Gay Rights

Bush Pollster: GOP Must Evolve On Gay Rights

Sahil Kapur | May 13, 2012, 10:50AM

Carsten Reisinger/ Shutterstock

Republicans must evolve on gay rights or risk political extinction, a top GOP pollster warns leading establishment figures in a revealing new memo.

Jan van Lohuizen, who polled for President George W. Bush in 2004, finds that support for gay rights -- including same sex marriage -- is rising at an accelerated pace among members of all political affiliations. He calls on Republicans to acknowledge the shift in the way they talk about the issue.

The memo, reported by various news outlets, recommends that Republicans express their support for "equality under the law as a fundamental principle" because "freedom means freedom for everyone."

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Gay Marriage

Obama Administration Wouldn't Defend Blocking Military Benefits From Same-Sex Couples

Ryan J. Reilly | February 17, 2012, 3:39PM

The Obama Justice Department has concluded that legislation banning same-sex couples from receiving military and veterans benefits violates the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment and will no longer defend the statute in court, Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a letter to Congressional leaders on Friday.

"The legislative record of these provisions contains no rationale for providing veterans' benefits to opposite-sex couples of veterans but not to legally married same-sex spouses of veterans," Holder wrote. "Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Veterans Affairs identified any justifications for that distinction that would warrant treating these provisions differently from Section 3 of DOMA."

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Gay Rights

Tolerance Wave? Multiple Polls In Red and Purple States Show Support For Gay Rights

Kyle Leighton | August 23, 2011, 6:25AM

Pro Same-Sex Marriage Parade, Maplewood, NJ

As gay rights advocates have made gains over the last few years, the public seems to be moving in the same direction. Friday saw the release of a new poll sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Citizens for Equal Protection showing citizens deep in the middle of conservative America - in Nebraska - are solidly for non-discrimination protections for members of the gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, even if the current state laws are not. 73 percent of Nebraskans surveyed support protecting LGBT people from discrimination in employment, protections which currently don't exist there.

The survey comes as Public Policy Polling (D) has been polling a diversity of states on the question of gay marriage and civil unions. Those polls have shown that some version of recognition for same sex couples is popular: even in the most Republican state in the union, Utah, 60 percent supported either gay marriage or civil unions, a trend also reflected in a separate HRC polling of the state.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: I Don't 'Judge' Gays, Everyone Has 'Dignity' And 'Honor'

David Taintor | August 14, 2011, 2:35PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Fresh off her win at the Iowa straw poll, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) on Sunday launched a media blitz on the morning talk shows.

For the most part, Bachmann stayed on message, calling for the repeal of "Obamacare" and reigning in government spending. But an interesting moment came when Meet The Press host David Gregory challenged Bachmann's position on homosexuality.

It's no secret Bachmann isn't the biggest fan of gays. But when Gregory played a clip of Bachmann saying homosexuality leads to "personal enslavement" and "bondage," she responded simply by saying "I am running for the presidency of the United States."

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Gay Marriage

Michele Bachmann Attends Anti-Gay Sermon in Iowa

August 8, 2011, 11:49AM

Michele Bachmann spoke at a church service in Iowa on Sunday that featured a separate sermon about "immoral" gays as well as a video presentation promoting gay conversion therapy.

"We inherently know that homosexual behavior is immoral and unnatural," Pastor Jeff Mullen told churchgoers during a half-hour presentation, according to NBC. Afterward he played a recorded testimonial from a man who claimed to have been cured of his homosexual urges through the power of prayer and is now married with an expecting wife "I am so happy God has given me natural affection for a woman," he says in the video.

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Iowa caucus

Santorum Denounces 'Super-Right' Of 'Sexual Liberty,' And The 'Pursuit Of Pleasure'

Eric Kleefeld | August 5, 2011, 2:27PM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum is continuing his staunch opposition to gay rights -- warning that courts have created a "super-right" to sex, which overrides the constitutional right of religious freedom.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register's editorial board, Santorum claimed that same-sex marriage was a threat to religious liberty, alleging for example that government could threaten the licenses of marriage counselors who don't treat gay couples.

