HRC urges Republicans to abandon attacks on LGBT people

by Chris Johnson
Human Rights Campaign

From Brian Moulton, HRC's Associate Counsel:

Last week, in accepting the Democratic nomination for President, Senator Obama called for Americans to find common ground on controversial issues, including acknowledging that while people disagree about marriage equality, we could all support simple benefits for same-sex couples, like hospital visitation, and oppose discrimination. Today, on the heels of the nomination of a vice presidential candidate who opposes basic benefits for same-sex couples, the Republican Party adopted a 2008 Platform that clearly rejects Senator Obama's call for consensus and, instead, supports policies that would at best ignore, and at worse greatly harm, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

In its preamble, the Republican Platform's drafters claim that it embodies ideals "that unify our country," including "devotion to the inherent dignity and rights of every person." For the GLBT community, the Platform's ideal of "dignity" includes calling us unfit for military service, opposing legal recognition for our relationships and our families, supporting faith-based organizations that would deny us jobs and services using federal dollars, and attacking judges who acknowledge our equality under the law.