Subject: Ending Job Discrimination Against Gays & Lesbians A Winning Issue In Campaign 96

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 8 Nov 1996 13:36:03 -0500

________________________________________________________

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>
________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Nov. 7, 1996                     

      ENDING JOB DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GAYS AND LESBIANS
                 A WINNING ISSUE IN CAMPAIGN '96
         Network Exit Polls Show Gay Vote at 5 Percent

   GO TO HRC'S ONLINE ACTION CENTER FOR A SPECIAL CAMPAIGN 96
         REPORT AND FULL FY95-95 ENDORSEMENT/PAC REPORT
                     http://www.hrcusa.org

WASHINGTON -- Ending job discrimination against gay men and
lesbians emerged as a winning issue in the elections, the Human
Rights Campaign asserted today.  No  candidate who voiced support
for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- from President
Clinton to those running for the Senate and House -- lost as a
result of his or her position on that bill.

     "Support for basic job fairness for gays and lesbians has
become a mainstream issue," said Elizabeth Birch, HRC's executive
director. "This was proven by the fact that several Republican
candidates decided late in their campaigns to publicly support
ENDA, which would end job discrimination based on sexual
orientation -- most notably Rudy Boschwitz, who lost to Minnesota
Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone, and Gordon Smith, who ran for
the Senate from Oregon."

     ENDA's chances of passage remain solid in the 105th
Congress. There was no initial net change in the number of ENDA
supporters in either the House or Senate, according to an HRC
analysis. The fact that Americans voted for the "moderate middle"
for Congress also helps ENDA's prospects because the bill is now
clearly understood as moderate, Birch noted.

     Eighty-four percent of the candidates endorsed by HRC won
their elections, compared to 67 percent in 1992.

     The politics of scapegoating gay people failed. Candidates
who were criticized for their votes against the anti-gay Defense
of Marriage Act won -- such as Rep. Lynn Rivers, D-Mich. In fact,
no incumbent who voted against the Defense of Marriage Act lost.

     In addition, exit polls showed that gay and lesbian voters
constituted 5 percent of the total turnout, a substantial
increase from the roughly 3 percent reported in 1994.  Of that 5  
percent, 67 percent voted for Clinton, 18 percent chose Bob Dole
and 10 percent voted for Ross Perot.

      "Gay men and lesbians are emerging as an important segment
of the electorate as more and more gay people are willing to be
open and honest about who they are," Birch said.

     The Human Rights Campaign, working with gays and lesbians in
North Carolina, laid the groundwork for future efforts in that
state. Although rabidly anti-gay Sen. Jesse Helms won, an
infrastructure has been built that will help gay and lesbian
North Carolinians fight for fairness in the next Senate and House
elections.

     HRC also scored a critical win for gay and lesbian Americans
in California, where extremists lost their grip on the state
Assembly. For the first time, HRC worked in state legislative
races, coordinating with local gay and lesbian organizations. The
result was that the Assembly went from a balance of 41
Republicans and 38 Democrats to 42 Democrats and 38 Republicans. 
Of the nine state Assembly candidates whose campaigns HRC
directly helped, eight won. 

     The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian
and gay political organization, with members throughout the
country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign
support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay
Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in
the community.
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