"Religious liberty is now trumped because we have now created a super-right," said Santorum. "We have a right [in] the Constitution of religious liberty but now the courts have created a super-right that's above a right that's actually in the Constitution, and that's of sexual liberty. And I think that's a wrong, that's a destructive element."

Also, the paper reports: "Santorum says if 'pursuit of happiness' means 'pursuit of pleasure,' we won't be a country very long."

2012

VIDEO: Pawlenty Not Sure If Gays Were Born This Way

Benjy Sarlin | July 10, 2011, 1:44PM

Tim Pawlenty and Lady Gaga

Jumping off Tim Pawlenty's professed admiration for Lady Gaga's gay anthem "Born This Way," NBC's David Gregory asked the presidential candidate if he thought gays were, in fact, born into their orientation. According to Pawlenty, the answer is above his pay grade.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet the 2012 GOPers: Tim Pawlenty]

Pawlenty told Gregory on Meet The Press that when it came to whether homosexuality was a choice or an innate part of a person's character, "the science in that regard is in dispute" and that it was unclear whether it was "behavioral or partly genetic."

"There's no scientific conclusion that it's genetic," he said. "We don't know that. So we don't know to what extent, you know, it's behavioral and-- that's something that's been debated by scientists for a long time. But as I understand the science, there's no current conclusion that it's genetic."

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Michael Bloomberg

Wedding Bells Will Ring on July 24 in New York City

Megan Reback | July 8, 2011, 1:12PM

New York City will open its clerk's offices on Sunday, July 24, to allow same-sex couples to wed on the first day the state's gay marriage bill goes into effect, officials said this week. Although clerk's offices in the five boroughs are normally closed on weekends, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that for this momentous occasion, they will open.

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Gay Marriage

Rudy Giuliani Breaks His Gay Wedding Vows

Benjy Sarlin | June 29, 2011, 10:53AM

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R)

After promising a close friend he would officiate his same-sex wedding, Rudy Giuliani is reportedly dodging efforts to hold him to his word in the wake of New York's landmark gay marriage law.

"I asked if he would marry us," Howard Koeppel, who put Giuliani up in his home during a tough divorce with then-wife Donna Hanover, told the New York Post. "He said, 'Howard, I don't ever do anything that's not legal. If it becomes legal in New York, you'll be one of the first ones I would marry.'"

Well, it's legal now. And Koeppel is eager to have the state recognize his marriage to his longtime partner. But he says Giuliani is no longer returning his calls and his spokesman isn't responding to the Post's requests for comment.

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Netroots Nation

Netroots Challenge White House Spokesman on Gay Rights

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 17, 2011, 10:14AM

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer

MINNEAPOLIS -- Here's how Netroots works: Just about everyone here plans on voting for President Obama next year, and more than a few of them will work on his behalf, too. But you don't come here to talk about how great the White House is -- you come here to talk about how disappointed you are in the team that's running it.

On Friday morning, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer came to Minneapolis to face the music. In an hour-long grilling session led by DailyKos blogger Kaili Joy Gray, Pfeiffer took tough questions about tax cuts, the health care plan, the environment, the general ineffectiveness of Congress, Afghanistan, Libya and progressives' number one beef, Obama's compromising nature.

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Herman Cain

Herman Cain: 'I Believe Homosexuality Is A Sin' (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 9, 2011, 10:42AM

Herman Cain

Fresh off his keynote speech at the Faith And Freedom Conference in Washington last weekend, Herman Cain took a socially conservative hardline stance on sexual orientation in an interview with CBS News.

"I believe homosexuality is a sin because I'm a Bible-believing Christian, I believe it's a sin," Cain said, adding, "I believe it is a choice."

