The election of U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as House Democratic minority leader should be a major step forward for the gay community—but there are also pitfalls from having her in that high-profile job.

Her election is a positive development first because she is a woman. Never before has either major national party chosen a woman as its leader in either house of Congress. By further breaking down gender stereotypes, Pelosi subtly—but surely—will change the public’s notion that politics is the preserve of (presumably straight) men.

The party’s choice of Pelosi is also significant because for 15 years she has represented a San Francisco district in Congress. Although Pelosi launched her congressional career by defeating gay leader Harvey Britt in 1987, her voting record on gay issues has been consistently good—she even voted against the antigay Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996. That means she doesn’t have to be brought up to speed on gay issues, nor learn to be comfortable with gay politicos. And it may mean that she will use her new power and influence to advance such issues as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and hate crimes legislation.

I say “may” because in her new job, Pelosi has a much broader constituency now—the entire Democratic Party—in which gays play a relatively small part.

Indeed, Pelosi’s San Francisco background could lead to problems. One of them is that she may come under pressure from Democrats who—understandably—want to appeal to centrist voters. When Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) was the Democratic leader, he moved from a relatively conservative stance on social issues to a much more gay-friendly position. Pelosi, however, starts out associated with the nation’s most gay-identified city, and to make peace with moderates, she may feel a need to soft-pedal her pro-gay background and stance.

More troublesome is the prospect that Pelosi’s pro-gay background, particularly on DOMA, will make her a tempting target for the GOP’s social conservatives. While many of the GOP’s antigay firebrands—Senators Jesse Helms (N.C.) and Bob Smith (N.H.), U.S. Reps. Bob Barr (Ga.) and Bob Dornan (Calif.)—are no longer in Congress, there is still antigay sentiment among Christian conservatives. Thus, some Republicans, especially in the South, may be tempted to exploit Pelosi’s San Francisco connection. On such issues as employment rights and hate crimes, Pelosi’s stands won’t hurt her or the Democratic Party—there is a lot of public support for both. But even many moderate voters are hostile to same-sex marriage—which may lead to more nasty DOMA-type legislation in Congress and similar rhetoric on the campaign trail.

On balance, however, even with the potential problems, Pelosi’s victory should move forward the policies that promote equal rights for gay people.

Gay Politicos Working in Louisiana Senate Runoff

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) came in first on November 5, but she had less than 50 percent of the vote and under Louisiana’s peculiar election law, she is in a December 7 runoff with Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell.

Landrieu has been a dependable friend of the gay community, not only earning a 100 rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s latest legislative scorecard, but addressing HRC’s New Orleans dinner and appearing at other gay-sponsored events in her state. HRC and a number of gay groups, in Louisiana and nationally, are supporting Landrieu’s re-election. National Stonewall Democrats are sending volunteers to the campaign, as well the group’s Media and Field Director John Marble. In addition, Stonewall is dispatching a group of lawyers to help out on election day. HRC, which endorsed Landrieu early in the campaign, is sending four or five campaign operatives, including several graduates of its youth college, to work for Landrieu.

There is some gay support for Terrell, however. A moderate by Deep South standards, she beat out two more conservative GOPers for the runoff spot. Louisiana Log Cabin President Randy Boudreaux says Terrell has been a friend of gays since her days on the New Orleans city council and has spoken to Log Cabin meetings. The group endorsed Terrell in past races and is holding a fundraiser for her Senate campaign. (Gay GOPers have some clout in New Orleans, accounting for about 20 percent of the Orleans parish Republican organization, says Boudreaux.)

The campaign could develop homophobic overtones, however. U.S. Rep. John Cooksey (R), a conservative who lost in the primary on November 5, says Terrell falsely accused him of favoring gay rights, but Terrell partisans contend that another candidate, Christian conservative Tony Perkins (R), did the dirty work. Terrell needs the support of the right-leaning backers of both Cooksey and Perkins, and in one questionnaire from a socially conservative group, she indicated she is opposed to both employment protections for gays and gay-inclusive hate crimes laws. Watch this one.

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