The Visible Vote '08: Senator John Edwards

John Edwards mentioned his recent visit to the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, and his concern for the homeless teens he met there—teens who’d been thrown into the streets to fend for themselves by parents who hate themselves too much to love a gay child. I’m sure that at least a few people saw this as a cynical ploy on the part of Mr. Edwards. I definitely gave him the benefit of the doubt here, though—far too many U.S. Americans fail to make full emotional contact with the horrific truth that thousands of children are homeless simply because they’ve told their parents that they are gay. It’s a situation that warrants mentioning at every opportunity. And cynical ploy or no, I think that Edwards really was concerned for what he saw in Los Angeles; only a sociopath could see such a thing and not feel outrage. An additional plus for Edwards is his wife Elizabeth, who has been an amazingly strong supporter of LGBT equality. So at least in my eyes, Edwards was relatively well-positioned going into the question-and-answer portion of the forum. And it was at that point that he just kinda lost me…

Senator Edwards on how his religious beliefs affect his views on gay marriage:

Yes, Mr. Edwards, I believe you when you say that you wouldn’t impose your faith on the American people. My question is this: How can you continue to be a part of a faith tradition that believes that God loves some people less? How can you believe in that God? Some of tonight’s commentators seem to think that Edwards denied that his religion is the reason for his opposition to gay marriage. I didn’t hear that. And frankly, the thought of religions opposing marriage, or even having the audacity to comment on who a person falls in love with, is disgusting to me. Still, I don’t dislike John Edwards. I’m just sick of people who tiptoe around their stance on my civil and human rights. Hell, I’m tired of the necessity of other people talking about whether I should HAVE rights. If you don’t think that I should have full rights as an American and a human, tell me why. I want to hear logic. I’ll probably still want to tell you you’re a moron, but don’t patronize me with waffling political speak.