LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Capital Letters |
by Hastings Wyman |
Gays Gain in Dixie The South, the nation's conservative Bible Belt, is not quick to jump on any revolutionary bandwagon, so it comes as no surprise that the region ranks at the bottom in electing gay people to public office. Of the nearly 250 openly lesbian and gay candidates who have won elective office across the country, only a dozen or so are Southerners. Slowly but surely, however, a New South is coming to the fore, to wit: Florida: Voters in Wilton Manors, a town of 13,000 north of Fort Lauderdale, recently elected openly gay John Fiore mayor. With Fiore as mayor and with two gay council members, Wilton Manors has become the only town in the nation to have a gay majority on its governing boardbesides West Hollywood, Calif., of course. And in Orlando, lesbian Patty Sheehan made the April 11 runoff for a seat on the council of this city of 175,000. Virginia: Openly gay Paul Smedberg won last month's Democratic caucuses and will be on the ballot as his party's nominee for the Alexandria City Council. Smedberg, who is the director of governmental affairs for the National Health Council, has chaired the Alexandria Democratic Committee and been active in a number of civic and gay organizations. He's got top-notch political muscle in his corner: Two straight legislators co-chair his campaign committee, while other backers include Congressman Jim Moran, former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer, and Alexandria Sheriff Jim Dunning. The sheriff! We've certainly come a long way, baby. When asked if his sexual orientation had been a handicap in his campaign, Smedberg answered, "Absolutely not," confirming the recent Newsweek poll that found 74 percent of Americans believe gays and lesbians should be eligible to hold major political office. If Smedberg wins the May 2 election, he'll be only the second openly gay person elected to office in the Old Dominion. The first is Jay Fissette, who serves on the Arlington County Board. Gay Man versus Mary Bono Palm Springs City Councilman Ron Oden won the Democratic nomination to oppose Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono in California's 44th District. Oden, who teaches sociology at the College of the Desert and is a longtime civic activist, came in ahead of two other Democrats in the March 7 primary. Despite an impressive resume, Oden has an uphill battle against the well-known Bono. Despite her public image as gay-friendly (and famous lesbian step-daughter), incumbent Bono rated a low 25 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's scorecard on gay issues in the last Congress and only 9 percent in the first session of this Congress. Pennyless in Minnesota Former U.S. Rep. Tim Penny's decision not to run for the Senate next year in Minnesota makes the effort to defeat antigay incumbent Republican Ron Grams more problematic. Although Grams, who rates a flat zero on the HRC scorecard, is running poorly in the polls, Penny was widely regarded as Grams's strongest challenger. A March survey, taken by Mason- Dixon Research, showed Penny beating Grams 50 percent to 33 percent. But Grams led every one of the other candidates for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nomination. The Stonewall Caucus, composed of lesbian and gay activists in the DFL party, did not make an official endorsement of any of the six candidates seeking the party's Senate nomination. Top Stonewall vote-getters: University of Minnesota medical doctor Steve Miles, who has the support of Megan Thomas, the state's Stonewall DFL Club co-chair, and David Lillehaug, who as a U.S. Attorney chaired a hatecrimes summit. Informal surveys of the 2,400 DFL delegates and alternates selected in party caucuses indicate Stonewall favorites did OK: Miles came in second and Lillehaug third. Although firstplace finisher, state Sen. Jerry Janezich, was not at the top of Stonewall's list, he was a co-sponsor of Minnesota's gay-inclusive human rights law. The wide distribution of the delegate choices may result in an official "no endorsement" at the DFL Convention June 24, which would mean a hotly contested primary on September 12. Only No. 2 The vice presidential guessing game is in full swing in the nation's capital, and while it is wise to remember that the presidential nomineenot his running matewins the election and governs the country, the second spot is important. For starters, as Lyndon Johnson showed in the South when he was John F. Kennedy's vice presidential candidate in 1960, the person in the No. 2 spot can help the ticket carry key states or