Chris Dodd Endorses Gay Marriage

Chris Dodd Endorses Gay Marriage

Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, has changed his position on gay marriage, announcing over the weekend that he now supports it.

Mr. Dodd, who finds himself in a tough fight for reelection next year, had already backed civil unions, but had rejected endorsing gay marriage during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

His reversal comes on the heels of growing upset among gay activists toward President Obama and his administration, many of whom called the president’s decision last week to extend partnership benefits extension as a minor move,

In a blog post posted on his Senate Web site on Father’s Day, Mr. Dodd cast his decision to go all in for gay marriage in generational terms, writing that his two school-aged daughters have grown up around same-sex couples, some of whom have gotten married since it was legalized in Connecticut.

He wrote:

“[T]o my daughters, these couples are married simply because they love each other and want to build a life together. That’s what we’ve taught them. The things that make those families different from their own pale in comparison to the commitments that bind those couples together.

And, really, that’s what marriage should be. It’s about rights and responsibilities and, most of all, love.

I believe that, when my daughters grow up, barriers to marriage equality for same-sex couples will seem as archaic, and as unfair, as the laws we once had against inter-racial marriage.

And I want them to know that, even if he was a little late, their dad came down on the right side of history.”

Interestingly, Mr. Dodd seemed to believe that voters did not see much of a distinction between gay marriage and civil unions during his presidential run.

When asked the difference between the two at a 2007 event in New Hampshire, Mr. Dodd responded: “I don’t think probably much in people’s minds. If you’re allowing that, all the protections you have there, you’ve covered it.”

Here is Senator Dodd's contact information if you wish to thank him for standing up for LGBT rights:

U.S. Senator Chris Dodd
448 Russell Building | Washington D.C., 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2823 | Fax: (202) 224-1083
Email only accepted from CT constituents.

(Source: New York Times)