San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders speaks out for gay marriage

[phantomsuccour]

why is he crying? weird

[RayDequina]

@phantomsuccour Because he realized he was being extremely shitty to fellow human beings.

[cstevenson99]

@phantomsuccour because he still has a soul

[Jujuman2003]

A great man!

[talkstocoyotes]

We need more people like Jerry Sanders in public office -- including, maybe especially, the White House. I'm sick of cowardly politicians who profess to be in favor of equality and then add "buts" to it.

[mkdark1]

Bravo, Mayor Sanders!

It takes true courage to say what you've said. There is no such thing as "separate but equal." I thought that, as a nation, we learned that during the civil rights movement in the '60s.

Apparently, that lesson didn't sink in well enough. Thank you for standing up for genuine equality.

[ResearchX]

Great speech. It took a lot of courage for him to accept the fact that all human beings deserve equality. No one should be discriminated against. Not in our great nation of America.

[redtimmy]

Video quality is terrible and the sound is raspy.

Please repost a high-quality version.

[disneyfreak89]

One less stupid redneck off this world can make a huge difference. I'm glad he choose not to discriminate.

[sspaddock]

What a powerful statement, so clearly from the heart. That is real courage. It is time to get past divisions and just treat everyone the same!

[JennMahoney]

It takes a REAL man to be brave enough to take the risk (possibly even of his career) to stand up and be counted!

Good for YOU Mayor Jerry Sanders!!!

[Prop8NO]

Wow! Wow! Wow! What a brave and noble man! Good for him!

[heremysmile]

how much was he paid to change his mind?

[summervw]

That's sad. He listened to the manipulation people are using to make redifining marriage a way to validate gay people as people. When really all it is doing is validating their actions as acceptable to society. He just took a crucial step in destroying the framework of society- defining disapproval of a behavior as disapproval of the person themselves.

I agree, he went with the easy, feel-good-at the-moment answer. Tomorrow the hangover.

Shows a lack of forsight.

[wonger357]

are you saying that he is destroying the frame work of society by accepting gay marriage?

[PierzStyx]

Yes. The single most important unit is society is the family. What happens to it, effects the rest of society, rest of the world. And it is sick, it is ailing. But gay marriage would not help it, and its pains are not a justification for allowing something that would do it more harm. Giving a cancer patient poison will not help it, no matter how sweet the taste of the poison.

[zabiq]

homosexual lobby

[zabiq]

what a shame

[dammitdexter]

No shame whatsoever. I'm profoundly proud to have him as the mayor of my city; America's Finest City.

[PierzStyx]

Pride aside, SD is far form America's finest city.

[thursdaysrecords]

There will be a flood of people who realize the wrong that has been committed against gays and lesbians for too long. Compare the number of the enlightened to the shrinking minority of ignorant, hate-obsessed divisionists. Today's anti-gay hate ongers are the pro segregationists of the 60s. Sexuality is what it is, hate won't change it. Nobody has ever turned gay or turned straight. Face this simple biological fact of life and stop the hate. The future has no room for hate. Peace!

[TJHX1]

Some homosexual activists defend the historic connection between homosexuality and pedophilia: Such activists consider the defense of "boy-lovers" to be a legitimate gay rights issue.

· Pedophile themes abound in homosexual literary culture: Gay fiction as well as serious academic treatises promote "intergenerational intimacy."

[TJHX1]

LOS ANGELES, California, October 4, 2006 The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center has abandoned a long-held homosexual activist contention by declaring on billboards posted throughout Southern California that HIV/AIDS is a "gay disease."

[TJHX1]

According to the American Journal of Diseases of Children and The Advocate, close to 60% of adolescent AIDS sufferers were infected by adult bisexual and homosexual men. Thousands of these American boys are now dead.

[TJHX1]

According to a study published in Adolescence, 29% of the adult children of homosexual parents have been specifically subjected to sexual molestation as a child by a homosexual parent, compared to only 0.6 percent of adult children of heterosexual parents.

[tom11378]

pWhat an embarrasment as a Republican. Look how this Liberal Dem insider views McCain...

Conversations with Nicole

GAY & LESBIAN TIMES, ISSUE #966

Gay Republican to face Assemblymember Saldaña in November

I have...We all know that this major change in the California Republican Party will take some time. But if Sen. John McCain is the GOP presidential nominee in 2008, I see some major changes taking place nationally.

While I do sincerely congratulate Ralph

[cmhmuscle]

good for him.

[commanderplank]

Thank you this made me cry, let' hope people learn from this man, if only ireland was the same, people won't speak out like this, thanks again it helped me regain some faith in humanity.

