openly gay

I want you to be one of the first to know: After a unanimous decision on Sunday, the drafting committee for the Democratic National Convention embraced marriage equality as part of our platform for the 2012 Convention. The next step will be for the full platform committee to vote on it, after which it will be presented to the delegates at the Convention in Charlotte for a final vote. Make no mistake: This is a historic step toward fairness for all. Once again, Democrats are fighting to move this country forward. [...] Now, it’s up to us to speak up for what he has called a simple proposition: that every single American deserves to be treated equally.

As predicted by Joan McCarter Monday, the Democratic National Committee has confirmed that there will be an affirmative plank on marriage equality in the 2012 Democratic Party platform. The firstCongressman to voluntarily announce he is gay, Rep. Barney Frank, wrote of the decision:A new Pew poll, shows that 65 percent of Democrats now support marriage equality, up from 50 percent in 2008 and 40 percent in 2004.

As Rep. Frank said, now it's up to all of us to speak up for this basic civil right.