reposted from the Fair Wisconsin website

Senator Russ Feingold issued a strong statement against the civil unions and marriage ban. He has been talking about the issue at his listening sessions around the state.

“The proposed ban on civil unions and marriage is a mean-spirited attempt to divide Wisconsin and I indicated that it should be defeated,” Feingold said. “It discriminates against thousands of people in our communities--our co-workers, our neighbors, our friends, and our family members. It would single out members of a particular group and forever deny them rights and protections granted to all other Wisconsin citizens. It would also outlaw civil unions and jeopardize many legal protections for all unmarried couples, whether of the same or the opposite sex. We shouldn’t enshrine this prejudice in our state’s Constitution.”

In the statement, Senator Feingold also says he believes gay couples should have the right to marry and "have access to the same rights, privileges and benefits that straight couples currently enjoy.”

As Wisconsinites wrestle with what the civil unions and marriage ban means for families in their communities, we thank Senator Feingold for taking a stand.