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Yesterday’s Detroit Free Press had an Op-Ed piece that listed the 2008 presidential cadidiate hopefuls in regard to their public statements on gay and lesbian issues. I have pared down the list to just the main or well-known candidates as follows: 

DEMOCRATS 

Hillary Clinton

• Doesn’t support gay marriage.
• Would grant partners in civil unions same legal rights, benefits and privileges as married couples.
• Would ask Congress to repeal military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

John Edwards 

• Opposes gay marriage.
• Supports civil unions for gay couples and equal rights, including survivor rights, for them.
• Would get rid of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Dennis Kucinich

• Supports gay marriage.
• Would repeal “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Barack Obama

• Said decisions about marriage should be left to states.
• Supports civil unions that would give same-sex couples same benefits as married couples.
• Said “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy must be examined but didn’t say he would change it.

REPUBLICANS

Rudy Giuliani

• Opposes gay marriage.
• Supports domestic partnerships.
• Supports state civil union laws for gay couples but said New Hampshire went “too far” because it gives legal equivalent of marriage and recognizes same-sex unions from other states.
• “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy should remain at least while nation is at war.

Mike Huckabee

• Supports passage of federal constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.
• “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy works and would leave it up to the military to decide whether to keep it.

John McCain

• Favors allowing gay men and lesbians to “enter into contracts” but stopped short of endorsing civil unions.
• Supports “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Ron Paul

• Encourages states to ban same-sex marriage.
• Position unclear on “Don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy; has said homosexual behavior in military that is “disruptive” should be dealt with.

Mitt Romney

• Wants constitutional amendment to define marriage as relationship between a man and a woman.
• Opposes civil unions for gays.
• Says there is no need to change military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Fred Thompson

• Doesn’t support same-sex marriage, but doesn’t favor a constitutional amendment banning it.
• Doesn’t like civil unions, but thinks the issue should be left up to states.
• Favors keeping “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.