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Impressive Speakers Highlight 2004 National Symposium
Watch Andrew Sullivan's speech
See photos from the 2004 National Symposium

Hundreds of fair-minded, politically moderate gay and lesbian people, along with our straight allies from all over the nation, attended the 2004 Liberty Education Forum National Symposium in Palm Springs, California on April 16, 2004. These courageous Americans represent a moderate voice for inclusion and equality-working at the grassroots level to achieve liberty and fairness for all.

LEF's 2004 National Symposium covered a variety of important topics affecting gay and lesbian Americans. Speeches touched on the importance of gaining basic protections for gay and lesbian families. The symposium also included a distinguished panel discussion on the critical issues related to HIV/AIDS. Several speeches focused on the military's don't ask, don't tell policy.

Speakers included noted conservative author and commentator Andrew Sullivan. Also, Rob Compton and David Wilson shared their experience as one of the plaintiff couples in the historic Goodridge marriage equality case in Massachusetts. Plus, openly gay Brigadier General Keith Kerr, CSMR (Ret.) shared his experience as a retired high-ranking military officer.

Late last year, three retired military officers, two generals and an admiral, disclosed to the New York Times that they are gay. The three decided to share their personal story as a way of continuing their fight against the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. We applaud these three brave leaders for stepping out front on this issue-Retired Brigadier General Virgil Richard from the Army, Rear Admiral Alan Steinman of the Coast Guard and Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr, CSMR (Ret.). Kerr shared his perspective on policy with people at LEF's 2004 National Symposium.

Andrew Sullivan's speech focused on the importance of civil marriage equality. "Nobody chooses the moment of their battles; civil rights movements accelerate just when you don't expect them to. Our job is to insist that all human beings are members of the same family. A lot of the difficulties that gay men, and to a much lesser extent gay women, have in later life in forming relationships come from the fact that from the moment they understand in their young self-awareness that they are gay, they also internalize the fact that they will never have a relationship like their parents."

"Do you believe that any heterosexual in this country for any second has ever believed that they had the right to the pursuit of happiness if that right did not include the right to marry the person they love?"
One courageous couple spoke at the symposium, to put a human face on this important issue. Rob Compton and David Wilson shared their personal experiences as leaders in the fight for civil marriage equality. Compton and Wilson are one of seven couples who sued the state of Massachusetts to achieve civil marriage equality. Wilson said, "Rob and I kind of stand here today certainly evidence of what a group of seven couples can do and what a community can do to support an effort that three years ago–was not even a consideration in most of the country. "We believe that this marriage discussion has opened up a dialogue at dinner tables that never would have happened."

Wilson spoke about the difference between civil unions and civil marriage. "Civil unions provided about half of the benefits of marriage in Vermont, and what happens with civil unions is the legislatures and/or courts decide which of the marriage benefits you'll be entitled to, but it's never been the full range. But beyond that, all of the laws, both state and federal, are written with the word marriage in, so if we were going to accept civil unions, which we would not, what would actually happen is all of the laws that include the word "marriage" would have to be changed to include the word "civil union," and that's not going to happen."

Wilson continued, "When...someone describes civil unions to me, what I think about is, 'I'm going to stand in a line that says "civil unions," and everybody else is going to stand in a line that says "marriage,"' and so I feel right off the bat that we have two systems: one created for people that are going to be "civil unionized" and the other for people that are going to be married, so for me it becomes a very personal civil rights struggle. Would it have been OK for Rosa Parks to sit in the middle of the bus? That's the compromise so many people have asked us regarding civil unions."

Compton said, "One of the things that's just absolutely stunning is how many young people come up to us and want to talk about the marriage issue. These kids, and they're 18, 19, 20 years old, they should be talking about dating and partying and all these things, but they're coming and saying how important this is to them, and how this is giving them the hopes and the dreams that they can have the same kind of normal life that their brothers and sisters can have, that they can form families and that those families will be respected and valued someday by society."

Compton continued, "Marriage is more than just a legal contract; it defines who you are; it's how you identify yourself; I think of myself as a married person, as a father, as a family man. It gives recognition and legal rights to your families, which are very important. It confers respect and value by society, and it says that we are worthy of full participation in society. We're not second-class citizens, that somehow we're not worthy of the word 'marriage.' You can give us all the same benefits and protections but let's call it something else because you're not quite good enough yet. But probably most importantly, it tells the world that David is the person that I love; David is the person I want to spend my life with."

The 2004 National Symposium brought together a distinguished list of speakers to share their personal perspectives on some of the key issues facing gay and lesbian Americans.