From Hrccomm@aol.com Fri Nov 8 16:17:23 1996 Received: from casti.com (vector.casti.com [199.181.80.100]) by qrd.rdrop.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with ESMTP id QAA11493 for ; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 16:17:22 -0800 From: Hrccomm@aol.com Received: from matrix.casti.com by casti.com (8.6.9/NX3.0M) id TAA02096; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 19:13:28 -0500 Received: from emout08.mail.aol.com (emout08.mx.aol.com [198.81.11.23]) by matrix.casti.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id OAA02094 for ; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 14:11:05 -0500 Received: by emout08.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id NAA26319; Fri, 8 Nov 1996 13:36:03 -0500 Date: Fri, 8 Nov 1996 13:36:03 -0500 Message-ID: <961108133602_1584147228@emout08.mail.aol.com> To: Philattey@aol.com Subject: Ending Job Discrimination Against Gays & Lesbians A Winning Issue In Campaign 96 ________________________________________________________ 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 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. - 30 -