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Tim Kaine vice presidential campaign, 2016/LGBTQ rights
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See what Tim Kaine and the Democratic Party Platform said about LGBTQ rights below.
Kaine on LGBTQ rights
- Responding to attempts by state legislatures to limit the rights of LGBT people and transgender students, Tim Kaine and 39 Democratic colleagues in the Senate, wrote a letter urging the Department of Education to provide guidance on the scope of protection afforded to transgender students in schools and colleges across the country under Title IX. The senators wrote, "We strongly believe that it is our responsibility—not just as senators, but as adults—to protect our children and young people, and to help them flourish.” They continued, “We applaud and thank the Department of Education, as well as the Department of Justice, for sharing that goal, and for their commitment to equality and work in support of LGBT students. We respectfully request that the Department complete that work by issuing clear, comprehensive guidance.”[1]
- After the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage on June 26, 2015, with its 5-4 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, Kaine said in a statement, "By recognizing the constitutional right of all people to marry the person they love, the Supreme Court has guaranteed that, across the country, same-sex couples will have their relationships treated with the full legal dignity and respect that they deserve. With our country’s fundamental ideal that ‘all men are created equal’ in mind, I welcome the end of discriminatory bans that have, until today, denied same-sex couples the privileges, responsibilities, and joys of marriage. This is an important step on our continuing quest to create a more perfect union."[2]
- Kaine earned a 90 percent score from the Human Rights Campaign for his support of equality during the 113th Congress.[3]
- Expressing continued support for efforts to ensure equal treatment under the law, Kaine wrote on his Senate website, "I believe all people, regardless of sexual orientation, should be guaranteed equal rights, including the legal benefits and responsibilities of marriage. As Governor, I campaigned against an amendment to the Virginia constitution that banned any legal recognition of same-sex relationships and signed an executive order to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. As Senator, I was proud to join many of my colleagues in signing the bipartisan amicus brief to the Supreme Court that detailed our belief that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. In November 2013, I was proud to help the Senate pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to ensure that workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation will not be tolerated.[4]
| The 2016 Democratic Party Platform on LGBTQ rights | ||||||
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Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Tim + Kaine + Gay + Rights
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Tim Kaine United States Senator for Virginia, "Press Release: Warner, Kaine Urge Dept. of Education to Clarify Legal Protections for LGBT Students Across the Country," May 3, 2016
- ↑ Tim Kaine United States Senator for Virginia, "Press Release: Kaine Statement on Supreme Court Extending Same-Sex Marriage Rights Nationwide," June 26, 2015
- ↑ Human Rights Campaign, "Tim Kaine," accessed July 28, 2016
- ↑ Tim Kaine United States Senator for Virginia, "Civil Rights," accessed July 28, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
