Equality of Opportunity Plank

General Preamble

Ventura County Democrats believe that diversity strengthens our nation, our state, and our communities.  We work to foster the common values and commitments that unite all people regardless of their age, cultural heritage, national origin, disability, socio-economic status, gender, race, sexual orientation or religious views.  We see that a great disparity exists between the top one percent and the rest of America and understand that any anti-gay bias contributes to that disparity in our community.  We believe that all persons deserve the opportunity to participate fully in the educational, economic, cultural, and especially the political fabric of Ventura County.

Therefore Ventura County Democrats will fight for all people to live with dignity and equality and will:

Statement of Principle

• Support equality for all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LBGT) people and nondiscrimination in all aspects of their lives;
  
• Oppose in a unified voice hatred, racism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, xenophobia, and violence;
  
• Encourage, support and defend voluntary and mandatory affirmative action measures to enhance access and equity in employment, education and business opportunities;
  
• Affirm that the decision to accept or reject any religious belief, to bind oneself to any religious creed, or to hold no religious belief at all is a private matter and should always remain a matter of individual conscience, and we oppose giving any government funding to organizations that discriminate; and
  
• Support the LGBT community in its quest for the right to legal marriage in California as a civil right and acknowledge and the respective clergy's complete religious freedom to solemnize marriages in accordance with their beliefs.