All of the Democratic presidential candidates oppose gay marriage, but they are in favor of civil unions.  That’s like saying, I believe blacks should live anywhere they want to; I just don’t want them living next door to me.

The wishy-washy Democratic candidates should adopt the stance of Elizabeth Edwards.

From ABCNews.Com:

“Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, kicked off San Francisco’s annual gay pride parade Sunday by splitting with her husband over support for legalized gay marriage.

‘I don’t know why someone else’s marriage has anything to do with me,’ Mrs. Edwards said at a news conference before the parade started. ‘I’m completely comfortable with gay marriage.’”

My sentiments exactly; if gays gain the right to marry that doesn’t undermine the quality of heterosexual marriage.

From ABCNews.Com:

“She conceded her support puts her at odds with her husband, a former senator from North Carolina who she said supports civil unions among gay couples but not same-sex marriages.

‘John has been pretty clear about it, that he is very conflicted,’ she said. ‘He has a deeply held belief against any form of discrimination, but that’s up against his being raised in the 1950s in a rural southern town.’”

That is not a legitimate excuse for opposing same-sex marriage. I’m sure that in the rural town where Edwards was raised in the 1950’s, an interracial marriage was considered an abomination.  Edwards would never get away with saying: I don’t believe in discrimination, but being a child of the South I’m really conflicted, I can’t condone interracial marriages.

No presidential candidate from a major party has ever publicly supported same-sex marriage. When will a candidate state the obvious: Gays should have the fundamental right to marry a partner of the same sex.

One of John Edwards major campaign themes is the widening gulf between the poor and the wealthy. He refers to this intolerable situation as “The Two Americas”. John, I agree with you, there shouldn’t be two Americas, everyone, including gays and lesbians, should be treated the same.