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02/12/2009
Lincoln: Would he have thrown tall hat into marriage ring?
In honor of Freedom to Marry Day/Week/Year/Decade/Millenium, Evan Wolfson has penned a provocative piece probing into Abe Lincoln's theoretical support for his own personal freedom to marry Todd rather than Mary Todd. Now you be a dear and go give Evan a penny for his thoughts on that particular coin's cover model:
As a candidate for the Illinois Senate in 1996, a body in which Lincoln also served, Obama in his own hand supported the Marriage Resolution now on Freedom to Marry's website. He said, "I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages." I believe Lincoln, with today's understanding of who gay people are, would, too. And once Lincoln had taken such a step, he would have stuck with it, as when he courageously refused to retreat from the Emancipation Proclamation even when facing a difficult reelection battle in 1864. As Lincoln said, "The promise, being made, must be kept."
FULL: Marriage and Gays: What Would Lincoln Do? [HuffPo]
Agreed, he would have totally been with us. Although first and foremost, we think he would've supported stricter gun laws. But then -- then -- he surely would've gotten to marriage equality. Except, of course, when it comes to shotgun weddings.
Wait, it's not too soon to be making Lincoln jokes is it?
Your thoughts
His first election though, Lincoln didn't take a strong stance on slavery either. Time will tell if Obama follows the same pattern on marriage.
Posted by: RainbowPhoenix | Feb 12, 2009 11:17:24 AM
