From: Hrccomm@aol.com Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 13:09:42 -0500 Subject: Dornan Defeat A Victory For Gay & Lesbian Americans ________________________________________________________ NEWS from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: communications@hrcusa.org WWW: http://www.hrcusa.org ________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, Nov. 13, 1996 DORNAN DEFEAT A VICTORY FOR GAY AND LESBIAN AMERICANS Triumph of Decency Over Discrimination, Says Largest Gay Political Group WASHINGTON -- The apparent defeat of Rep. Bob Dornan, the most anti-gay member of the House of Representatives, is a triumph of decency over discrimination, the Human Rights Campaign said today. The registrar of voters in Santa Ana, Calif., put Dornan 929 votes behind his Democratic challenger, Loretta Sanchez, with only about 1,000 absentee ballots left to tally. The Los Angeles Times reported today that Sanchez appears impossible to beat. "At long last, Orange County voters have rejected Dornan's wild-eyed extremism and hateful rhetoric," said Daniel Zingale, HRC's political director. "America is a safer place without Bob Dornan in Congress. His defeat in conservative Orange County underscores the message of this election -- that voters are fed up with politics driven by irrational spite." During his 1992 re-election campaign, Dornan made headlines by asserting during an interview that "Every lesbian spear-chucker in this country is hoping I get defeated." Even in this most recent race, Dornan attacked Sanchez as "another Catholic for abortion and sodomy rights." "I'm being fed a dream candidate," he said. "As it turned out, she was his worst nightmare," Zingale said. "And today, gay people across this nation are heaving a collective sigh of relief, knowing that they will no longer be subject to Dornan's capricious, sinister attacks." Dornan, whose temper is notorious, demanded a recount and asked for an investigation by the House Oversight Committee. "Dornan is losing with the same grace and temperament that marked his 18 years in Congress," said David M. Smith, HRC's communications director. Throughout his political career, Dornan obsessively launched attacks on lesbian and gay Americans, as well as people with HIV and AIDS. In the last session of Congress, HRC worked with AIDS and veterans groups to repeal a Dornan measure that would have forced the military to discharge service members with HIV and cut off basic benefits to their families. Dornan also provoked the ire of his House colleagues when he launched a vendetta against fellow Republican Rep. Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin, accusing him from the floor of the House of having "a revolving door on his closet. He's in, he's out, he's in, he's out." At the time, Gunderson had not publicly revealed that he is gay. HRC's political action committee contributed $5,000 to Sanchez' general election campaign, the maximum allowed by law. - 30 -