This puts Cain right in the sweet spot for evangelical voters, but perhaps on the wrong side of the American electorate.

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Same Sex Marriage

For First Time Ever, Gallup Finds Majority Support Same Sex Marriage

Jon Terbush | May 20, 2011, 11:11AM

In a historic shift, a Gallup poll released Friday morning finds that for the first time, a majority of Americans suport legalizing same sex marriage.

That result reinforces a trove of recent polls that have produced similar findings, and it furthers a trend of Americans gradually becoming more accepting of legal recognition for same sex couples. It comes as Republicans are taking legal action over the Obama administration's decision to no longer defend parts of the Defense of Marriage Act on grounds of constitutionality.

In the poll, 53% of Americans said they supported same sex marriage, compared to 45% who said they did not. That's almost exactly the opposite of what Gallup found last year, when 53% of Americans opposed same sex marriage, while 44% supported it.

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Gay Marriage

Behind A Major Law Firm's Decision To Ditch Its Defense Of DOMA

Brian Beutler | April 25, 2011, 5:33PM

When the Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding announced on April 18 that it would represent the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, it apparently didn't realize what a mess it had made for itself.

Exactly one week later, the firm reversed its decision, prompting a high-profile partner -- former Solicitor General Paul Clement -- to resign publicly, and House Speaker John Boehner's staff to issue a statement criticizing the firm for "its careless disregard for its responsibilities to the House in this constitutional matter."

As public relations debacles go, this was a doozy. But the firm must have calculated that the alternative would have been worse. In the intervening week, a series of public and behind-the-scenes developments made it clear that the firm would suffer recriminations for defending what many of its top clients and future recruits -- not to mention gay rights advocates -- consider to be an anti-gay law.

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Gay Marriage

Poll: Majority Supports Legal Recognition For Same-Sex Marriage

Jon Terbush | April 19, 2011, 1:16PM

As Republicans and President Obama square off over the Defense of Marriage Act, a new CNN poll shows that a small majority of Americans now support legal recognition for same sex marriages.

In the poll, 51% of adult Americans said they thought same sex marriages should be recognized by law, while 47% said they should not. That's a significant reversal from the same poll two years ago when Americans opposed same sex marriage by a 10-point spread, with 44% in favor and 54% against.

It's the second time in as many months that a pollster has for the first time found majority support for legalizing same sex marriage. In March, a Washington Post/ABC News poll showed that 53% of adults supported legalizing same sex marriage, while 44% opposed it.

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Gay Marriage

For The First Time, Majority Of Americans Support Gay Marriage

Jon Terbush | March 18, 2011, 9:53AM

In another sign of Americans' rapidly changing attitudes toward gay rights, a new ABC News/Washington Post survey released today finds that, for the first time in a decade of polling, a majority of Americans now support same sex marriage.

That finding comes just weeks after the Obama administration announced that it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act -- the law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing same sex marriages performed in states where they are legal -- in court. And it adds weight to the reinvigorated efforts of pro-gay-rights Democrats who, for the first time, see the issue as a political winner.

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Gay Rights

DOMA Fight Seen As Turning Point in Politics of Gay Rights

Benjy Sarlin | March 17, 2011, 10:27AM

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

In what is perhaps a watershed moment in the long fight for gay rights, the current battle over the Defense of Marriage Act is being waged with at least tacit acknowledgment from all sides that it is a political winner for pro-gay-rights Democrats.

In the wake of President Obama's decision to drop support for portions of the Defense of Marriage Act, gay rights advocates have been unabashed in claiming that beyond the merits of their underlying argument they now have the political advantage as well. Not only does public opinion polling suggest they're right, but the reaction of gay rights opponents does, too.

On Wednesday, House and Senate Democrats held separate press conferences announcing the introduction of legislation to repeal DOMA. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), one of the sponsors of the House bill, was asked whether Democrats were politicizing gay rights as a wedge issue against the GOP, as Majority Leader Eric Cantor alleged last month.