regionsand may ultimately become president. Conversely, as Geraldine Ferraro showed in 1984, a seemingly bold and brilliant choice can mire a campaign in unexpected controversy that contributes to a defeat. For gay and lesbian voters, who Al Gore and George Bush choose as running mates may send a signal about how sympatheticor hostiletheir administrations might be to our concerns. Here's a rundown on some of the Alist possibilities and their implications for the gay community. Gore May Look to His Right The Bill Bradley campaign didn't do well enough to put the New Jersey liberal in the running for the Democrats' No. 2 spot. Moreover, there's no other game in town for the left wing of the party so Gore is freeas Clinton was in 1992 when he first ranto put a compatible centrist on the ticket. Some people he may be considering include: Sen. Evan Bayh: Gore is ahead in the Northeast and the West Coast, but is in a battle in the crucial Midwest. So he might pick this popular politician from Indiana, who will be known to older voters as the son of Birch Bayh, a liberal pol of the '60s and '70s. Evan Bayh is a moderate who did little or nothing on our issues when he was the Hoosier State's governor. In the Senate, Bayh's record rated a poor 50 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's congressional scorecard on gay issues. He recently signaled a change of direction when he signed on as a co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which bans job-related bias against gay people. That boosted his HRC score to 67 percent. Sen. Bob Graham: Gore doesn't have many opportunities in his native Southland, but polls show him within striking distance in Florida, the nation's fourth largest state. So he might pick the Sunshine State's popular senator and former governor, Bob Graham. A scion of the Washington Post Grahams, the senator is a moderate who has long harbored national ambitions. His record on the HRC scorecard is 85 percent. Sen. Dianne Feinstein: The GOP convention comes 10 days before the Democratic conclave, so if Bush picks Elizabeth Dole, Gore might want to shore up his support among women by choosing Feinstein, a popular San Francisco political fixture. In the Senate, Feinstein has been a stalwart on our issues, even supporting same-sex marriage. Bush May Look to His Left In 1988, Republican presidential nominee George Bushthe elder, not Dubyawent right for his running mate, choosing Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle. In 1996, Bob Dole also went to his right, choosing Jack Kemp. This year, however, the betting is that George W. Bush will look to his left, thanks to the McCain campaign, which reactivated the GOP's moderate wing. While the shift may not be apparent on most gay issues this fall, in the longer term, Republican homophobia may be on the wane. Sen. John McCain: If Bush is smart, he'll pick the Arizona senatordespite the ugly things he said about Bush, despite his reputed inability to play well with others, and despite his nasty temper. For all his flaws, McCain tapped into something America's Great Middle was looking for, something Bush needs. So what would be in it for gay folk? On the plus side, McCain got help when he needed itspell that moneyfrom the gay Log Cabin Republicans, and he isn't likely to forget it. On the minus side, he's against us on most of our issues. Elizabeth Dole: If he picks Dole, Bush would look goodopen to change and desirous of winning more women to his cause. But while rumors persist that Dole has always had gay men in her entourage, the only arguably gayfriendly stand she took in her presidential campaign was to decline to sign the anti-gay pledge dreamed up by Iowa's Christian conservatives. Nevertheless, she would move the GOP's image a little more toward the center, which might diminish the role of the party's homophobes. Colin Powell: By picking the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Bush would at once improve his defense/foreign policy credentials and make himself look like a mold-breaking, yet moderate, leader. A genuine American hero, a Powell pick would move the nation a much-needed step forward in race relations without a lot of backlash. But Powell's vocal opposition to gays in the military was a severe blow to the effort to strike down the Pentagon's unjust policies toward lesbians and gays. Stay tuned. Hastings Wyman publishes Southern Political Report, a nonpartisan biweekly political newsletter. He can be reached care of this publication or at HWymanSPR@aol.com. For more Capital Letters, visit www.planetout.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 3, Apr. 7, 2000. |