On Sunday night, the drafting committee for the Democratic Party platform voted unanimously to include a plank supporting marriage equality, a Democratic source confirmed to TPM.
The move comes after months of pressure from Democratic lawmakers, party officials and outside groups. The movement got a boost in May when President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage.
The Platform Drafting Committee’s vote on the draft was first reported by the Washington Blade. “I was part of a unanimous decision to include it,” Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told the paper. “There was a unanimous decision in the drafting committee to include it in the platform, which I supported, but everybody was for it.”
Though the language of the draft is not yet available, the Blade’s report, confirmed by the Democratic source, says the platform includes other gay rights planks beyond marriage. The platform “rejects DOMA and has positive language with regard to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act,” the Blade reported.
“We are grateful for the Platform Drafting Committee’s unanimous vote to include the freedom to marry in its draft of the Democratic Party platform,” said Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director for the advocacy group Freedom to Marry, who was among those who testified before the committee. “As I testified to the Committee on Friday, the Democratic Party has a noble history of fighting for the human and civil rights of all Americans. We are proud that the Committee is including language that will ensure the Party is leading the way forward in supporting marriage for loving and committed same-sex couples and their families.”
The White House declined to comment on the issue Monday. When asked about President Obama’s reaction to the addition of gay marriage on the Democratic platform, White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest instructed reporters to seek comment with the Democratic National Committee instead.
The vote Sunday came after the committee met over the weekend in Minneapolis to hear testimony. The draft, which will be crafted over the next few weeks, will be used as a working document when the full committee meets in two weeks in Detroit. The version that comes out of Detroit will be submitted to the delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte for final approval.
Igor Bobic contributed to this story.
