23 January 2008
Al Gore Speaks Out in Favour of
Same-Sex Marriage
Former US Vice President and 2007 Nobel Peace
Prize Laureate, Al Gore, has spoken out in favour of same-sex marriage in a
video released last week on his website, Current TV.
"I think that gay men and women ought to have
the same rights as heterosexual men and women, to make contracts, to have
hospital visiting rights, to join together in marriage," Gore said.
"And I don’t understand why it is considered by
some people to be a threat to heterosexual marriage to allow it by gays and
lesbians."
Gore hinted in early 2006 that he supported
same-sex marriage whilst speaking at a Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Los
Angeles: "Any force that tries to make you feel shame for being who you are, and
loving who you love, is a form of tyranny over your mind. And it must be
rejected, resisted, and defeated."
But Gore's video post last week represents his
first formal endorsement of equal marriage rights.
"The loyalty and love that two people feel for
one another when they fall in love ought to be celebrated and encouraged, and
shouldn't be prevented by any form of discrimination in the law", said Gore.
The video was posted on Current's Web site on
17 January 2008. Many supporters begged Gore to enter the 2008 White House
race, but instead, Gore stated that he would endorse one of the current
Democratic contenders.
