On Monday, March 18, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her support for equal marriage rights, or gay marriage in a video created for the Human Rights Campaign reports Yahoo! News.
A mother and wife herself, Clinton cites the joy of being married as well as having seen her own daughter Chelsea Clinton marry the “love of her life”.
She explains in her HRC video of her wish for all Americans, which includes LGBT Americans, the right to marry the person they love. In the video she states:
"LGBT Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones -- and they are full and equal citizens, and deserve the rights of citizenship. That includes marriage.”
"That's why I support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law, embedded in a broader effort to advance equality and opportunity for LGBT Americans and for all Americans.”
“Like so many others, my views have been shaped over time by people I have known and loved, by my experience representing our nation on the world stage, my devotion to law and human rights, and the guiding principles of my faith.”
"Marriage, after all, is a fundamental building block of our society -- a great joy, and yes, a great responsibility. A few years ago, Bill and I celebrated as our own daughter married the love of her life and I wish every parent that same joy. To deny the opportunity to any of our daughters and sons solely on the basis of who they are and who they love is to deny them the chance to live up to their God given potential."
Clinton's video hits the internet as the United States Supreme Court gets ready to consider getting rid of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which defines marriage between a man and a woman. Were this law to be changed, couples from the GLBTQ community could stand to gain the rights they have fought for over the years.
Rights straight couples take for granted, such as visiting a loved one during a hospital stay or claiming insurance benefits would no longer be an issue for gay and lesbian couples if DOMA is ruled unconstitutional this summer.
The words of support for gay marriage offered by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shed light on the changing views the United States is seeing on a daily basis. With more and more people on the side of equal marriage rights, the pendulum is swinging in favor of the gay and lesbian community.
Sources: Yahoo! News, The Maddow Blog via MSNBC
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