Wade Henderson on President Obama’s Support for Marriage Equality: “A Very Important Step Forward”

Washington, D.C. – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s support for marriage equality:

“I am pleased that President Obama today took a very important step forward in his support for civil and human rights by expressing his personal support for marriage equality.

As a lifelong civil and human rights advocate, I have always believed that civil rights are measured by a single yardstick. When the government bestows inheritance rights, tax benefits, adoption rights, child custody, power of attorney, and other privileges on married individuals – but denies those same basic privileges to gays and lesbians – it is a blunt and injurious denial of equality and family security.

I believe that gays and lesbians deserve the same marriage rights and privileges as the rest of us.  Anything less is an insult to the institution of the American family. President Obama’s support for marriage equality is a powerful reaffirmation of our belief in equal treatment under the law.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.