Anti-gay marriage Senator John McCain reminds America that he’s the elected one in the family
”Senator McCain respects the views of members of his family. The Senator strongly supported the effort to successfully pass Arizona Proposition 102, the Marriage Protection Amendment, and his opposition to gay marriage remains the same. Senator McCain believes the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman.”
Statement appearing on the website of US Senator John McCain (R-Arizona). The “maverick” Senator seems to be trying to comfort his conservative base against the recent maverick actions by his wife, Cindy, and daughter, Meghan. Both women have apparently come out in joint support of legal marriage for gay men and lesbians. They have been photographed for the NoH8 campaign, which is basically a collection of photographs by Adam Bouska that feature people with their mouths covered by duct tape and the logo of “NOH8” — a clever take of “No Hate” combined with the Proposition 8 number.
Proposition 8, as most know, is the terrible, voter-approved referendum that effectively removed the rights of gay men and lesbians to be legally married in California. The legitimacy of that referendum is now standing trial in a closely watched court case in San Francisco. John McCain is boasting here of his support for a separate Arizona referendum, Proposition 102, that placed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages in 2008. Senator McCain lost his bid for the Presidency against Barack Obama during that same election cycle. (McCain.Senate.gov)
Few, though, have surprised us more than Cindy McCain – the wife of Senator John McCain and mother to vocal marriage equality advocate Meghan McCain. The McCains are one of the most well-known Republican families in recent history, and for Mrs. McCain to have reached out to us to offer her support truly means a lot. Although we had worked with Meghan McCain before and were aware of her own position, we’d never really thought the cause might be something her mother would get behind. We have a huge amount of respect for both of these women for being brave enough to make it known they support equal marriage rights for all Americans.
Statement from the website of celebrity photographer Adam Bouska and his partner Jeffrey Parshley. The site describes his work as a “silent protest” and features more than 2,000 portraits of people who are supporting the repeal against Proposition 8 (most are not celebrities). (NoH8Campaign.com)
”To have the wife of a Republican presidential candidate really turns everything upside down…. People expect conservatives to be against same-sex marriage, and more and more conservatives are saying that they favor it.”
John Henning, executive director of the pro-gay organization, LoveHonorCherish.org, which is seeking to repeal Proposition 8. (LA Times)
”There’s probably a reason she’s not first lady…. People were worried about the influence she would have on social issues such as this.”
Tony Perkins, head of the always gay-hating group Family Research Council. (LA Times)
Perkins and FRC have worked intimately with the infamous Harry Jackson and his band of anti-gay zealots to try to block same-sex marriages here in the District. Thus far, they have failed in every attempt to sway the DC Council, the DC Attorney General, the DC Board of Elections and Ethics, or the DC Superior Court to place a voter referendum on the ballot which would directly contradict the human rights ordinances that the city has in place. As was recently reported here, the US Congress has final say over the affairs of the District, and we are waiting with fingers crossed, to see that there will be no significant swell of political influence on behalf of the House and Senate’s many members who remain vehemently opposed to LGBT equality.
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