Clarification Needed....

Looking through comments made on my post yesterday and verbal comments by phone, I felt the need to clarify my stance on gay rights. I think I used the wrong terminology in my post and wish to clarify. I believe in the right of civil union between homosexual partners. I mistakenly used the term marriage. I too believe in the sanctity of marriage. However I believe that goes well beyond the term one chooses to use. I believe that the sanctity of marriage includes how we treat our partners, how we speak to our partners, and how we talk about our partners to other individuals. Now I am not perfect in this area but these are my beliefs.

I also wanted to clarify Presidents Obama stance on this issue. The following web site states the following http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbianactivism/p/BarackObama.htm

Barack Obama and Gay Rights in Illinois: Barack Obama supported gay rights during his Illinois Senate tenure. He sponsored legislation in Illinois that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Barack Obama on Hate Crimes: Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to expand federal hate crimes laws to include crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Employment Non-Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes it should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Gays in the Military: Barack Obama believes we need to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. His campaign literature says, "The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve."

Barack Obama and Gay Marriage/ Civil Unions: Although Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, he is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, "I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."

He said "Giving them a set of basic rights would allow them to experience their relationship and live their lives in a way that doesn't cause discrimination," Obama said. "I think it is the right balance to strike in this society."

I have no problem with these views. Notice he also does not believe in marriage between two individuals of the same sex but does believe they deserve certain right if joined civilly.

Let me share why I believe such. I watched a 60 minutes one time where they reviewed the life of a lesbian couple who had never been married but had been committed to one another for 55 years. At the end of one partners life, the other showed her the compassion I hope my partner shows me at the end of my life. She sat by her bed, sang to her, stroked her head, and loved her. After her death, the partner left behind was not awarded any of the benefits other widows would have received. I call that discrimination. That's my stance.

On a personal note, I am hurt by the implications that were made, through comments and verbally, concerning my devotion to the prophet of my church. If my use of the term "marriage" helped you draw that conclusion, that was my mistake. However, I wish clarification would have been asked for before hurtful comments were made.