NGLTF MEETS WITH DNC CHAIR RON BROWN

     Washington, D.C., June 11, 1992...The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
(NGLTF) hosted a meeting last month between gay and lesbian community leaders
and Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ron Brown and other DNC officials.
 More than twenty gay and lesbian and AIDS advocates attended the one-hour
meeting, held May 27 in New York City.

     The goals of the meeting were to evaluate the relationship between the gay
and lesbian community and the Democratic party; to learn about the party's
commitment to gay and lesbian and AIDS policy issues; and to discuss the
visibility of gay and lesbian people, people with AIDS and gay and lesbian
issues in the campaign, the convention and the election.

     After discussing the history of relations between the gay and lesbian
community and the Democratic party, gay and lesbian activists discussed specific
party platform planks which would  commit the party to its earlier support for
gay and lesbian civil rights.  Meeting participants urged the Chairman to
support specific language in the party platform on civil rights, military
reform, and AIDS policy matters.  

     Activists also asked Chairman Brown to speak out forcefully in support of
gay and lesbian civil rights, and to stand up to anti-gay/lesbian rhetoric and
slurs during the campaign.  Mr. Brown was also asked to invite a gay and lesbian
person and a person with AIDS to address the convention as a whole during prime
time; to include symbolic actions of recognition for people with AIDS, such as
ribbons, quilt panels, or a moment of silence; and to target gay and lesbian
voters for special outreach to communicate the Democratic Party's messages.

     The participants then had an open-ended discussion for the rest of the
meeting.

     According to NGLTF Executive Director Urvashi Vaid, who attended the
meeting, Brown responded positively to the specific requests, saying, "These are
winning issues for the Democratic Party...and one part of our political
strategy."  

     "We forcefully communicated the key issues of discrimination and prejudice
that face the gay and lesbian community in this election year," Vaid said.  "Mr.
Brown and other DNC officials were open and responsive.  We made an impassioned
plea for leadership in support of gay and lesbian civil rights, and reminded the
party that the gay and lesbian vote is not a foregone conclusion for the
Democratic nominee.  The onus is now in the DNC's court to carry out some of the
suggestions and commitments made."

     In addition to Vaid, other gay and lesbian and AIDS leaders who attended
the meeting were Virginia Apuzzo, deputy commissioner of the New York State
Division of Housing; Tim
Sweeney, executive director of Gay Men's Health Crisis, joined by David Hansell
and David Barr from GMHC; Eric Rosenthal, political director at the Human Rights
Campaign Fund; Marjorie Hill, director of the Mayor's Office of Lesbian and Gay
Concerns; Tom Duane, New York City council member; Dan Bross, executive director
of AIDS Action Council; Tom Duane, city Councillor; Ron Johnson, newly appointed
as coordinator of AIDS policy for New York City;, Laura Morrison, president of
Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats; Paul Horowitz of Lambda Independent
Democrats; Richard Burns, executive director of the New York City Gay & Lesbian
Community Center; Fred Hochberg, president of the Stonewall Community
Foundation; Sean Strub; Steven Gendin of ACT UP; and New York activists Susan
Allee, David Fleisher, Ron Gold, and Charles Ching. 

     As a non-partisan organization, NGLTF has attempted to meet with both
parties' leaders throughout the election campaign to educate them on the gay and
lesbian political agenda and set a tone for the campaign.  In February, NGLTF
held an historic meeting with Bush/Quayle campaign chair Robert Mosbacher, to
brief him on gay and lesbian issues and to urge him not to engage in or yield to
anti-gay rhetoric during the election.  NGLTF officials recently met with a
regional director of the Ross Perot petition campaign and are seeking a meeting
directly with Perot.

Contact Robert Bray,
(202) 332-6483
Ron.DeVrou@f70.n109.z1.fidonet.org


NGLTF
1734 Fourteenth Street, NW-Washington, DC 20009-4309
(202) 332-6483  TTY-(202) 332-6219   FAX-(202) 332-0207