Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 15:41:32 -0700 (PDT) From: Rex Wockner Subject: Newsclips #789: BULLETIN! Clinton Himself On Gay Marriage CLINTON PRESS CONFERENCE Office of the Press Secretary - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Thursday, May 23, 1996 PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT CLINTON AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR KOHL (excerpt) MILWAUKEE CITY HALL 11:45 A.M. CDT ...Q: Mr. President, yesterday your Press Secretary said that you would sign a bill banning recognition of same-sex marriages. What do you say to those who feel that this discriminates against gays and lesbians? And how do you respond to the many gays who supported you who now feel betrayed? PRESIDENT CLINTON: Well, first of all, as I understand it, what the bill does -- let's make it clear. As I understand it, what the bill does is to state that marriage is an institution between a man and a woman, that, among other things, is used to bring children into the world, but the legal effect of the bill -- as I understand it, the only legal effect of the bill is to make it clear that states can deny recognition of gay marriages that occurred in other states. And if that's all it does, then I will sign it. Now, having said that, I do not favor discrimination against people because they're homosexual. And you asked me what I would say to gay Americans who may disagree with me about this is -- I say, look at my record. Name me another President who has been so pilloried for standing up for the fact the we shouldn't discriminate against any group of Americans, including gay Americans, who are willing to work hard, pay their taxes, obey the law and be good citizens. And let me just say, even though -- I will sign this bill if that's what it does, and that's what I understand it does. This is hardly a problem that is sweeping the country. No state has legalized gay marriages. Only one state is considering it. We all know why this is in Washington now -- it's one more attempt to divert the American people from the urgent need to confront our challenges together. That's really what's going on here. And I'm determined -- this has always been my position on gay marriage. It was my position in '92. I told everybody who asked me about it, straight or gay, what my position was. I can't change my position on that; I have no intention of it. But I am going to do everything I can to stop this election from degenerating into an attempt to pit one group of Americans against another. Every time we do that the American people make a mistake. We are a better country than that. We're a greater country than that. And we ought not to do it, and I'm going to do what I can to stop it. (Applause.) ... --end-- ----------- Rex Wockner -----------