"What do I say to the idea that this is a wedge issue? I say 'Hallelujah,'" Frank told reporters. "The fact that we've now evolved to the point where the Republicans are complaining about the fact that we introduced this bill because it causes them political problems is a great sign of progress. It used to be the other way around."

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DOMA

Dem Poll: Majority Oppose Defense of Marriage Act, Support Obama Position

Benjy Sarlin | March 15, 2011, 3:01PM

House Republican leaders are mounting their own legal defense of the Defense of Marriage Act following President Obama's decision to drop support for portions of the bill, slamming the White House for abandoning legislation that passed with overwhelming support under President Clinton. But according to one poll commissioned by a gay rights group, the Human Rights Campaign, the White House is on the right side of public opinion today.

According to the poll, which was conducted by Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Americans oppose DOMA 51%-34%, including a similar 52%-34% split among independents. A similar proportion disagree with the Republican decision to defend the law, 54% to 32%.

DOMA prevents the federal government from recognizing gay marriage in states where it is legal, a provision of the law the Department of Justice says is unconstitutional.

DOMA

Boehner: House Will Intervene To Defend DOMA

Brian Beutler | March 9, 2011, 6:06PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

In a statement Wednesday night, House Speaker John Boehner officially announced his intent for the House to intervene as a third party defendant in court cases challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act.

"Today, after consultation with the Bipartisan Leadership Advisory Group, the House General Counsel has been directed to initiate a legal defense of this law," Boehner said in the statement. "This action by the House will ensure that this law's constitutionality is decided by the courts, rather than by the President unilaterally."

In a letter to Boehner announcing the administration's decision not to defend the law in court, Holder nudged at the idea that Boehner could step in and do it himself. Not that they want the law to prevail in court, of course, but because they're perfectly happy for a GOP leader to become the face of what has become an unpopular cause.

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112th Congress

Boehner Moves To Defend DOMA In Court

Benjy Sarlin | March 4, 2011, 4:13PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and other members of the GOP leadership

House Speaker John Boehner announced plans Friday afternoon to defend the Defense of Marriage Act on behalf of Congress, filling the legal void left by the White House's decision to drop its support for portions of the law.

"I will convene a meeting of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group for the purpose of initiating action by the House to defend this law of the United States, which was enacted by a bipartisan vote in Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton," Boehner said in a statement. "It is regrettable that the Obama Administration has opened this divisive issue at a time when Americans want their leaders to focus on jobs and the challenges facing our economy. The constitutionality of this law should be determined by the courts -- not by the president unilaterally -- and this action by the House will ensure the matter is addressed in a manner consistent with our Constitution."

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Gay Marriage

Pew Poll: Americans Now Evenly Split On Legalizing Gay Marriage

Jon Terbush | March 3, 2011, 4:27PM

A new Pew poll shows adult Americans evenly split over whether gays and lesbians should be legally allowed to marry -- and there's a clear trend of Americans' views becoming increasingly favorable toward the ssue over the past few years.

That finding comes just weeks after the Obama administration announced it would no longer defend key elements of the Defense of Marriage Act -- the federal law that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman -- in court. And it also shows that Republicans may not have an upper hand in next years' presidential election if they try to thrust social issues to the forefront of the debate.

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Defense of Marriage Act

Huckabee Slams Obama On DOMA, Implies Link Between Gay Marriage And Broken Homes

Brian Beutler | February 23, 2011, 4:47PM

Fmr. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R)

Likely Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee mauled President Obama's decision to halt the Justice Department's legal defenses of DOMA at a roundtable lunch with reporters on Wednesday. In defense of his position, he claimed a public mandate for the controversial Clinton-era law, and linked same sex marriage to the failure of heterosexual marriages.

"I'm deeply disappointed," Huckabee said. "They are clearly out of sync with the public."

