Sherrod Brown on Values - Marriage and Traditional Values

Brown Consistently Votes With The Homosexual Lobby Against Traditional Values

Brown Was One Of Only 67 House Members To Vote Against The Defense Of Marriage Act:

Same-Sex Marriage – Passage. “Passage of the bill to ban federal recognition of gay marriages and authorize states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states. The bill effectively prohibits the federal government from giving legal standing to homosexual marriages for any aspect of federal law, such as spousal benefits, under aid programs of the federal tax code or Social Security spousal benefits.” (H.R. 3396, CQ Vote #316: Passed 342-67: R 224-1; D 118-65; I 0-1, July 12, 1996, Brown voted Nay)

Brown Also Voted Against Proposing A Constitutional Amendment To Define Marriage As Consisting Only Of The Union Of A Man And A Woman:

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Constitutional Amendment – Passage. “Passage of a joint resolution to propose a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as consisting only of the union of a man and a woman. The U.S. Constitution or any state’s constitution could not be construed to require that marriage or any other constructs of marriage be conferred to any other union.” (H. J. Res. 106, CQ Vote #484: Rejected 227-186: R 191-27; D 36-158; I 0-1, September 30, 2004, Brown voted Nay)

Brown Voted To Allow Homosexuals To Serve In The Military:

Fiscal 1994 Defense Authorization – Gay Ban. “Meehan, D-Mass., amendment to strike the provisions codifying a ban on homosexuals in the military and express the sense of Congress that the issue should be determined by the president and his advisers.” (H.R. 2401, CQ Vote #460: Rejected in the Committee of the Whole 169-264: R 11-163; D 157-101; I 1-0, September 28, 1993, Brown voted Yea)

Brown Voted Twice In Favor Of Including “Sexual Orientation” As A Category Covered By Hate Crime Legislation:

Fiscal 2005 Defense Authorization -- Motion to Instruct. “Pelosi, D-Calif., motion to instruct House conferees to accept provisions in the Senate bill that would broaden the categories covered by hate crimes to include crimes motivated by the victim’s gender, sexual orientation or disability.” (H.R. 4200, CQ Vote #473: Motion agreed to 213-186: R 31-177; D 182-9; I 0-0, September 28, 2004, Brown voted Yea)

Fiscal 2001 Defense Authorization -- Instruct Conferees. “Graham, R-S.C., motion to instruct conferees to not agree to provisions which: fail to recognize that the 14th amendment to the Constitution guarantees all persons equal protection under the law; deny equal protection under the law by conditioning prosecution of certain offenses on the race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim; and; preclude a person convicted of murder from being sentenced to death.” (H.R. 4205, CQ Vote #470: Motion rejected 196-227: R 177-39; D 18-187; I 1-1, September 13, 2000, Brown voted Nay)

Brown Opposed An Amendment To The Ohio Constitution In 2004 Recognizing Marriages Only Between One Man And One Woman

“Brown Is Pro–Gay Marriage . . . Ohio’s Reddish Tinge Be Damned.” “More important to the stereotypical netroots participant, [Brown is] an unabashed liberal. . . . [He’s] one of the House’s most effective, articulate spokesmen for progressive causes. A Cleveland Democrat, Brown is pro–gay marriage, pro–gun control, pro-labor, pro-choice, pro–universal health care -- and unabashedly active on all these fronts, Ohio’s reddish tinge be damned.” (Ezra Klein, “Netroots Activists Are Liberal Firebrands? Tell That To Sherrod Brown,” The American Prospect, December 20, 2005)

But Most Ohioans Disagree With Brown’s Stance:

61% Of Ohioans Voted For An Amendment To The Ohio Constitution, Issue 1, Which Recognizes Marriages Only Between One Man And One Woman. (Ohio Secretary Of State Website, www.sos.state.oh.us, Accessed March 16, 2006)

All Four Of The Counties In Brown’s Congressional District - Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, And Summit - Voted In Favor Of The Amendment That Brown Opposed. (Ohio Secretary Of State Website, www.sos.state.oh.us, Accessed March 16, 2006)

Homosexual Issues

Brown Was One Of Only 67 House Members To Vote AGAINST The Defense Of Marriage Act.

