From: Hrccomm@aol.com Date: Tue, 5 Mar 1996 17:33:16 -0500 Subject: Largest National Gay/Lesbian Political Group Endorses Clinton ________________________________________________________ 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 Monday, March 4, 1996 LARGEST NATIONAL GAY/LESBIAN POLITICAL GROUP ENDORSES CLINTON The Choice Is Clear, Birch Says SEE FRONT PAGE STORY ON HRC's WEBSITE http://www.hrcusa.org Washington -- The Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, endorsed President Clinton for re-election Monday, calling him the best president gay America has ever known. "This is a critical hour for gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans," Elizabeth Birch, HRC's executive director, said in making the announcement. "As we move into this election year, the political climate is marked by increasing demagoguery, hatred, ignorance and upheaval. On every front, the stakes for gay Americans are high." Birch praised Clinton for taking many bold actions in his first term on behalf of lesbian and gay citizens, including: endorsing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill to outlaw discrimination in the hiring, firing and promotion of people based on their sexual orientation. This act made Clinton the first U.S. president ever to back a gay civil rights bill; convening the first White House summit on AIDS and HIV; appointing more than 100 openly gay people to administration jobs, including former Assistant Housing Secretary Roberta Achtenberg and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Bruce Lehman, the first open lesbian and gay man to be confirmed by the Senate; helping to defeat anti-gay ballot initiatives in Oregon, Idaho and Maine; ordering all federal agencies to implement non-discrimination policies that include gay people; issuing an executive order mandating that security clearances no longer be denied based on sexual orientation; changing U.S. policy to grant political asylum to people who fear persecution in their home countries because of sexual orientation; and increasing public health spending for HIV/AIDS programs by 40 percent since taking office, including a 108 percent increase for Ryan White CARE programs and a 26 percent rise for AIDS-related research. Recently, Clinton was put in an untenable position by the Republican majority in Congress and specifically the virulently anti-gay Republican Rep. Bob Dornan of California. Clinton faced a veto-proof Department of Defense spending bill, which contained a discriminatory provision to discharge all HIV-positive service members. "The Clinton Justice Department determined that the HIV provision is unconstitutional and the president ordered the department not to defend the provision in court," Birch said. "Clinton also threw his support behind legislation to undo this hateful, unnecessary measure." Birch acknowledged that Clinton's record on gay and lesbian issues was clouded somewhat by his inability to lift the ban on gays in the military and his administration's decision not to file an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case involving an anti-gay initiative in Colorado. "But compared to any of his Republican opponents, Clinton has stacked up an impressive pile of accomplishments for our community," Birch said. "President Clinton has done more for lesbian and gay Americans than any leader in the history of this nation." Birch issued sharp warnings about the leading Republican presidential hopefuls, particularly former TV commentator Pat Buchanan. "Pat Buchanan has made no secret of his virulent homophobia," Birch said. Before the Iowa GOP caucuses, Buchanan spoke Feb. 10 at the anti-gay rally sponsored by religious political extremists. Referring to the 1992 GOP Convention in Houston, he said, "I talked about the cultural war going on for the soul of America. And that war is still going on. We cannot worship the false god of gay rights. To put that kind of relationship on the same level as marriage is a moral lie." On Feb. 11, Buchanan told NBC that, if elected, he would not appoint openly gay people in his administration. On Feb. 19, he told CNN: "I've worked with people in the Nixon White House who were gay, not openly gay. They're good people in a lot of ways. I would have no hesitation of having folks like that. But I don't think their lifestyle should ... discredit the administration." "These extremist views must not go unchallenged," Birch said. She also singled out California Rep. Bob Dornan, another GOP hopeful, as the author of the discriminatory HIV provision tacked onto the 1996 defense authorization. Other members of the Republican field have not shown themselves to be leaders on issues of concern to lesbian and gay voters, Birch said. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas has stated that he believes homosexuality is "wrong," and that he opposes what he called "the special-interest gay agenda." Not only did he sign an anti-gay "Marriage Protection Resolution" issued by religious political extremists, he told them it did not go far enough. And Dole's Senate voting record ranks him consistently below 25 percent on HRC's 100-point scale, which is based on the eight to 12 most crucial votes on gay-related issues each term in Congress. The anti-gay Christian Coalition ranks Dole at 100 percent on its own congressional scorecard, Birch said. Other GOP hopefuls, including former Education Secretary Lamar Alexander, millionaire publisher Malcolm "Steve" Forbes and Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, have hidden behind the stock Republican rhetoric on the issue of gay rights, saying they believe "in equal rights for all and special privileges for none"-- language designed to satisfy everyone because it says nothing. Both Alexander and Forbes have signed the anti-gay Marriage Protection Resolution. But Forbes has gone even further, saying that he supports the "don't ask, don't tell" military ban. As for his view of same-sex marriage, Forbes has repeatedly asserted: "Compassion is not approval." "This is why it's essential that we return Bill Clinton to the White House and return the core of Republican moderates and a majority of Democrats who support gay equal rights to Congress," Birch said. The Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country, 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- ________________________________________________________