Democrats: Say I Do
Democrats: Say I Do is a political campaign by American LGBT rights pressure group Freedom to Marry to persuade the Democratic Party to formally adopt same-sex marriage (also known as "marriage equality") as part of the party's platform at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
The proposed plank builds upon past planks opposing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and supporting civil rights and protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. However, the party has not yet officially adopted an explicit endorsement of same-sex marriage as part of its campaign platform. In addition, incumbent president Barack Obama has not formally endorsed same-sex marriage, despite allegations of a pre-presidential endorsement of the same and presently backing legal recognition of same-sex unions at the state level.
History
The campaign was launched on Feb 13, 2012 with an Internet petition to persuade Congressional representatives to adopt the plank.[1]
Text of the proposed plank
The following is the language of the proposed plank as put forward by Freedom to Marry:
“We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, with equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law, including the freedom to marry. Government has no business putting barriers in the path of people seeking to care for their family members, particularly in challenging economic times. We support the Respect for Marriage Act and the overturning of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and oppose discriminatory constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny the freedom to marry to loving and committed same-sex couples.”
Adopters
- Human Rights Campaign
- National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
- National Stonewall Democrats
See also
- 2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference, at which the Labor party formally adopted same-sex marriage as part of its National Platform while allowing for conscience votes by members of parliament