Super Tuesday is now just days away. A few states’ primaries have already passed. Have you made your decision yet? Sadly, I haven’t.  I have pondered, considered, mused and fumed. I simply do not like the available options, particularly in terms of the issues that matter most in my daily life. I will try, over the next days in my own head, to balance out the candidates’ views and choose the best of the available options as far as the Democratic primaries go.  With that, here is my breakdown on the issues that matter to the gay community. The best source for information I’ve found? The candidates themselves, in the Human Rights Campaign survey they each filled out earlier this year. These responses have been conveniently broken down here (which basically tells you the current Democratic frontrunners Obama and Hillary agree with most the gay issues).

Obviously, we all know which issue is getting the press. Marriage rights are big news in our community, and rightly so. None of the forerunners for the Democratic nomination support marriage rights; however, both have voiced support for civil unions in clear and broad terms. Edwards, too, has voiced wide ranging support for civil unions. In all cases, they include medical rights, health insurance, employer benefits and the rights and responsibilities that go along with marriage in their definition of civil unions. Edwards and Obama have publicly stated that they would support the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, while Clinton supports only a partial repeal.

Other family-focused issues are also important within our community. Adoption rights, immigration rights and more affect the daily lives of many gay Americans. Clinton, Obama and Edwards have all voiced support for these issues as they impact our community. All three candidates have reached out to the gay community in a way we have not seen before. While it may not be adequate or enough, it is an improvement.

While the family-centered issues may be in the news, many other issues also impact our lives, sometimes in far more difficult ways. All of the candidates in the Democratic primary support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), the repeal of the don’t ask, don’t tell policy in the US military and strongly worded hate crime legislation. All three candidates actively support HIV funding, prevention and research

It quickly becomes clear that the differences may be fairly minimal for our community. We are left to make our choice on details, emotion, and personality. We are left to consider who is the most likely to win the general election, and who fits all the other criteria we each deem important. I think I’ve made my choice. Have you made your decision for Super Tuesday?