Protesters demand US gay rights 美国同性恋者要求给予更多公民
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-10-12 00:41 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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Thousands of people have marched through Washington to demand greater civil rights for gay men and lesbians.

华盛顿成千上万的人举行游行,要求给予男女同性恋者更多的公民权。

The protest took place a day after President Barack Obama said he would repeal1 a ban on gay people serving openly in the military.

The marchers in Washington also called for the speedy removal of legal restrictions2 on same-sex partnerships3.

Mr Obama has been accused by some in the gay community of being slow to act on gay rights.

On Sunday, the protesters in Washington carried signs urging President Obama to make good on his promise to end the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military.

The policy allows gay people to serve in the military if they do not reveal their sexual orientation(定位,适应).

"If somebody doesn't have equal rights, then none of us are free," activist4 Jason Yanowitz, 37, told the Associated Press.

Protester Joel Freedman said it was "absolutely ridiculous" that gay men and women "work so hard to support this country" but do not have fully5 equality.

"It's just absurd(荒唐的). It's absolutely absurd. It's enough," he said.

The main speaker at the rally, Julian Bond - who chairs the prominent rights group the National Association for the Advancement6 of Colored People (NAACP) - compared gay rights to the civil rights movement.

"Black people of all people should not oppose equality and that is what marriage is all about," he said.

"We have a lot of real and serious problems in this country, and same-sex marriage is not one of them. Good things don't come to those who wait, but they come to those who agitate(摇动,骚动)."

'Punishing patriots7'

Since coming into office, Mr Obama has taken steps towards addressing gay rights issues, including extending some benefits to the spouses8 of gay federal employees, the BBC's Imtiaz Tyab in Washington reports.

Married gay and lesbian couples are also allowed by the state department to obtain passports with their married names.

But the president has been criticised for not delivering on his promise to repeal(废止,撤销) the Defense9 of Marriage Act, which limits how local and federal bodies can recognise gay partnerships and determine benefits.

Polls consistently show there are far more opponents of gay marriage than there are supporters, says our correspondent.

In his speech on Saturday, Mr Obama said: "I appreciate that many of you don't believe progress has come fast enough. Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach."

He was speaking to America's largest gay group - the Human Rights Campaign - in Washington.

On the military issue he said the US could not afford to lose those people who had much needed skills for fighting.

"We should not be punishing patriotic10 Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country," Mr Obama said.

"We should be celebrating their willingness to step forward and show such courage."

The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Democrat11 Senator Carl Levin, said he supported the repeal but that it had to be done "in the right way".

"We can do it successfully, but it ought to be done with thoughtfulness and care, and with buy-in from the military," he told NBC.

Mr Obama did not give a timetable for repeal of the policy, passed by Congress in 1993, under which thousands of service members have been discharged.



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 repeal psVyy     
n.废止,撤消;v.废止,撤消
参考例句:
  • He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
  • He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由,赞成废除该法令。
2 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
3 partnerships ce2e6aff420d72bbf56e8077be344bc9     
n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 );合伙人身份;合作关系
参考例句:
  • Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句
4 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
5 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
6 advancement tzgziL     
n.前进,促进,提升
参考例句:
  • His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
  • The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。
7 patriots cf0387291504d78a6ac7a13147d2f229     
爱国者,爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
  • These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死,也不愿投降。
8 spouses 3fbe4097e124d44af1bc18e63e898b65     
n.配偶,夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
  • An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句
9 defense AxbxB     
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
参考例句:
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
10 patriotic T3Izu     
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的
参考例句:
  • His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
  • The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。
11 democrat Xmkzf     
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员
参考例句:
  • The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
  • About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后,他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。
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