Profiles in Courage

Well, the Clintons finally decided that same-sex marriage is a human rights issue. Just when Secretary Clinton was starting to win me over, she releases a self-serving, just-in-time, public statement in favor of marriage equality. As with her husband's a few weeks earlier it seemed more like a concession to momentum than the joyous announcement of an opened heart. I predict an avalanche of such announcements in the near future by brave Democrats who don't want to be the last one on the bandwagon. I think the response to these johnnies-come-lately should be "That's great -- but don't expect any pats on the back." Let's instead praise those who have taken truly brave stands such as:

• Gavin Newsom. In 2004 this mayor of San Francisco ordered city authorities to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples -- in defiance of California state law.
• Ted Olson. Since 2009, this leading Republican attorney (and former Solicitor General of the U.S.) has been leading the legal case for same-sex marriage to be deemed a constitutional right based upon the Fourteenth Amendment. This case is currently in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the form of Hollingsworth v. Perry.
• Dennis Kucinich. Since at least 2003, this Democratic Congressman and perennial Presidential candidate from Ohio has been arguing vigorously for same-sex marriage as a human right, shaming his colleagues in the process.

Bravo, Gentlemen!