Brown Voted Against The Federal Marriage Amendment To Prohibit Same-Sex Marriage.

Brown Voted Against Removing Review Of Same-Sex Marriage From The Jurisdiction Of The Supreme Court.

Brown Voted At Least TWICE In Favor Of Including Sexual Orientation In Federal Hate Crimes Laws.

Brown Voted At Least TWICE In Favor Of Gays Serving Openly In The Military.

Brown Voted At Least Twice Against President Clinton’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy.

Brown Receives High Ratings And Numerous Contributions From The Radical Human Rights Campaign.

The Radical Human Rights Campaign

The Radical Homosexual Group, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Says That Brown Has “Championed The Cause Of Equal Rights For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual And Transgender Americans.” “In his 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Sherrod Brown has championed the cause of equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. Time after time, he has stood on the side of fairness, including his votes against the Federal Marriage Amendment and the Defense of Marriage Act.” (Human Rights Campaign Website, Accessed June 5, 2006)

According To HRC, “Brown Has Consistently Co-Sponsored The Major Legislation In HRC’s Platform.” “Brown has consistently co-sponsored the major legislation in HRC’s platform . . . . The Congressman has a close relationship with the Ohio GLBT community and has attended every HRC Cleveland dinner since the first in 1992.” (Human Rights Campaign Website, Accessed June 5, 2006)

Brown Received A 77% Rating From HRC For The Years 2003-2004. (Project Vote-Smart Website, Accessed June 5, 2006)

Brown Received A 100% Rating From HRC For The Years 2001-2002 And 1999-2000. (Project Vote-Smart Website, Accessed June 5, 2006)

HRC Has Contributed To Brown’s Campaign Every Time He Ran For Election, For A Total Of $23,050 Since 1992, As Of June 2006. (PoliticalMoneyLine Website, www.tray.com, Accessed June 5, 2006)

What Is Human Rights Campaign?

HRC Refers To The Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) As “An Unprecedented Intrusion” By Congress. (Human Rights Campaign Website, www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Partners&CONTENTID, Accessed October 21, 2005)

HRC Supports Needle Exchange Programs And Urges Cities And Counties “To Quickly Authorize These Important Provisions.” (Human Rights Campaign, “HRC Lauds Newly Signed Clean Needle Law In California,” September 21, 2004)

HRC Advocates Health Insurance Policies Covering Treatment Related To Transsexualism, Such As “Hormone Therapy And/Or Sex-Reassignment Surgery.” (Human Rights Campaign, “Transgender Americans: A Handbook For Understanding,” Human Rights Campaign Website, www.hrc.org, Accessed February 8, 2006)

Votes On Same-Sex “Marriage”

Brown Was One Of Only 67 House Members To Vote AGAINST The Defense Of Marriage Act:

Same-Sex Marriage – Passage. “Passage of the bill to ban federal recognition of gay marriages and authorize states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states. The bill effectively prohibits the federal government from giving legal standing to homosexual marriages for any aspect of federal law, such as spousal benefits, under aid programs of the federal tax code or Social Security spousal benefits.” (H.R. 3396, CQ Vote #316: Passed 342-67: R 224-1; D 118-65; I 0-1, July 12, 1996, Brown voted Nay)

Brown Voted To Gut The Defense Of Marriage Act:

Same-Sex Marriage – Suspending Federal Definition of Marriage. “Frank, D-Mass., amendment to suspend implementation of the federal definition of marriage for any state that determines a different definition through law, popular vote or failure to override a state court ruling.” (H.R. 3396, CQ Vote #314: Rejected 103-311: R 3-223; D 99-88; I 1-0, July 12, 1996, Brown voted Yea)

Brown Voted Against The Federal Marriage Amendment To Prohibit Same-Sex Marriage:

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Constitutional Amendment – Passage. “Passage of a joint resolution to propose a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as consisting only of the union of a man and a woman. The U.S. Constitution or any state’s constitution could not be construed to require that marriage or any other constructs of marriage be conferred to any other union.” (H. J. Res. 106, CQ Vote #484: Rejected 227-186: R 191-27; D 36-158; I 0-1, September 30, 2004, Brown voted Nay)

