Talk Elections

Yes (pro-discrimination far-right homophobe)

I've always supported it.

I've supported it since 2008.

I favored repeal of DOMA beginning in December 2009 though I can't say I was actively supporting it until mid-2011 or so. Yes regardless.

Anyway, what Democrat didn't come out in support of gay marriage before Hillary Clinton? If you exclude the handful of Dixiecrats left and maybe a couple of other weirdos, she was dead last.

Yes, it was probably around 2010 or so, whenever it became obvious that it was going to happen nationally.

I've supported it as long as I can remember. At least since 2000 when I had a friend come out of the closet as gay and then receive hellish treatment over it. I mean before that, I didn't know anything about it. I mean, that was about the time everyone started puberty and before that, I never even thought about it one way or another. My family didn't discuss it and I never saw it anywhere, so I didn't even really understand what gay was before puberty.

But seeing my friend treated badly because he was attracted to guys... I thought it was unjust. He'd get punched and pushed around and it wasn't right.

A SoS is traditionally supposed to stay out of domestic politics, so it made sense she would announce it after she left office. But yeah, it was SO cowardly of her to be a FULL YEAR behind Obama, who made the bravest stand ever. ::)

I assumed my mom's best friend and his boyfriend were married just like any couple as a 4 year old.  I was rather surprised to find out just how much society hated Rob and his boyfriend.  I was terrified and horrified when I realized that was me too.

I don't think I was ever against it. I believe I formulated an opinion about it c. 2002.

With as much as she's waffled on every issue, it's impossible to tell. I've never had a problem with gay marriage. I'm sure she's had problems with it when speaking to some crowds like in December 2002 when she dodged a question from Chris Matthews regarding "separate but equal" as his words. I know one thing, I supported faithful marriages before her husband did.

What is it?

Perhaps.

Hillary Clinton is older than me.

I don't know how long she has actually been supportive.

Yes (normal)

Probably since the late 1990s, which means before something like 90% of Democrats who support it now.

shua, I understand what you're going for here, but I think I can speak for all gays who aren't parody troll accounts here by saying that we recognize that people have to evolve on this issue, just as Obama and our family members have. While Hillary Clinton was unusually risk-averse, she's come around and become a strong advocate, and that's what matters now.

I voted for Hillary over Obama in 2008 in part because of Obama's reluctance on this issue—at least with Hillary, I knew I would get caution and cynicism. Obama has surprised me by embracing gay rights in his second term.

Unfortunately no. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=173998.0)

I supported it from the moment I spent any time thinking about the issue, which would have been when it first gained currency as an issue across the Fruited Plain, which would have been about the same time I guess as Brittain33.  From my teenage days really, I never understood the obsession about sexual preference (I mean I understood it, but found it irrational, and certainly not data based in any substantive way, as opposed to prejudice and fear based). Who should really care whom others are attracted to, if they are not hurting anybody?

When it first came up as a localized issue in Hawaii that was covered in the gay media such as The Advocate, which probably would have been around 1996, I did not instinctively accept it. It was too far out there of an idea for me even though I was out and in same-sex relationships. I thought it was asking for too much and not what "marriage" meant. I was still in college at the time.

By the time the focus shifted from the aborted case in Hawaii (1998) to the partially successful case in Vermont (2000), I'd progressed to accepting it, too. But I was very naive and did not consider that there would be a big backlash, that politicians and really the majority of Americans wouldn't just accept these cases but would fight back actively. I really thought Vermont should go for marriage rather than for civil unions because then anyone could get married in VT and bring it home with them!

:D
:( (for leaving us)

Weirdly, yes.

I honestly don't know.  I didn't fully accept that I was gay or firmly support gay marriage until I was about 20 (2007), and I'm guessing that Hillary privately supported gay marriage before she ran in 2008.

If the question is whether I supported it before Hillary Publicly endorsed it, then clearly yes.

About a year before her or so. Surprisingly I never had any friends come out as gay in school at any point. (We had gay kids, I just didn't happen to hang out with any of them) It was more that I came to a realization that my family's evangelical thoughts and values had dominated my life, and that some God who may or may not exist wasn't going to make me hate other people. It took me a couple of years after that to realize I really don't believe in God.

That is the case for most gays that I know personally, but I keep hearing from some corners that all those who oppose gay marriage are bigots. And that if you don't believe that those who oppose gay marriage are bigots who deserve to be punished, then you are a closet bigot yourself too. That is not what I would expect from those who recognize that this is a complicated issue for people they need to evolve on before they can embrace it.

I did indeed, and always have

Well, the Internet is dark and full of terrors, and you'll hear all kinds of generalizations from people age 18 to whatever which haven't been thought through. I think there's a full spectrum of people from the 90 year old who just doesn't get gay marriage but doesn't really care if it becomes legal to the very cynical political operative who thinks it's still 2004 and he can use opposing gay marriage to prop up a candidate, and obviously you can't paint everyone with the same brush.

Some people who oppose gay marriage are bigots, not because they oppose gay marriage, but because their opposing gay marriage is just one expression of their hatred of or disgust for gays which doesn't have a well-thought-out ethos behind it. I also think I don't have an obligation to be appreciative of people who oppose same-sex marriage to the point they try to deny us equal rights under the law, because it's their feelings vs. my rights, and they don't care what I think anyway.

We seem to have traveled in light speed from "gay marriage is unpopular, so gays who come out should bear the social consequences of flaunting their lifestyle" to "gay marriage is popular, so people who oppose it are special snowflakes deserving of everyone's respect and tolerance" and it makes my head spin. 