Huckabee noted that 33 states have affirmed, via ballot initiatives, that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

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112th Congress

Dem Rep. Polis: WH DOMA Decision Should Remove Marriage As Federal Issue

Benjy Sarlin | February 23, 2011, 3:59PM

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO)

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), one of the House's leading gay rights advocates, told TPM that he was "thrilled" by the White House's decision to drop its legal support for the Defense of Marriage Act.

"It's a big deal," he said over the phone. "I'm just thrilled they came to this conclusion sooner rather than later. I think that any sound legal analysis will come to the same conclusion and any defense of this law is a break with precedent, with tradition, and an overreach of power by the federal government."

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Barney Frank

Barney Frank: White House Move On DOMA Is A Political Winner

Benjy Sarlin | February 23, 2011, 1:40PM

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) couldn't be more excited to see the White House come around on the Defense of Marriage Act, which he said was the right move legally and politically.

"It's great news," Frank, who is openly gay, told TPM over the phone. "Particularly after DADT repeal, this is a further expression of his commitment to doing away with discrimination."

The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it would no longer defend parts of DOMA that restrict the federal government from recognizing gay marriages in states where such unions are legal.

Frank said he recommended to White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley in a meeting last week that the Administration drop its support for DOMA.

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Bryan Fischer

AFA: DOMA Decision a "Wake-Up Call" for Conservatives

Benjy Sarlin | February 23, 2011, 1:09PM

Conservative Radio Host Bryan Fischer

The American Family Association, which led an effort to boycott the conservative gathering CPAC this month over its inclusion of groups backing gay rights, is hoping the White House's decision to back off its legal support for the Defense of Marriage Act will help bolster momentum for social issues in the GOP.

"I think it's a clear sign that we simply cannot avoid engaging on the social issues," Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for the group, told TPM. "Mitch Daniels has called for a truce on social issues and that would be fine if the homosexual lobby was willing to lay down arms, but they're obviously not and this proves it. A truce is nothing more than a surrender."

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CPAC

GOProud Co-Founder: Tony Perkins "Demonizes Gay People" (VIDEO)

Andrew Jones | February 9, 2011, 4:05PM

Family Council Research President Tony Perkins and GOProud Co-Founder & Chair Christopher Barron

The 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference hasn't begun yet, and it's already producing fireworks.

Those fireworks took the form of a segment earlier today on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports in which GOProud co-founder & chair Christopher Barron hammered Family Council Research (FRC) President Tony Perkins for not only misrepresenting his group's agenda, but for also being anti-gay.

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RNC

As Nation Shifts Toward Gay Rights, RNC Candidates Promise To Stay Put

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 4, 2011, 8:07AM

Reince Priebus and Michael Steele

The past year saw great strides forward for supporters of gay rights, culminating in the repeal in December of the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian service members. Polls continue to show the American public is warming to gay rights, from overwhelmingly supporting the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell to rising support for legalized gay marriage at the federal level.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: It's Over: Senate Repeals Don't Ask, Don't Tell]

It seems increasingly clear that embracing some changes in the way gays and lesbians interact with society will be necessary for political viability in the future. That is, unless you're running to be the next chair of the Republican National Committee. At their debate yesterday, the major candidates running to lead the RNC through the 2012 presidential race pledged to hold the line on gay rights, expressing concern over the repeal of DADT and vowing to keep the Republican Party in the sanctity of marriage business.

Though Republicans may be less willing overall to embrace gay rights than other groups, the party by no means speaks with one voice on the topic. The DADT repeal vote in the Congress carried a few Republican votes with it, and a handful of well-known Republicans have expressed their support for gay marriage as well.

But that's not how the candidates for RNC chair see it. At the debate yesterday, they spoke with basically one voice and said support for gay marriage does not have a place in the modern GOP.

