LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Capital Letters |
by Hastings Wyman |
Clinton to Headline Gay Fundraiser in Dallas President Clinton has agreed to be the guest of honor at a gay fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Dallas, Texas, on September 7. The goal for the $5,000-a-pop dinner is half a million dollars. Lesbian activist Julie Johnson, who is chairing the dinner, says the event in George W. Bush's home state is "especially significant...due to [Bush's] horrible and despicable record and positions with respect to the gay community." Indeed, by appearing before a gay and lesbian audience in Bush's home state, the president automatically draws national attention to the contrast between the Democrats' commitment to gay Americans and the "yes, but" hesitancy in the Bush camp. The Clinton appearance will also give an even higher profile to the gay community's increasing importance in American politics. Dallas, with its large and well-heeled gay and lesbian community, is an ideal venue for a national Democratic fundraiser. With Bush a lead-pipe cinch in his home state, many Texans sympathetic to the Gore effort are likely to be more than happy to send their donations to be spent in other states where it can do Gore more good. This event is the latest in a series of major fundraisers aimed at raising money from the lesbian and gay community for the Democratic Party, honchoed by Democratic National Committee staffer Paul Yandura. Georgia Election Shows Gay Trend The victory of lesbian Karla Drenner in a close Democratic primary for the Georgia legislature caps a three-year surge in gay officeholders in this Deep South state. Drenner's recent victory in a gay-friendly Atlanta suburban district is the eighth win by an openly gay candidate in the past three years. Because she has no general election opponent, her primary victory is tantamount to election. In November 1997, lesbian Cathy Woolard, a former Human Rights Campaign operative, made history by winning election to Atlanta's City Council, becoming the first openly gay candidate to win an election in the Peach State. Since then, seven other gay candidates have won elective office in Georgia, mostly in small town Atlanta suburbs. "A remarkable achievement," says Atlanta pollster Beth Schapiro. In Pine Lake, the mayor and two council members are gay. In East Point, two council members are gay. And in Decatur, a city commissioner is gay. Drenner's election is the most impressive so far, however, because it's a state level position. Moreover, the legislature is far more often the site of homophobic rhetoric and proposals; having an openly gay member is likely to affect the tone and possibly the substance of legislative deliberations. Drenner, an environmental consultant, campaigned on issues related to the environment and education. She criss-crossed the district, knocking on doors. Though this was her first try for public office, she had attended a Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund training session in Atlanta earlier this year. Her "commitment to public service and willingness to work hard" were major components of her victory, says Schapiro. Both Atlanta newspapers, the liberal Atlanta Constitution and the conservative Atlanta Journal, endorsed Drenner. Given the ethnically diverse nature of the district, the incumbent, state Rep. June Hegstrom (D), had a strong pro-gay record, creating a dilemma for gay political groups not unlike that faced by national groups. The Georgia Equality Project, a gay group, endorsed Hegstrom, but is now considering whether to revise its policy of supporting pro-gay incumbents, regardless of circumstance. Post-script: Two days after Drenner's election, Gov. Roy Barnes (D) spoke to the gay Atlanta Executive Network and a standing-room-only crowd of 600. It was the first time in Peach State history that a governor addressed a gay group in person. Out and About San Francisco. The city is switching to district elections for its Board of Supervisors, an arrangement that once benefited gays when they were bunched up in the Castro. Now, however, gay folk have moved out across the city and the new districts can help or hurt. Already, the board's only lesbian, Leslie Katz, has announced she won't seek re-electionshe can't run in District 9, where she lives, because she would have to oppose popular gay Board President Tom Ammiano. But she can't move to the nearby District 6, which has no incumbent, because the real estate is too pricey. So far, of the more than 20 candidates in District 6, three are openly gay. Stay tuned. Virginia. U.S. Senator Chuck Robb (D), facing a tough re-election battle this fall, received the National Stonewall Democratic Federation's first congressional endorsement this year. Robb and his wife, Lynda Johnson Robb, accepted the gay group's support at a fundraiser sponsored by two Stonewall affiliates, the Virginia Partisans Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club and Washington, D.C.'s Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. The event netted $50,000 for Robb, who has a strong pro-gay voting record, and voted against the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. HRC