Elizabeth Edwards should be commended for coming to San Francisco last weekend to address the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's Pride breakfast. And her support for gay marriage, which she revealed during a news conference following her appearance, is welcome.
Now, if only she could help get her husband, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, to advance beyond his support for civil unions to support full marriage equality for same-sex couples.
It might happen, who knows?
John Edwards has said on several occasions that he's not where his wife and eldest daughter are regarding marriage equality. But since announcing his bid for the presidency in late December, Edwards has made progress on another issue of importance to the community: gays in the military. When we were able to get in a question on the topic during a news conference in Reno just before the new year, Edwards said, "The bottom line for me on gays in the military is they ought to be treated in a non-discriminatory way with dignity and respect. I would, if I were president of the United States today, I would go to my military leadership and get their input and try to make a judgment about what I thought the best policy should be."
That's considerably different from comments he made at the last Democratic candidates debate earlier this month in New Hampshire. Edwards, and every other candidate on stage, came out against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It was a watershed moment and contrasted sharply with the Republican debate two nights later when none of the candidates opposed the anti-gay military policy.
So, change happens.
One of the benefits of the long campaign season, in our opinion, is that it provides enough time to keep gay issues out in front of the public regularly. All the candidates are asked about DADT, same-sex marriage, and other issues – a lot. During her appearance in San Francisco last weekend, Elizabeth Edwards also mentioned immigration policy and the need for fair treatment for us in that regard. For her, and her husband, fair and equal treatment is fundamental, she said.
Still, it is John Edwards who is running for president, and while he has positioned himself as the most liberal of the major Democratic candidates on just about every issue, he can't get past stopping at civil unions for same-sex couples. But if anyone can change his mind, it's Elizabeth.
Not to be outdone, Governor Bill Richardson, another Democratic presidential candidate, also took part in Pride festivities in Iowa earlier this month. It seems that for some candidates, the stigma appearing at gay events is beginning to dissipate.
This year's San Francisco Pride weekend also saw long-shot presidential candidate Mike Gravel actually ride in the parade, which was also a first. Sure, it would have been great if John and Elizabeth Edwards both could have participated in Pride activities, including the parade, but her comments this weekend mark a sea change from 2004, when then-presidential candidate John Kerry couldn't support same-sex marriage, even though it was legalized in his home state, and his wife addressed the gay caucus at the Democratic convention and said she'd be a "mother" for our community.
We want more than mothering. We want our rights.