Brown Missed A New Vote On The Federal Marriage Amendment In July 2006. “It’s tough to catch a break some days. Take today. Sherrod Brown and Ted Strickland were in Ohio, making separate political appearances. They wound up on the same flight back to Washington but arrived too late -- by four minutes, says Brown’s campaign -- to vote in the House against the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.” (The Plain Dealer’s Openers Blog, “Sherrod And Ted, Minutes Too Late,” , Posted by Stephen Koff, July 18, 2006)

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Constitutional Amendment – Passage. “Passage of a joint resolution to propose a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as consisting only of the union of a man and a woman. It would provide that the U.S. Constitution or any state’s constitution could not be construed to require that marriage or any other constructs of marriage be conferred to any other union. Note: A two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting (282 in this case) is required to pass a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution.” (H. J. Res. 88, CQ Vote #378: Rejected 236-187: R 202-27; D 34-159; I 0-1, July 18, 2006, Brown did not vote)

But Brown Made Sure To Make A Statement From The Floor Announcing His Oposition. Mr. BROWN of Ohio. “Mr. Speaker, regarding the Federal marriage amendment, I was detained coming in from the airport, missed the vote by 4 minutes, and would have voted ‘nay’ on the Federal marriage amendment, rollcall 378.” (Rep. Sherrod Brown, Congressional Record, July 18, 2006)

Brown Voted Against Removing Review Of Same-Sex Marriage From The Jurisdiction Of The Supreme Court:

Court Review of Defense of Marriage Act – Passage. “Passage of the bill that would a remove a provision in the 1996 ‘Defense of Marriage Act’ from the jurisdiction of federal courts. That provision allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriage licenses issued in other states or jurisdictions.” (H.R. 3313, CQ Vote #410: Passed 233-194: R 206-17; D 27-176; I 0-1, July 22, 2004, Brown voted Nay)

Votes On Hate Crimes

Brown Voted At Least TWICE In Favor Of Including Sexual Orientation In Federal Hate Crimes Laws:

Sex Offender Registration -- Hate Crimes. “Conyers, D-Mich., amendment that would broaden the categories covered by hate crimes to include crimes motivated by the victim’s gender, sexual orientation or disability. Such crimes may be prosecuted in federal courts. The amendment would require the Justice Department to certify that bias was a motivating factor in the crime and that state or local law enforcement officials have been consulted and the state does not object to the federal government assuming jurisdiction. It also would authorize $5 million per year for fiscal 2006 and 2007 for the Justice Department to assist states and local authorities in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.” (H.R. 3132, CQ Vote #469: Adopted 223-199: R 30-194; D 192-5; I 1-0, September 14, 2005, Brown voted Yea)

Fiscal 2005 Defense Authorization -- Motion to Instruct. “Pelosi, D-Calif., motion to instruct House conferees to accept provisions in the Senate bill that would broaden the categories covered by hate crimes to include crimes motivated by the victim’s gender, sexual orientation or disability.” (H.R. 4200, CQ Vote #473: Motion agreed to 213-186: R 31-177; D 182-9; I 0-0, September 28, 2004, Brown voted Yea)

Brown Voted In Favor Of “Provisions That Condition Prosecution Of Certain Offenses On The . . . Sexual Orientation Of The Victim”:

Fiscal 2001 Defense Authorization -- Instruct Conferees. “Graham, R-S.C., motion to instruct conferees to not agree to provisions which: fail to recognize that the 14th amendment to the Constitution guarantees all persons equal protection under the law; deny equal protection under the law by conditioning prosecution of certain offenses on the race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim; and preclude a person convicted of murder from being sentenced to death.” (H.R. 4205, CQ Vote #470: Motion rejected 196-227: R 177-39; D 18-187; I 1-1, September 13, 2000, Brown voted Nay)

Votes On Homosexual Adoption

Brown Voted To Allow Gay Couples To Adopt Children In Washington, D.C.:

Fiscal 2000 District of Columbia Appropriations – Adoption. “Largent, R-Okla., amendment to bar joint adoptions in the District of Columbia by gays or other people who are not related by blood or marriage.” (H.R. 2587, CQ Vote #346: Rejected 213-215: R 183-36; D 30-178; I 0-1, July 29, 1999, Brown voted Nay)