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Gay Rights

Obama: DOMA Should Be Repealed, Lawyers Looking At 'Range Of Options'

Rachel Slajda | December 22, 2010, 11:10AM

President Obama signs a bill repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

President Obama, although he still supports civil unions over same-sex marriage, said yesterday that he believes the Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.

"Repealing DOMA, getting ENDA [a bill to protect LGBT people from discrimination] done, those are things that should be done," Obama told The Advocate the night before signing Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal into law. "I think those are natural next steps legislatively. I'll be frank with you, I think that's not going to get done in two years. We're on a three- or four-year time frame unless there's a real transformation of attitudes within the Republican caucus."

The federal Defense of Marriage Act, which was passed in 1996, defines marriage as strictly heterosexual. It's currently facing multiple legal challenges, including two cases from Massachusetts in which a federal judge already ruled that part of the law is unconstitutional. Obama's Justice Department is defending DOMA.

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Barack Obama

Obama Signs DADT Repeal Into Law

Rachel Slajda | December 22, 2010, 9:34AM

President Obama this morning signed into law the bill repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

"I am just overwhelmed," Obama said as he took the stage among chants of "Yes we can!" and whoops from the audience. "This is a very good day."

"No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military, regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay," he said. "No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie."

Obama was joined on stage by Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, Sens. Joe Lieberman, Susan Collins and Harry Reid and Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Patrick Murphy, an Iraq War veteran who had pushed for DADT repeal.

"In the coming days, we will begin the process laid out by this law," Obama said, adding that repeal will not go into effect immediately. "It is very important that servicemembers remember that."

He spoke directly to gay soldiers, and said he hoped those discharged under DADT will re-enlist once it is fully repealed.

"There will never be a full accounting of the heroism demonstrated by gay Americans in service to this country," he said. "As the first generation to serve openly in our armed services, you will stand for all those who came before you, and you will serve as role models for all those who will come after you."

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

President Obama To Sign Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal This Morning

Rachel Slajda | December 22, 2010, 8:30AM

Marines aboard the USS Blue Ridge

President Obama is scheduled to sign a bill repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, at 9:15 a.m. ET today.

The bill, which was passed by the House last Wednesday and the Senate on Saturday, was certified by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday in a ceremony that was attended by hundreds of supporters, including gay servicemembers.

The new law will, eventually, end the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers. The policy will be repealed 60 days after Obama, Defense Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen all certify that the military is ready for repeal. That won't happen until the military completes its implementation plan, which includes extensive training and education for all branches of the armed forces.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Senate Repeals Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 18, 2010, 3:30PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

With just a signature from President Obama, a ban on openly gay servicemembers will no longer be the law of the land.

By a vote of 65 to 31 this afternoon, the Senate voted to repeal the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Republican Senators Scott Brown, Richard Burr, Susan Collins, John Ensign, Mark Kirk, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe and George Voinovich joined Democrats in the final vote to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Burr and Ensign did not vote with the Democrats earlier in the day when the GOP filibuster was broken, but signed on for the final vote.

As with almost everything in the Senate these days, the vote for something is a lot less newsworthy than the vote to consider voting for something. Thus, the real fight was over whether repeal proponents could gather the required 60 votes to break a GOP filibuster, end debate and hold a final vote. They did that -- led by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) -- and repeal moved ahead earlier today.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: It's Over: Senate Repeals Don't Ask, Don't Tell]

What followed was some inside baseball procedural stuff that meant the normal 30 hours of debate provided to a bill was cut off in favor of today's fast-moving action. It's all quite anticlimactic to the drama fans, but for the proponents of DADT repeal, this afternoon's vote is the one that really matters.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Advances In Senate -- Final Vote Likely This Weekend

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 18, 2010, 11:52AM

The Senate took a big step toward ending the military's ban on openly gay servicemembers today. By a vote of 63 to 33, the Senate voted to end debate on a bill repealing the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, opening the door for a final Senate vote on the standalone repeal bill passed by the House Tuesday. That means a simple majority of 51 Senators can now bring the legislative fight on repealing DADT to an end. That vote is expected to come -- and expected to succeed -- by the end of the weekend.

