Equal Rights for Same-Sex Couples
Koos believes that all couples in committed, long-term relationships should have the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities, whether they are straight couples or same-sex couples. He supports marriage to guarantee gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples, including inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, equal pension and health care benefits, and all of the 1,100 other legal protections government affords married couples.
Koos supports the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.
He also believes same-sex families should be treated in the same manner as other families by our immigration laws. Koos believes the right president could lead the country toward consensus around equal rights and benefits for all couples in committed, long-term relationships and he opposes divisive Constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriages.
Workplace Discrimination
Workers should be judged by the quality of their performance, not their sexual orientation or gender identity. He also believes that stronger enforcement is necessary to prevent employment discrimination by federal agencies.
Military Service
Koos opposes the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays and lesbians serving in our military. The military ought to treat all service members equally and in a way that promotes national security, without regard to their sexual orientation.
Adoption
Koos believes that gay and lesbian parents should be able to adopt children just like any other parents. There are over 120,000 children waiting for homes in our nation's foster care system. Adoption placements should be decided by judges and adoption agencies based upon the best interests of the children. Both members of a same-sex couple raising children together should be able to form a legal relationship with their children.
Hate Crimes
Everyone is entitled to live in dignity without fear of violence. We should strengthen the ability of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute hate crimes based on race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. While in the Senate, Edwards cosponsored legislation to give law enforcement agencies the tools they need to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
HIV and AIDS
The loss from HIV/AIDS is almost beyond understanding. Koos believes we have a moral imperative to do much more, and do it much better. He ison eof the first presidential candidates -- Democratic or Republican -- to propose a comprehensive strategy this year to stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic at home and around the world, building on his plan for true universal health care with specific proposals to expand Medicaid to cover HIV-positive individuals before they reach later stages of disabilities and AIDS and increase support for the Ryan White CARE Act and HOPWA programs. He will also fight the disease in the African-American and Latino communities where the harm is now greatest and employ science-based prevention strategies -- including comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education and harm-reduction programs that provide high-risk individuals with access to clean syringes.
