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Democrats unveil historic party platform backing ‘freedom to marry,’ ENDA

Democrats unveil historic party platform backing ‘freedom to marry,’ ENDA

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On the eve of their national convention in Charlotte, N.C., the Democratic Party on Monday unveiled its official platform, one that supports marriage equality for gays and lesbians — an historic first for a national U.S. political party.

The platform also calls for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), supports the Employment Non- Discrimination Act, which would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and protections for LGBT bi-national couples threatened with deportation.

“This election is not simply a choice between two candidates or two political parties, but between two fundamentally different paths for our country and our families,” the platform states.

On the issues of civil rights for LGBT people, and marriage equality, the platform reads:

We believe in an America where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody plays by the same set of rules. At the core of the Democratic Party is the principle that no one should face discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.

[…]

We know that putting America back to work is Job One, and we are committed to ensuring that Americans do not face employment discrimination. We support the Employment Non- Discrimination Act because people should not be fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

President Obama and the Democratic Party are committed to ensuring all Americans are treated fairly. This administration hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention and we must continue our work to prevent vicious bullying of young people and support LGBT youth. The President’s record, from ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in full cooperation with our military leadership, to passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to ensuring same-sex couples can visit each other in the hospital, reflects Democrats’ belief that all Americans deserve the same chance to pursue happiness, earn a living, be safe in their communities, serve their country, and take care of the ones they love. The Administration has said that the word ‘family’ in immigration includes LGBT relationships in order to protect bi-national families threatened with deportation.

[…]

We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.

We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act.

The Democratic platform also states that it “strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade,” the 1973 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal.

“Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way,” the platform states.

The document stands in sharp contrast to the Republican blueprint that the GOP adopted at its convention in Tampa, Fla., last week. The Republican plan calls for a ban on abortion and same-sex marriage.

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention will vote Tuesday to adopt the platform. Full text of the platform is here.

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