(UPDATE: The final vote is now scheduled for 3 p.m. today).

Voting with the majority of Democrats were Republicans Scott Brown (MA), Mark Kirk (IL) George Voinovich (OH), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME), and Olympia Snowe (ME). Jim Bunning (R-KY), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) were absent.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: It's Over: Senate Repeals Don't Ask, Don't Tell]

The vote will likely be seen as a major political victory for President Obama, who pushed repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell on the campaign trail and set a year-long timetable for a legislative repeal of the policy in his State Of The Union back in January. It appears he's about to get his wish.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Poll: 67% Of Americans Support Gays Serving Openly In The Military

Marc Kilstein | December 8, 2010, 11:49AM

While a growing number of Democrats are pushing to keep the Senate in session longer than planned in order to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," one thing appears clear -- the majority of Americans are fine with allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces.

Following a number of November polls that all showed a majority of respondents supporting the repeal of DADT, a newly released Gallup poll finds 67% of respondents in support of "a law that would allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military." Only 28% indicated they would oppose such a law.

When Gallup conducted a survey to determine what Americans deemed to be the top priority for Congress to address during its lame-duck session, 32% of respondents expressed that it is "very important" to resolve the issue of gays serving openly in the military before year's end.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Navy sailors that despite the push from him and other Pentagon leaders, the ban on openly gay servicemembers is likely to continue into next year.

The margin of error for the latest survey is ±4.0 percentage points.

Gays in the military

Poll: Majority Of Americans Support Gays Serving Openly In Military, Tea Party Largely Opposed

Marc Kilstein | November 29, 2010, 4:54PM

DADT protestors in Washington, DC

According to a newly released Pew Research Center survey, 58% of Americans are in favor of allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. Among those "who agree with the Tea Party," however, only 38% share the sentiment.

Over the last few years, public opinion on the issue has changed very little-- considering Pew's surveys on the question since 2005, "roughly 60% have consistently favored permitting homosexuals to serve openly in the military." Only 27% of the latest survey's respondents oppose allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve.

While a majority of self-identified Democrats (70%) and independents (62%) are in support of allowing gays to serve openly in the military, Republicans are divided-- the survey finds 40% in favor, while 44% are in opposition. Republican respondents split once more when those who "agree with the Tea Party" are considered distinctly from those "who disagree with the Tea Party." Only 38% of Republicans and Republican leaners who agree with the movement support allowing gays to serve openly, while 48% are opposed. A majority (52%) of Republicans and Republican leaners who disagree with the Tea Party (or have no opinion of the movement) support allowing gays to openly serve in the armed forces.

Pew's findings echo a mid-November Quinnipiac poll that found 58% of respondents favoring a repeal of "Dont Ask, Don't Tell," a law prohibiting gay men and women from serving openly in the military. A more recent November 18 McClatchy-Marist survey suggested a narrower opinion gap: 47% of registered voters said DADT should be repealed, while 48% suggested the law should remain in place. In that survey, 30% of Tea Partiers favored repeal, while 66% opposed it.

Though the issue of gays in the military remains in the public eye, a recent Gallup survey suggests it is not a top priority for Americans-- only 32% of survey respondents indicated it was a "very important" issue to address during Congress's lame-duck session. The estate tax was found to be the issue of greatest concern to respondents, as 56% indicated it was a very important issue.

The margin of error for Pew's latest survey is ±3.5 percentage points.

Lame duck sesion

Poll: Americans See Tax Issues As Top Priority For Lame-Duck Congress

Marc Kilstein | November 23, 2010, 3:37PM

Above all else, Americans are hoping for the lame-duck Congress to sort out some tax issues, according to a newly released USA Today/Gallup poll.

