News

Log Cabin Republicans Respond to 'New' Anti-Family Constitutional Amendment

Call on Senator Allard to Co-sponsor Legislation to Extend Benefits and Privileges He Claims to Support

March 22, 2004

(Washington, DC) – Log Cabin Republicans respond to the so-called "new" anti-family Constitutional amendment unveiled on Monday. "Log Cabin Republicans and the majority of Americans oppose any attempt to write discrimination into the Constitution. This is a weak attempt to sugarcoat a discriminatory amendment," said Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Patrick Guerriero.

"Log Cabin's position has not changed. The far right should leave our sacred Constitution alone. Today the far right is trying to figure out the most politically palatable way to write discrimination into the Constitution. There is no way to do so. You can't disguise discrimination. Their strategy has changed, their motives have not," continued Guerriero.

Leading far right news organizations, including Pat Robertson's CBN News, report many on the far right support an amendment explicitly banning civil unions. Because the call to amend the Constitution has been weakly received, far right groups will try to push through this "new" amendment and then fight civil unions and domestic partner benefits in the courts and legislatures in the states where such laws have already been passed and might be passed by future majorities.

In announcing the most recent changes and attempting to soften the image of those associated with this amendment, Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) said, in referring to gay Americans, "I'm an American, they're Americans. I think they are entitled to the same benefits and privileges as any American..." In response to Senator Allard, Guerriero said, "We agree with Senator Allard and we call on Congresswoman Musgrave and Senator Allard to live up to those words by co-sponsoring legislation, with us, that would extend the same benefits and privileges that he spoke of by creating domestic partner benefits for all federal employees and to co-sponsor legislation that would create federal civil unions."