Subject: Dornan Defeat A Victory For Gay & Lesbian Americans
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 13:09:42 -0500

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NEWS from the
Human Rights Campaign

1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
email:  [email-masked]
<A HREF="http://www.hrcusa.org">
WWW:    http://www.hrcusa.org
</A>
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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.

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