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As Gay Rights Ally, Bernie Sanders Wasn’t Always in Vanguard

By  proudstars.blogspot.com

The colors of gay pride were on display at a rally for Senator Bernie Sanders in Atlanta on Monday. Mr. Sanders has expressed varying levels of support for gay rights as he has risen from mayor to congressman and then senator.

Credit
Erik S. Lesser/European Pressphoto Agency 

BURLINGTON, Vt. — As Senator Bernie Sanders tries to distinguish himself from Hillary Rodham Clinton and rally his progressive base, one issue where he has claimed a clear advantage is in the long battle over gay rights.

Mr. Sanders has highlighted his opposition to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal recognition to same-sex marriages, saying he thought couples should be able to “get married regardless of their sexual orientation.” In a recent interview, he said that “without tooting my own horn,” his opposition to the act, which was signed by President Bill Clinton, “means that somebody has got to take leadership,” and he told Gail Collins, a columnist for The New York Times: “I’m not evolving when it comes to gay rights. I was there!â€
