Got Equality?

By Emmy Bengtson and Mehrin Rahman

LGBT rights have certainly been a hot topic this year, and the 2010 Senate race in California is no exception. However, whereas Senator Boxer has consistently proven she is a proud supporter of gay rights, Fiorina seems to want to waste no more time on a civil rights discussion than she does on talking about abortion or the environment.

Fiorina voted FOR Prop 8 and has said that “I do believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.” Moreover, since Prop 8 passed, she thinks that revisiting the issue of same-sex marriage is moot, even “not appropriate,” even though a federal court has found Prop 8 to be unconstitutional.

So now equal rights for LGBT people aren’t an important topic in this election? We’re starting to get the idea that Fiorina has been living under a rock. A big, multi-million-dollar rock.

Time and again, Fiorina has demonstrated that she’s out of touch with what Californians care about, from reproductive rights to the environment. And now, she’s out of touch with majority opinion on same-sex marriages: in a recent CNN poll, 52% of respondents said they think same-sex couples should have the right to marry and have their marriage recognized by the law.

In stark contrast to Fiorina, Senator Boxer has proven she will take a stand for same-sex marriage. For more than 17 years, Boxer has consistently worked towards equal LGBT rights: she voted no on bans on same-sex marriage several times (including Prop 8), voted to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation, and she was given a perfect 100% pro-gay-rights rating by the Human Rights Campaign. Boxer is truly an ally.

The fight for same-sex marriage isn’t over yet. Try to keep up, Carly.

Vote for LGBT Rights. Vote Boxer.