The latest survey asked respondents to rate the importance of six different issues that are being considered by Congress during its lame-duck session. The issues were:

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Quinnipiac Poll: 58% Of Americans Support Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Marc Kilstein | November 18, 2010, 10:35AM

Lt. Dan Choi at a protest against Don't Ask, Don't Tell

On the heels of an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll suggesting an increase in support for gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, a new Quinnipiac poll finds 58% of respondents favoring a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

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Gays in the military

Poll: 'Sea Change' In Support For Gays In The Military

David Taintor | November 18, 2010, 8:30AM

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday shows increasing support for gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

The survey finds that 50% of Americans support allowing gays to serve openly in the military, up from 40% a decade ago. Thirty-eight percent of respondents favor gays serving under the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" guidelines, and only 10% don't want to allow gays in the military at all.

Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart and Republican Bill McInturff conducted the poll.

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Joe Miller

Miller To Maddow On Gay Marriage: 'I Want To Be Straight With You' (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | October 26, 2010, 10:44PM

Republican candidate for US Senate in Alaska Joe Miller

Joe Miller has been known for giving the press the runaround and, in his interview today with Rachel Maddow, he took that rather literally. The approximately five-minute interview took place as Miller was walking from a roof, down to his car, with Maddow peppering him with questions about same sex marriage as they walked.

Maddow asked him if he'd support a constitutional ban on same sex marriage. "That's up to the people," Miller said. "If you get a three quarters vote ratifying -- I'd vote for it."

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Sean Bielat

Barney Frank's Opponent Compares Gay People To Short People

Brian Beutler | October 25, 2010, 9:37AM

Barney Frank's Republican House challenger Sean Bielat argued this weekend that gay people should be as accepting of the fact that they can't serve in the military -- since people under 5'2" tall are also prohibited.

"There's no absolute right to serve. Men under the height of 5 feet, 2 inches can't serve -- I don't see anybody protesting," Bielat said, according to the Boston Herald. "Where are the people standing in front of the White House, the short guys standing in front of the White House? You don't see it."

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Joe Miller

Joe Miller Consultant Is Anti-Gay Christian Activist

Brian Beutler | October 22, 2010, 4:39PM

Candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller (R-AK)

David Corn at Mother Jones keys in to Alaska Republican Joe Miller's views on gay rights issues. Miller himself keeps pretty mum on the subject, though in a letter to voters he defended a pastor who claimed that "homosexuality is a sin, and therefore immoral."

But whatever his views, he paid $2,500, for consulting services unknown, to a veteran anti-gay activist named Terry Moffitt, who runs a project called Hope for Homosexuals.

Moffitt of the school of thought that homosexuality is a sickness that can be cured. Quoth Corn:

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NC-SEN

NC-SEN Candidates Sum Up The Dem vs. GOP Debate Over LGBT Rights (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 22, 2010, 12:42PM

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)

In 2010, the debate over gay rights, while a major issue for many groups, has not played a central role in the political debate surrounding most midterm elections. This is partially due to the economy taking center stage, and partially due to the fact that American society is just kind of over the whole thing, and is more tolerant of the LGBT community than ever before.

Yet on the campaign trail, the divisions over Don't Ask Don't Tell and other gay rights causes can still run very deep between the two parties -- creating a clear distinction that popped up last night in a debate between the two nominees running for Senate in North Carolina.

The exchange between Sen. Richard Burr (R) and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (D) isn't likely to change the election's outcome -- polls show Burr with a big lead, and most observers expect him to cruise to reelection this fall.

But the debate offered one of the clearest views of the differences between Republicans and Democrats over LGBT rights found this year. Marshall called DADT "governmental discrimination," equal to "judging people by the color of their hair, the color of their eyes, or the color of their skin, or other factors they have no control over."

Burr said he had no idea whether homosexuality is a choice or biological and bristled at the idea that the battle for racial Civil Rights is equatable to granting LGBT rights.

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