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In a welcome development, Elizabeth Warren, the leading Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, has posted a strong statement of support for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Under the banner “Protecting and Promoting Equality” she writes:
I’ve had the chance to say it in living rooms and school auditoriums, but I’m glad to have the chance to say it here: No one – no one – should be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or religion.
I’m deeply proud to be from Massachusetts because the Commonwealth has been the nation’s leader in protecting and promoting equality – from marriage equality to the recently passed Transgender Equal Rights Bill. Congress and the President have also recently taken historic steps forward in promoting the cause of fairness and equality: the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hates Crimes Prevention Act and – after years of effort – the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
We’ve made extraordinary progress, but there is still much to do.
Warren goes on to state specific support for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, passage of a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the provision of support for anti-bullying efforts in schools.
Stating that “We’re all in this together“, Warren places the LGBT issues she’s addressing in a larger societal context. For example, in calling for the repeal of DOMA she speaks of fairness and equality being important to “our families“. She sets the ENDA discussion within the larger framework of jobs and the economy, saying “Particularly in these uncertain times, people must have confidence that they will be judged on the merits“. Of bullying she states “After college, I taught elementary school and saw first hand how important it is for kids to learn in a safe and welcoming environment. …All children – straight, questioning, perceived, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender – can thrive in school only when they are truly safe and secure.”
As someone who pressured the Elizabeth Warren campaign publicly for this, I’m quite pleased. Warren’s thoughtful framing indicates to me that she isn’t just issuing a pro-forma statement, she’s really on board. What do you think? Click over to Blue Mass Group to read the whole statement and decide for yourself.
Cross-posted at Blue Mass Group.
9 Comments
I think that post Obama all politicians are tarred with a “once bitten twice shy” caution or reservation about the truthfulness of their statements on any issue. Show me don’t tell me. I want to trust her but…
Considering Warren herself has been thrown under the bus by Obama (it’s why she’s running for Senator instead of running the very agency she made possible), your concern is understandable.
The thing about Warren is that she has a laserlike focus on issues of financial misdeeds and income inequality. If you look at the Priorities page of her website, that’s abundantly clear: Nothing on reproductive freedom, constitutional-rights issues, the environment, or LGBT issues. But as her statement today makes clear, just because she doesn’t have them on her Priorities page doesn’t mean she’s on the wrong side of these issues.
Trust but verify. Don’t know if She was thrown under the bus or asked to go after Brown. Still could be an Obamabot.
AT the risk of beating a dead horse…
“Our number one responsibility is to protect Americans from terrorism, that’s our job, so being tough on terrorism is enormously important,” said Warren yesterday at a campaign stop in Gloucester.
“We should take nothing off the table, but the facts are still emerging,” the Senate candidate said when asked if she would support military action against Iran.
Color me skeptical about her progressive chops.
New reality of politics…In order to get elected you have to say these things and in order to stay elected you have to do these things. We need a new system with money on the sidelines and issues actually debated.
We’ll have to see how Warren does when she gets a real office. We often hear all these statements from candidates (see: “Obama 2008″) but the delivery from these candidates once they become officials is normally lacking (see: “Obama 2009″)
Consider that she has never been elected to office. No one can foresee what kind of effect that might have, not even her.
But she has held a high appointed office and her performance was such that the GOP /Wall Street complex hates her and is scared of how they could not control her, will do anything to get rid of her and the whole office she held, and the part of Obama owned by Wall Street caved immediately. That’s enough for me.
Personally, I am entirely confident that her heart and mind is in the right place and her intentions are honest. What the hell more does anyone want? The Virgin Mary with brass knuckles? Hey, this could be it.
I also heard that Warren has “promised” to allow anyone to eat pancakes any time of the day… even for dinner.
Warren is an INSTANT REPLAY of Barack Obama… fake populist… then serve the 1%. She is every bit the fraud that Obama is.
It’s unbelievable that people keep falling for this stuff.
…So,…hmmm, Is it Warren in particular who set up the GOP and Wall Street and the 1% CEO’s to all hate her guts in order to get elected to the Senate? Or did they pull a fast one and put her up for election because she’s a good “fake populist” and will serve them better than Scott Brown? Or is “honest Progressive-populist-running-for-office just an oxymoron in general? Ha! Man we’re so stupid and immature here in Massachusetts, huh?