• All through his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama had been a staunch supporter of gay rights and had proved that stand by sponsoring legislation in the state of Illinois which aims to ban any discrimination which is based on the sexual orientation of a particular individual.
• Being a firm believer in gay equality, Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which provides consideration for sexual orientation and gender identity. This is in response to a personal observation made by Obama that although many employers extend benefits to the families of their employees, there are some who still practice discrimination because of the sexual preference.
• However, Obama does not support same-sex marriage saying that it is an issue which should be decided by each of the states individually by taking into account their existing social conditions. While he opposes same-sex marriage, he supports civil unions between same-sex couples.
• Reacting to the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy of the military, Obama has taken the stance that the criteria for military service should be patriotism towards one's country, a sense of duty and responsibility and the willingness to serve in such a service. In such a situation, he is against the present policy of decommissioning soldiers on the basis of their sexual orientation as he feels that this is akin to going against the goals of national defense.
• Continuing his role as a protector of children, Obama believes that a healthy and loving home is the right of every child and should be granted to him irrespective of the sexual orientation of the parents.
• In January 2008, Obama addressed homophobia in the African-American community. He was speaking to 2,000 worshippers on the eve of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday at one of the nations premier black churches, Atlantas Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King once preached. He stated, If we are honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to Kings vision of a beloved community, we have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them.
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