly about that.”