KUCINICH: When I was a student at Cleveland State University, the head of our drama program there was gay, and his partner -- who is now his life partner; have been together for, you know, 30-some years -- together they had a relationship that was as powerful as any marriage between any two people I've ever seen. It's incredible. \r\n<\/p>
\r\nAnd, you know, we have to understand that in this world two people can be deeply in love, and that if they have that kind of commitment they should be permitted to be married. \r\n<\/p>
\r\nNow, to say that you've got to go from state to state to achieve that right absolutely vitiates who we are as a nation. \r\n<\/p>
\r\nKUCINICH: We are united states. Our first motto is, \"Out of many we are one,\" and it includes diversity -- diversity racially as well as with respect to sexual orientation. \r\n<\/p>
\r\nSo we have to live out who we are as a nation. At times that's difficult for us to do. But a leader and a president ought to be the one who helps to bring a compassion to this country and helps heal this country and helps heal the divisions that come up over these issues. \r\n<\/p>
\r\nhttp:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/articles\/A59300-2004Jan6_4.html\r\n<\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"Kucinich talks about the importance of marriage in America.","numcomment":1,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2004\/01\/99657.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":99658,"heading":"this is a wedge issue","article":"I think this "gay marriage" controversy is a strategy to bring Republicans upset with Bush back into the fold. Isolationist Republicans know that this Iraq war is a bad idea, and are ready to vote the guy out to get someone in like Dean, who is a moderate on foreign policy issues. These are older people uncomfortable with gays and lesbians. They're Christian, white, and midwestern, or they are Catholic and may be Democrats. More than anything, though, they are big voters.\r\n\r\nThere are basically four emotional issues for these folks. War, the economy, fiscal responsiblity\/greed, and family values. Bush blows it on the first three (which are all the economy ultimately). People are not getting upset over abortion anymore, because the Dems have shown themselves to waver on pro-choice, and because the Reps are increasingly pro-choice. It seems like an unwinnable battle. But, gay marriage -- now that's a hot button issue for this demographic. It just makes them feel uncomfortable.\r\n\r\nMost people don't care about gay marriage, or favor it. At the very least, every red-blooded heterosexual man under the age of 40 has seen lesbian porn or anal sex porn. (OK, in bad taste, but it's true.) And most of them have no problem with it. Many of these macho men are okay with gay men too. More than anything, they just don't care. It doesn't get on their radar as an "issue."\r\n\r\nIt only elicits a reaction from older people who vote.\r\n\r\nThey're also afraid of black people, and communists. (Just because you've aged doesn't make you any wiser.)","author":"more rational","parent_id":99657,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-01-08 05:31:51","modified":"2004-01-08 05:31:51","fileurl":""}]}