What Senators Support Gay Marriage?

[BayCityProgressive]

What Senators have gone on record to support Marriage equality for GLBT citizens? Is Kennedy the only senator to do so?

[eyesroll]

1. Feingold too.

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/06/04/200604044.html

[BayCityProgressive]

2. I should have known

that Feingold would take a principled and liberal stand on this issue. I love Russ Feingold.

[mitchtv]

3. I believe Boxer has come around

hard to say

[BayCityProgressive]

4. Chafee supports gay marriage

I just found this. As far as Republicans go, he isn't such a bad guy. I still want a Dem to take his place though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Chafee

[BayCityProgressive]

6. Unfortunately Boxer

does not support gay marriage. When John Corzine was a senator he supported gay marriage.

[William769]

5. I don't know if this helps.

But this is how they voted on the marriage amendment, it would only stand to reason that if they voted against this, they support Gay marriage.

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Akaka (D-HI), Nay
Alexander (R-TN), Yea
Allard (R-CO), Yea
Allen (R-VA), Yea
Baucus (D-MT), Nay
Bayh (D-IN), Nay
Bennett (R-UT), Yea
Biden (D-DE), Nay
Bingaman (D-NM), Nay
Bond (R-MO), Yea
Boxer (D-CA), Nay
Brownback (R-KS), Yea
Bunning (R-KY), Yea
Burns (R-MT), Yea
Burr (R-NC), Yea
Byrd (D-WV), Yea
Cantwell (D-WA), Nay
Carper (D-DE), Nay
Chafee (R-RI), Nay
Chambliss (R-GA), Yea
Clinton (D-NY), Nay
Coburn (R-OK), Yea
Cochran (R-MS), Yea
Coleman (R-MN), Yea
Collins (R-ME), Nay
Conrad (D-ND), Nay
Cornyn (R-TX), Yea
Craig (R-ID), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Yea
Dayton (D-MN), Nay
DeMint (R-SC), Yea
DeWine (R-OH), Yea
Dodd (D-CT), Not Voting
Dole (R-NC), Yea
Domenici (R-NM), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Nay
Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Ensign (R-NV), Yea
Enzi (R-WY), Yea
Feingold (D-WI), Nay
Feinstein (D-CA), Nay
Frist (R-TN), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Yea
Grassley (R-IA), Yea
Gregg (R-NH), Nay
Hagel (R-NE), Not Voting
Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Jeffords (I-VT), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Nay
Kennedy (D-MA), Nay
Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Kohl (D-WI), Nay
Kyl (R-AZ), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Nay
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay
Leahy (D-VT), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Nay
Lieberman (D-CT), Nay
Lincoln (D-AR), Nay
Lott (R-MS), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Martinez (R-FL), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Nay
McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Menendez (D-NJ), Nay
Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Nay
Nelson (D-FL), Nay
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Nay
Pryor (D-AR), Nay
Reed (D-RI), Nay
Reid (D-NV), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Not Voting
Salazar (D-CO), Nay
Santorum (R-PA), Yea
Sarbanes (D-MD), Nay
Schumer (D-NY), Nay
Sessions (R-AL), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Smith (R-OR), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Nay
Specter (R-PA), Nay
Stabenow (D-MI), Nay
Stevens (R-AK), Yea
Sununu (R-NH), Nay
Talent (R-MO), Yea
Thomas (R-WY), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Warner (R-VA), Yea
Wyden (D-OR), Nay

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00163

[dsc]

7. Nope there are several people against gay marriage

who don't favor the amendment.

[William769]

8. Care to explain that?

[BayCityProgressive]

11. there are many on that list

who voted against the ban but say they oppose gay marriage.

[BayCityProgressive]

10. Soon to be Senator Sanders

Democratic Socialist of Vermont also supports marriage equality.

[Charlie Brown]

12. Quite a few of them have stated they oppose gay marriage

Kerry, in particular, stated unequivocally in his presidential campaign that he opposed it, as have Obama, Hillary Clinton, Schumer, and Reid.

[William769]

14. This is what I can't make sense of

If they oppose it, why did they vote Nay on this?

[Charlie Brown]

15. they opposed changing the Constitution over the issue

and, believe it or not, that's a conservative position, not a liberal one.

[MH1]

17. Because the wording disallows civil unions as well.

Kerry, for one, has been very clear that while he personally opposes gay marriage, he believes that same-sex partners should be accorded all the same legal benefits of marriage via a construct such as civil unions or domestic partnerships.

That is why he voted against DOMA also.

Some think this is a "semantic" issue not a real issue. However it seems to me to come down to whether the church can keep the definition of "marriage" has they believe it should be...and incidentally restrict "married couple" activites to heterosexual pairs. Since I believe strongly in the separation of church and state, I agree with Kerry's position, although I am not certain if this is his exact reasoning for it. OTOH, it just isn't a big issue for me and I wouldn't strongly oppose gay marriage. I do think the legal aspects of civil unions / domestic partnerships are very important and worth fighting for though. It distresses me a little that this has become about "marriage" when in my mind a lot could be gained by leaving that word out of it, if only for the time being. However I don't feel affected by it personally, so maybe I just don't understand.

But anyway that is the distinction.

[Charlie Brown]

9. Only Feingold and Kennedy (and perhaps Jeffords)

Every other Dem in the Senate has been very, very bad on this issue.

[BayCityProgressive]

13. well

Kennedy, Feingold, Chafee, and soon to be senator Sanders all suport full equality. That is a start. I do like the fact that Chafee is GOP and supports equality. It gives GLBT people a voice in both parties and makes some Republicans more likely to support marriage equality than they normally would being "yelled at by liberals." I have a friend who is a Republican city council member in Michigan. He is openly gay, supports marriage rights, supports a womans right to choose, supports some form of universal healthcare (not single payer though), and supports unions. He was the deciding votes ona lot of pro-union legislation. The Democrats have actually been using the homophobia card AGAINST him! It is shameful and I am totally supportive of him.

[rep the dems]

16. Kennedy, Feingold, Chafee,

Ron Wyden, and Mark Dayton.