Faces Familiar Problem The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is in a tight spot. In Vermont, U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords (R) rated 100 in the last Congress on HRC's scorecard of gay-related issues, and rated 85 in the first session of this Congress. Jeffords "is not just a supporter, but a champion" on gay issues, notes HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. He has been a lead sponsor of the pending Employment Non-Discrimination Act since its inception and was the major force behind this year's reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act, assuring no anti-gay amendments were attached. And, he is favored to win re-election, not an unimportant factor for lobbyists. So what's the problem? Ed Flanagan, Vermont's openly gay state auditor, is mounting a surprisingly effective challenge to Jeffords and has been endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. Not only does Democrat Flanagan have a solid record in Green Mountain State government, he has been a stalwart on gay issues, including Vermont's recently controversial civil union legislation. Though Flanagan must first win a contested primary, he has surprised friend and foe alike with early fundraising success. The gay community would receive a major boost if an openly gay lawmaker were to serve in the United States Senate. That's not HRC's only dilemma. U.S. Representative Steve Horn, from California's 38th District (Long Beach), is among the most pro-gay Republicans in the House. In the last Congress, Horn rated an 88 percent on HRC's scale; in the first session of this Congress, he rated 82 percent. But, like Jeffords in Vermont, Horn has an openly gay opponent who is waging a respectable campaign. Long-time lesbian activist Gerrie Schipske won this year's hotly contested primary for the Democratic nomination. Schipske, a nurse practitioner and health care policy consultant, has $105,000 on hand to Horn's $388,000. But the district leans Democraticin 1996, Clinton got 53 percent here to Dole's 36 percentwhich might make Schipske's dollars go further. She has also been endorsed by the Victory Fund. What's HRC going to do? "There's been no decision in either of these races," says Stachelberg. She points out that in similar past predicaments, HRC went with the incumbent Republicans. In 1996, HRC caught flak for jointly endorsing Horn and his gay challenger, Democrat Rick Zbur. And in 1998's New York U.S. Senate race, though not involving a gay challenger, HRC was a target for considerable activist anger for sticking with the pro-gay incumbent, Republican Al D'Amato. And this time? Stachelberg wouldn't say, but she did note that despite the best efforts of Jeffords and Horn, they weren't able to keep the Republican leadership in both houses from stifling pro-gay legislation. Stay tuned. Gay Republicans to Shine in Philadelphia In marked contrast to recent conventions, where gay people were all but invisibleor the target of hostile rhetoricat this year's GOP's national meeting, Log Cabin Republicans and other gay GOPers are planning a high-profile presence. At high noon on Monday, the first day of the proceedings, gay Republicans and their homophile friends will gather at Liberty City's Top of the Tower at a reception honoring gay and lesbian Republicans. Among the GOP celebrities on tap will be Mary Matalin, a top GOP strategist, TV talk show host, feisty wife of Democratic guru James Carville, and one of the most outspoken pro-gay Republicans around. The Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund are co-hosting the event. The host committee includes big names from both sides of the gay GOP's recent disagreements, from the pro-John McCain groupLog Cabin's executive director Rich Tafel and its president Bob Stearsto the early George W. Bush partisansPhiladelphia chapter president David Greer, D.C. alternate delegate Carl Schmid, and Charles Francis, a personal friend of Bush. Sponsors include Texas real estate tycoon Trammel Crow, Microsoft, and gay computer mogul Tim Gill of the Gill Foundation. The list of those invited include all of the Republican governors, members of the U.S. House and Senate, state chairs and members of the Republican National Committee. They won't all show, but "we're trying to show the party that the gay and lesbian community will be there," says Schmid. Then on Tuesday at the Sofitel Hotel, the digs of the Arizona delegation, the National Log Cabin Republicans are hosting a reception honoring openly gay officeholders. Honorees include U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe (Ariz.), former U.S. Rep. Steve Gunderson (Wis.), Mayor Dan Stewart (Plattsburg, N.Y.), D.C. City Councilman David Catania, and Councilman Bill Schmidt of Peekskill, N.Y. The convention's 18 openly gay delegates and alternatesa record numberwill also be honored. "Some interesting folks will be there," says Log Cabin Political Director Kevin Ivers. McCain, maybe? Hastings Wyman publishes Southern Political Report, a nonpartisan biweekly political newsletter. He can be reached at HWymanSPR@aol.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 10, July 28, 2000. |