Press

WASHINGTON - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) today criticized President Bush's characterization of gay people as "sinners" and his call for another federal law banning same-sex marriage.

"While we respect President Bush's religious views, it is unbecoming of the President of the United States to characterize same-sex couples as 'sinners,'" said Matt Foreman, Task Force executive director. "It's also sad that, at a moment in history that cries out for leadership and moral courage, President Bush has instead opted for the divisive, anti-gay politics of the past." The U.S. Congress passed, and President Clinton signed, a measure seeking to ban federal recognition of same-sex marriage in 1996.

"Bush and his advisors must be desperate," Foreman continued, noting a July 18-20 Gallup poll showing Bush nearly tied with a Democratic challenger in his reelection bid, 46-42%. "They have taken weeks to come up with the idea of proposing legislation that was passed into law in 1996. He's obviously desperate to keep the country's focus off the war in Iraq and the dismal state of the economy, and he's willing to do it on the backs of gay men and lesbians, even if it means proposing legislation that already exists as law."

The so-called 1996 "Defense of Marriage Act" is a constitutionally tenuous piece of legislation allowing states to opt out of recognizing any same-sex marriages performed in other states, and making same-sex couples ineligible for any of the 1,049 federal benefits conferred on married heterosexual couples. Courts in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Indiana are currently considering whether to overturn the prohibitions on same-sex marriage in those states.

Bush made his comments in a Rose Garden press conference today. From the White House press release:

Question: Thank you, sir. Mr. President, many of your supporters believe that homosexuality is immoral. They believe that it's been given too much acceptance in policy terms and culturally. As someone who's spoken out in strongly moral terms, what's your view on homosexuality?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I am mindful that we're all sinners, and I caution those who may try to take the speck out of their neighbor's eye when they got a log in their own. I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country. On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage. And that's really where the issue is heading here in Washington, and that is the definition of marriage. I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman. And I think we ought to codify that one way or the other. And we've got lawyers looking at the best way to do that.

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The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.