Following last week’s Court of Appeals ruling on gay marriage, Senate candidate Jonathan Tasini condemned Senator Hillary Clinton for her refusal to support gay marriage. Tasini supports gay marriage, but Clinton only backs civil unions.
“Discrimination is discrimination is discrimination and Hilary Clinton obviously does not get it,” said Tasini. “By continuing to triangulate and mouth poll-tested reaction to the discriminatory ruling by the State Court of Appeals, my opponent is actively encouraging the continuation of blatant discrimination against gays and lesbians. I support marriage equality, with no equivocation and no twisting of language because discrimination of any kind is a stain on the soul of our state and our country.”
Tasini called on the State Legislature to immediately enact legislation to legalize same-sex marriage and for the U.S. Congress to follow suit.
“Only civil marriage can provide such vital protection and security to lesbian and gay families as granting the right to visit a hospitalized partner, custody and visitation rights for families, Social Security benefits to a surviving partner, immigration rights for international same-sex couples and hundreds of other legal protections and responsibilities,” noted Tasini.
Tasini will deliver his petitions to get on the ballot this Thursday, needing 15,000 valid signatures to qualify. If he doesn’t get onto the Democratic ballot, he said, he won’t run against Clinton on another party line because he’s a believer in the Democratic Party.
The position on gay marriage of New York’s other senator, Chuck Schumer — who is not up for re-election this year — mirrors Clinton’s.
