Kerry's voting record III: consistent on gay marriage

Liberal Oasis takes a look at Kerry's voting record on the issue of gay marrriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act, and find it to be a nuanced yet consistent position throughout his long career. Kerry has always supported civil unions and been against gay marriage - and his vote against the DOMA in 1996 was entirely consistent with that position. Here's his actual statement on the floor in 1996:

I will vote against this bill, though I am not for same-sex marriage, because I believe that this debate is fundamentally ugly, and it is fundamentally political, and it is fundamentally flawed.
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the results of this bill will not be to preserve anything, but will serve to attack a group of people out of various motives and rationale�and will only serve the purposes of the political season
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It is hard to believe that this bill is anything other than a thinly veiled attempt to score political debating points by scapegoating gay and lesbian Americans. That is politics at its worst.
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If this were truly a defense of marriage act, it would expand the learning experience for would-be husbands and wives.

It would provide for counseling for all troubled marriages, not just for those who can afford it.

It would provide treatment on demand for those with alcohol and substance abuse�
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It would expand the Violence Against Women Act.

It would guarantee day care for every family that struggles and needs it.

There's a lot more detail at LO, so go take a look for more on Kerry's entire record on the issue. It's a wonderful defense of gay people as a group, holding the line against singling them out, yet he also zeroes in on what the true challenges facing normal hetero marriage are and asks why these greater threats to the institution of marrriage have not been addressed.

Kerry's taken some flack for supporting the proposed Massachusetts amendment that would outlaw gay marriage but permit civil unoins. That's once again precisely consistent with his principles.