Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: Marriage Equality is the Equal Rights Battle of Our Generation

by Michael A. Jones

categories: Defense of Marriage Act, Gay Marriage, Interviews, LGBT Rights and Politics, LGBT Rights and the Military, Marriage Equality

Published August 01, 2009 @ 07:21AM PT

Change.org's Women's Rights blogger, Jen Nedeau, has a great interview up with New York's junior Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, that touches on progressive values for all sorts of social issues, from whether Sen. Gillibrand will be a vocal advocate for immigration reform, to whether the Senator considers herself a feminist.  One other area that Nedeau's interview with Sen. Gillibrand touches on?  LGBT rights, specifically marriage equality and repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The full interview can be seen here, and it's well worth the read.  Here are two questions that pertain exclusively to LGBT rights.  As you'll see, Sen. Gillibrand - who originally represented in Congress a fairly conservative district - has staked out one of the most progressive positions possible on the subject of marriage equality.  It's the equal rights struggle of our generation, according to the Senator.  Check it out:

Recently, Lt. Choi was fired from the New York National Guard because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policies. How do you plan on being an advocate for LGBT rights in the Senate?

As you may know, I met with Dan Choi in my office back in June and I expressed my strong support for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. I have written a bill to place a moratorium on enforcement of DADT for 18 months until the military and the Administration can reassess the policy. While I have yet to garner 60 votes for this bill, Chairman Levin at my request has agreed to hold the first hearings on this policy since its inception. I will also be an original co-sponsor of Senator Kennedy's bill for full repeal of DADT when he offers it. Also, I support inclusive ENDA legislation and I support repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. And, of course, I'm a strong supporter of marriage equality. I've been excited to see several states this year move to pass marriage equality and I've urged New York's state Assembly and Senate to do the same. I really think it's the civil rights issue of our generation.

You believe in marriage equality, as do most New Yorkers. The New York State Assembly has just passed a Marriage Equality Bill, and Gov. Paterson, like you, supports it. But some of your fellow Democrats in the New York State Senate don't, and may block the bill altogether. Will you endorse or campaign for these state senate Democrats who don't share New York's values on this basic civil rights issue?

I have been very outspoken in my support for that legislation, and I have stood with state lawmakers to personally urge my colleagues in the State Senate to support the bill. I remain confident that we can pass this legislation before next year's election. Marriage Equality is the equal rights battle of our generation, and we should all be strongly united in our efforts to make progress. I will continue to be a strong advocate and work with all elected leaders to move this issue forward. I'll review all endorsements on an individual basis, however this issue will remain a fundamentally important issue affecting my view.

Again, the full interview is available here, and it's well worth the read.