Basically, Bill Clinton Thinks it's OK for Gays and Lesbians to Marry

by Michael Jones · 2009-07-14 13:54:00 UTC
Topics:

Bill Clinton

Though it's a qualified statement of the kind that only Bill Clinton can make, the former President has apparently come out in support for marriage equality.  In a Nation article published by Michael Tracey today, the former President, and the person responsible for enacting the current Defense of Marriage Act, said that he supports states giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marriage.  Here's the Nation's take:

This spring, same-sex marriage was legalized in Iowa, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. In his most recent remarks on the subject, Clinton said, "I think all these states that do it should do it." The former president, however, added that he does not believe that same-sex marriage is "a federal question."

Asked if he personally supported same-sex marriage, Clinton replied, "Yeah." "I personally support people doing what they want to do," Clinton said. "I think it's wrong for someone to stop someone else from doing that [same-sex marriage]."

This is welcome news, of course, but there's also a sense of irony in hearing that Bill Clinton doesn't believe that marriage is a federal question.  Given that Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law, which currently is the piece of legislation that denies married gays and lesbians more than 1,100 federal benefits, that's a pretty bizarre statement.  Almost makes you wonder if Bill Clinton only signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law in order to win the 1996 election.

Now if we could only get the former President to admit that....

Still, this is positive news.  As The Nation article notes, Clinton now joins a long line of prominent Democratic politicians coming out for marriage equality, including former DNC Chair Howard Dean, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, and Sen. Tom Harkin, to name a few.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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