April 12, 2007

Don't forget about Dodd

Posted by: Chris

The top three Democrats running for president may be getting almost all the attention, but add Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd to the list of other candidates in the race with a better gay rights record than the leading contenders.

Like New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, whose history of actually producing gay rights laws dwarfs the field, and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the only candidate backing full marriage equality, Dodd's record stands out above the Hillary-Obama-Edwards cacophony.

In a talk with New Hampshire high school students last week, Dodd gave an impressive answer when asked about legal rights for gay couples:

Dodd told Concord High School students that people debating gay marriage should ask themselves just one question: What would you do if your child were gay? Dodd said anyone who would deny a gay child the right to be happy isn’t being honest.

”We ought to be able to have these loving relationships,” the Connecticut senator said.     Dodd, the father of a 2- and a 5-year-old, said his daughters could grow up to be lesbians and he hopes they would have the opportunity to enjoy marriage-like rights. ”They may grow up as a different sexual orientation than their parents,” Dodd said. ”How would I want my child to be treated if they were of a different sexual orientation?”

In reality, Dodd backs civil unions not full marriage equality, just like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and everyone else in the race except for Kucinich. But his answer was more compelling and direct than anything we've seen from Clinton or Obama, certainly.

What's more, Dodd's record surpasses Clinton and Obama. Unlike those two, Dodd received a perfect 100 from the Human Rights Campaign because he has signed on a cosponsor to the Uniting American Families Act. Clinton and Obama have not, and neither has even publicly committed to vote for the legislation, which extends to gay men and lesbians in committed relationships with non-Americans the same rights that straight Americans have.

Dodd's campaign hasn't really caught fire yet, and he lags badly in fund-raising, but his direct and compelling rhetoric and stronger record should give gays pause to give him a second (or first) look.

Tags: Christopher Dodd, gay marriage