I have a rather relaxed attitude about it, because my team has so totally won, and now my party is wrestling among those who make a living off it, how to make a graceful exit, and get this issue out of the Pub agenda, before it takes them down. It's easier to be gracious and charitable in victory, than in defeat, no? Meanwhile, the latest contretemps out of Indiana saddens me, because it has made so much more difficult getting to an intelligent balance, and conversation, between expression of religious values, versus not discriminating against gays, including their tying the knot. I am really disappointed in Pence. I had no idea he was such a craven idiot. Sad.

It makes my head spin as well how soon we've gone from "gay rights don't threaten anyone else" to "you must conform or suffer the consequences." Do you have to be a "special snowflake" to deserve respect and tolerance?

I supported Gay Marriage before some of you were even born.  :)

()

Yes, but barely.  I probably started supporting in sometime around when President Obama did.

All that matters is if you support it now, and if you support it sincerely (and not because public opinion is now behind it).

Way before.

....yeah..

I've supported it since 2008.

I had a moderate hero 'civil unions for everyone' position in 2007, because I was a fedora-tipping atheist at that point.

Absolutely none of my beliefs were born out of anything to do with Hillary Clinton, but yes.

Still oppose and will oppose it. I'm rather honked off that they now think they can play the "do what we want or we'll get big bad government to force you to violate your own religious conscience card"

I've supported it since I quit hating myself over being gay.

And that's the way it should be. Segregation never would have ended if we put a religious exemption into the Civil Srights Act of 1964, as the religious right can drive a Mack truck through any sized loophole. Discrimination should be illegal and screaming " Religious freedom!" doesn't get you a free pass.

I became aware of gay marriage as a concept in 2000, and never saw any reason not to support it.

I've supported it since 2003 when I joined the Gay Straight Alliance in ninth grade, equal rights always just struck me as a no-brainer.

Gay marriage is America. If that doesn't suit you, there are around 200 other countries you could live in.

I recommend Russia.

I started supporting civil unions around the same time.  I don't mind doma being gone, since we the people should decide to follow or go against god's commandments through our state legislatures and state constitutions, we shouldn't make our elected officials in Washington (or activist judges) make the decision for us.

I will never support same sex marriage unless I am convinced that scripture endorses it, and even then I may still have doubts about whether Children are truly raised equally well in same sex marriage homes as opposed to traditional marriage homes, though I will admit I have less doubts about that than I did years ago.

How do you support civil unions but not gay marriage by this logic?

I support civil unions because there are legitimate adoption needs and almost any home is better than the average orphanage. We show it has a lesser status under God by not calling it a marriage and denying a few marriage benefits. I don't support gay marriage primarily based on my Christian faith, but I'd be less bothered by it if it was we the people doing it and not we the activist judges doing it.

Ever since it became a major issue in 2003.

Even her totally 3rd-way husband beat her.

OK, this is in complete direct contradiction with the argument you made in our prior discussion, which is that you cannot incentivize anything you think is sinful, and in fact would even go as far as to ban the practice of religions you disagree with.  Now, you are indicating that you are fine with incentivizing something you think is sinful, because it has obvious positive benefits...despite the fact that, again, this is in direct contradiction to your previous argument.  You're apparently OK with incentivizing sin so long as its "lesser status under God" is signified through "denying a few marriage benefits" and lesser nominal recognition.  (?!?!)

In one case you support government prohibition of non-Christian behavior; in another you support incentivizing non-Christian behavior, so long as the government notes it's inferior.  It's hard to explain how logically baffling this is.  It's like if someone expressed a hardline pro-life position, and then was like, "eh, I'm willing to support publicly-funded abortions, as long as there's a $50 copay and we call them 'Satan's appendectomies.'"  That's not even a particularly hyperbolic analogy!  It's apt!  Your reasoning is that weird!

Be honest, dude: do you really think your argument on gay rights issues is coherent and cohesive?

I've supported it ever since I first formulated political opinions back around 2003 or so.

I didnt support it until Oct 2013(Until I was like a Junior in high school) and still dont personally approve it but its their choice and the governement shoudnt have the right to dictate on who gets married or not.

I was maid of honor at a lesbian wedding in 1992.

I don't really know, since I never really bought into the anti-gay marriage views that a lot of Democrats have had in the past. I think for many that it was a political stance rather than an actual personal opposition. Just like President Obama, I think her public opposition was a political stance and that she actually has been supportive of marriage equality for quite some time now.

As for her public view, yes, I was supportive of gay marriage before her. I don't know really know that there's one day where I shifted in support. When the issue really came into focus in 2004, I was in favour of the moderate compromise of civil unions. I wasn't really in favour of or opposed to gay marriage. However, I was very much opposed to the constitutional marriage bans that were being pushed through at that point. Basically, I thought the issue needed to evolve through the political process. Sometime after that was when I truly became supportive of gay marriage (maybe 2005 or 2006). I was quite happy to see the California Supreme Court rule in favour of marriage equality in 2008. It wasn't until Prop 8 passed that the issue became one of high importance to me. That result still remains one of the most shocking to me and also one of the most disappointing and disturbing.

^^ Yo, Wulfric?

I've supported it as long as I've known what it was.

I've never been against gay marriage, although I have changed my opinion on the "states' rights" aspect of the argument (in favor to against), and whether civil unions are "good enough" (yes to no).