HRC Blog

Making the Case for Marriage Equality in Nebraska

August 21, 2012 by Dan Rafter, Online Campaigns Manager

Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, who is the Democratic nominee to reclaim the Senate seat he held for two terms before retiring, is talking about something most politicians in Nebraska are steering clear of: marriage equality.

It may not be the popular thing to do, but Kerrey tells the New York Times that, in this campaign, he’s focusing on issues that matter to him. That includes voicing his support for loving, committed same-sex couples to have the right to marry:

“What I usually say is, ‘Let me talk to you about the issue of homosexuality,’ ” Kerrey said over a drink here Saturday night. And then he indeed talks to voters about it, telling them that people are born the way they are and deserve a full complement of civil rights, including the right to marry. It’s that simple.

“People who are opposed to it are going to have to be explaining to their grandkids: why, why, why was that the rationale?” he said. “We’re going to be embarrassed in 25 years.”

...He knows that he has politically risky positions, including his longtime support of abortion rights, but said, “I think I can be the kind of senator who would make Nebraskans proud.”

If they value principle and valor, there’s no doubt.

Read the full piece.

Kerrey was among a handful of Democratic Senators who voted against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Thank Bob Kerrey for his continued support by tweeting him @kerreybob.