Subject: HRC Response To A Feruary 4, 1996 New York Times Magazine Article
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 16:27:42 -0500

________________________________________________________
Carbon Copy:
NEWS from the
Human Rights Campaign

1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
email:  [email-masked]
WWW:    http://www.hrcusa.org
________________________________________________________

The following letter, sent to the New York Times Magazine by Human Rights
Campaign Executive Director Elizabeth Birch, is in response to inaccuracies
about the HRC in a February 4th New York Times Magazine article.

Carbon Copy:

                                                                     February
6, 1996

New York Times Magazine
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036

Dear Editor:

A Feb. 4, 1996, Q&A with Democratic Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.),
mischaracterized a donation by the Human Rights Campaign to the National
Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) as money to help Newt Gingrich and Dick
Armey, who have consistently sided with the anti-gay extremists. 

Out of a total of $1 million to be donated in the 1995-96 election cycle, the
Human Rights Campaign made a $5,000 contribution to the NRCC as part of an
all-out effort to stave off anti-gay attacks in Congress and to reverse
severe cuts in funding for AIDS programs, including the Ryan White CARE Act,
a bill that funds community-based care for people
affected by HIV/AIDS.

This contribution was given to Rep. Bill Paxon, a Republican from New York
who chairs the NRCC, in a meeting with HRC senior staff. During this meeting,
it was made clear that this contribution was being made to cultivate support
among moderate Republican House members for public policy positions that
treat gay people fairly and maintain a strong federal response to the AIDS
epidemic. Since the contribution was made in June 1995, several moderate
Republicans have introduced a bill to repeal a pernicious measure in the
defense authorization bill that would discharge all HIV+ service members.
This same group of GOP moderates helped us stave off attempts last year to
stall House approval of the Ryan White CARE Act.

With their party in the majority, these moderate Republicans control the
balance of power in this Congress and their support is central to preventing
an anti-gay bloodbath. HRC works for the public policy interests of lesbian
and gay Americans, not for any one party in Congress.   We focused like a
laser beam on the critical issues of that time and engaged a political tactic
that paid off for our constituency.

Our contributions to Democratic committees are not misconstrued in the same
fashion, as money to help anti-gay Democrats.

In these highly partisan times, it is a difficult challenge for the Human
Rights Campaign to act independent of any one party. But it is more essential
than ever that we put lesbian and gay equality ahead of partisan politics,
find support where we can, and demand fairness and
decency from both Democrats and Republicans. It is our job to make sure
fairness is a non-partisan value.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Birch
Executive Director