LGBT Rights
Visit the LGBT for Seals page
“Fundamentally, the rights outlined in our constitution must apply to all Americans equally. I see LGBT issues as civil rights issues and will work to ensure that Americans in the LGBT community have the same rights as all Americans. I will also support various efforts aimed at mitigating the prejudice and biases that thrive in ignorance.”
–Dan Seals
Providing Equal Rights to Same-Sex Couples
Dan supports same-sex marriage and believes same sex partners should receive the same legal rights and privileges as any other married couple. These include property rights, adoption rights, employment benefits, tax treatment, survivor benefits, and the right to assist loved ones in times of emergency. Dan supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and opposes a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. He also supports the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO) and the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, which extends spousal benefits to all federal civilian employees, including same-sex domestic partners, and equalizes tax treatment, specifically for employer-provided health coverage for other non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiaries.
Workplace Discrimination
Dan supports the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and believes it is important to protect against both sexual orientation and gender identity based discrimination.
Expanding Federal Hate Crimes Legislation
Hate crimes are committed against individuals, but they affect entire communities. Dan supports the Matthew Shepard Act, which would expand federal hate crime laws to include crimes motivated by the victim’s perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The act would also provide federal authorities with a greater ability to assist state and local law enforcement with investigations into bias-motivated crimes.
Increasing Federal Funding for HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Research
Dan believes we need to invest more federal resources into HIV research and public health programs. He supports funding for the Ryan White Care Act to provide HIV/AIDS treatment to low-income Americans, and applauds its October 2009 reauthorization for another four years.
Early Treatment for HIV Act
Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA) would allow states the option of providing Medicare coverage to low-income, HIV-positive Americans, and should be a part of any comprehensive health care reform.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy
Dan supports The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA), which repeals the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the U.S. Military, allowing LGBT soldiers the right to serve openly in the military.
Currently, there is no lawful process for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to apply for a family-based visa for his or her partner if they are of the same sex. Our laws break apart these families for no reason other than sexual orientation. Dan believes in righting this wrong, and supports the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) of 2009, granting same-sex couples the same immigration benefits.
Better Data Collection and Additional Support for Research
The Ending LGBT Health Disparities Act (ELHDA) is needed to adequately invest in research and data collection, establish non-discrimination policies for all federal health programs, provide funding for cultural competency training for health care providers, extend Medicare benefits to same-sex domestic partners, create a new office of LGBT Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, and provide funding for community health centers that serve the LGBT community.
Strengthening Coordinated Health in our Schools
Dan understands that health education and physical confidence begin in the home. However, most children spend a majority of their days in and around school. It’s important we put in place the basic safeguards to ensure children’s well-being and continued education while they are away from home. Dan supports mandating a medically-accurate and age-appropriate comprehensive sexual health education curricula. He also advocates for the adoption of the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA), which addresses the pervasive problem of bullying. This amendment to the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act requires schools to adjust their codes of conduct to specifically prohibit harassment of any students, including LGBT students, and to include this data in state assessment reporting.
See Videos of Dan at the Media Center