[boredpinoykegan]

wow...

i never knew our mayor was this passionate o_0

good for him and making such an emotional speech

[oaklandj]

Wow, a politician with a soul! Good for him and good for San Diegans.

[astanhope]

I had to remove some lame comments from this thread. In the process, I accidentally removed a couple of valid comments. If you left a thoughtful comment here and I deleted it, my apologies.

If you're the jerk who left all the "king phallus" comments, then I'm not apologizing to you.

[Abby2R]

In other words, you deleted all the comments that took a negative stance on the issue.

To be clear, I love this video. It made me cry when I first saw it, I even put it in my favorites. But it disturbes me that as I go through the comments now I see only support and no criticisims. Don't get me wrong, some of the comments you deleted were disgusting and pointless.

[blugubrious]

Aren't you tired of being verbally abused? I am. Are you an abuse survivor who still thinks you deserved it so that you're unwilling to stand up for yourself in the name of some fanciful ideal. Religious bigotry is not "discussion" and I won't tolerate it in any form. They have more than enough forums to spew their hatred and ignorance. Read Andrea Dworkin's writing about stopping abuse, not engaging with it but stopping it. Maybe it will help you gain some self-respect and personal power.

[blugubrious]

My comment was addressed to Abby2R. Your disappointment says more about you than anyone else. I can't imagine what you see as a "good and honest criticism" of your basic worth as a human being. Yes, bigots have the right to say whatever assinine things they want, but that doesn't mean their beliefs aren't patently absurd. Get a spine.

[Abby2R]

But some of them were good and honest criticisms. I support any religious person's right to SAY that I'm going to hell because Im gay. Its called freedom of speech. I think that by removing all the viewpoints that differ from your own, you suffocated the discussion. I firmly belive that youtube is our one of our country's best forums for democracy

That being said, this is your video, and you have the right to delete any comment you like. You may even delete this one. Im just dissapointed in you

[Abby2R]

But some of them were good and honest criticisms. I support any religious person's right to SAY that I'm going to hell because Im gay. Its called freedom of speech. I think that by removing all the viewpoints that differ from your own, you suffocated the discussion. I firmly belive that youtube is our one of our country's best forums for democracy

That being said, this is your video, and you have the right to delete any comment you like. You may even delete this one. Im just dissapointed in you

[Red7Eric]

"The concept of a separate but equal institution is not something I can support." Didn't we learn this back in the 60's? (sigh) Still, Sanders is more evolved than most of his colleagues on this issue, clearly. It seems strange that this is even controversial in 2007.

[JewelleGomez]

Thank goodness someone in politics still believes in evolution. It's not 'flip flopping.' It's called growing and maturing. And he's right: 'separate' is never 'equal' We learned that 40years ago!  BRAVO!

[walnutcreek36]

You have to respect a person who has evolved!  Wouldn't it be great if the rest of the country would come out of the Dark Ages and learn that being gay is no more of a choice than being white or black? Mayor Sanders grew up and so should the rest of us!

[walnutcreek36]

Doing the right thing should never be political suicide.

[xeontrance]

so he wouldn't have done this if his daughter wasn't gay then? and if so why?

[maianess]

God, I'm on the verge of tears. This was so heartfelt and amazing and inspiring. Jerry Sanders, thank you for being a good person.

[jwlvs]

Well done! Be proud of your decision, and your daughter, Mayor Sanders.

[Gboyke]

That's a good step! Gay marriages in California! Everyone deserves the right to marry! You marry somebody because of LOVE ! ! ! And it doesn't matter if that is between a man or a woman or a man and a man! Gay marriages should be introduced in the USA! Countries wiht no equal rights for gay people are countries with a regime of apartheid!

[xxmiechiexx]

thank god a miracle, one step further to the

"land of the free" =]

[kcihcza]

Thank God! Wow! I was crying like a baby myself!

Jesus would be proud!

[Abasuto]

My hat's off to Jerry.

He did the right thing and is true American.

[ghostcobra00]

He is somebody that finally learned that gay americans are still americans. And they deserve the same rights as the rest of us.

[tracyapps]

what a great speech! you can tell that really came from his heart. we need more of that "heart" in politics.

[Alcovia]

Alright! Jerry Sanders, a politician with a conscience. Change takes time and courage.

[lization1]

Be proud Jerry Sanders, you've done the right thing.

[QuickQuix]

Ahh, what a great this this man has done. He will have the inestimable pride of having done the right and just thing. Well done, Jerry Sanders.