Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese made the
following statement regarding Governor Howard Dean's recent comments on
the Christian Broadcasting Network:
"Governor Dean's comments weren't a mere slip of the tongue but a
glaring reminder of the governor's lack of leadership on this issue,"
said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "As we face a Senate
vote in June that threatens to put discrimination in our Constitution,
Governor Dean should not only have known better but he should have used
the opportunity to speak out about the lack of values involved in the
current constitutional debate.
Solmonese continued, "While Governor Dean's clarification of the
Democratic platform's inclusive message is a step in the right
direction, it's imperative that the Democratic National Committee and
Governor Dean himself continue on that path in a clear and unequivocal
way. We join fellow gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender leaders in
concern over a troubling series of missteps that fail to convey Governor
Dean's and the DNC's commitment to equality."
On a May 10 Christian Broadcasting Network piece, Governor Dean
described the 2004 Democratic Party Platform by saying, "[the platform
says] marriage is between a man and a woman. That's what it says." In
fact, the 2004 platform reads:
"We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of
our nation and seek equal responsibility, benefits, and protections for
these families. In our country marriage has been defined at the state
level for 200 years and we believe it should continue to be defined
there. We repudiate President Bush's divisive effort to politicize the
Constitution by pursuing a 'Federal Marriage Amendment.'"
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