Subject: [NGLTF Press] Groundbreaking report looks at GLBT electorate, presidential race
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 11:32:53 +0400

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NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE
PRESS RELEASE

Contact:
David Elliot, Communications Director
202-332-6483 ext. 3303
800-757-6476 pager
[email-masked]

http://www.ngltf.org
1700 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC
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WHAT'S AT STAKE? NEW REPORT DETAILS CANDIDATES' RECORDS,
POSITIONS ON SIX CRITICIAL ISSUES AFFECTING GLBT VOTERS

Jan. 19, 2000 - Issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
people are playing a more prominent role than ever before in the year 2000
presidential campaign.

That's one finding of a groundbreaking report, "What's at Stake in the 2000
Presidential Elections for the Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgendered Community,"
released Wednesday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
The 56-page report places the year 2000 election in recent historical context,
documents the emerging GLBT voting block, discusses American public opinion
on GLBT equality and tracks the dramatic increase in GLBT-rights legislation at 
the state and local level. The report also documents the major candidates'
statements and votes on six key issues -- hate violence, discrimination,
parenting, partnerships and marriage, health care, and military service
-- and provides data and research to provide a factual context for these 
policy debates.

"Across the United States, a consensus is emerging for equality," said
Virginia M. Apuzzo, NGLTF spokeswoman and holder of the Virginia Apuzzo Chair
for Leadership in Public Policy at the Policy Institute of the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force. "Whether the issue is serving in the military, banning
discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, 
or providing domestic partner benefits, respected public opinion surveys
show a fundamental shift in support of fairness."

Apuzzo, who until last spring was the highest ranking gay or lesbian official
serving in the White House, said that in the past two decades, the GLBT electorate
has gone from being a minor player in presidential politics to a voting block
that is not to be overlooked. "We have progressed from an issue on the margins
to a constituency merging into the political mainstream - and we are a constituency
whose votes are aggressively pursued, at least by some candidates," Apuzzo 
said. "What happened in a nutshell is that the politicians have learned how to count."

Apuzzo noted that the country has changed significantly over the past decade.
Today 103 million people, or 38 percent of the American public, live in cites,
counties or states with laws banning sexual orientation discrimination;
in 1990 less than 20 million people lived under such laws. 70 percent of the
U.S. public supports the right of gays and lesbians to serve in the military, 
according to a 1999 Gallup poll, up from 55 percent in 1992. Half of Republicans
support anti-discrimination laws according to a 1996 National Election Study survey,
while two-thirds of independents and three-fourths of Democrats also support
such laws. So in opposing basic civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender people, the Republican presidential candidates are not only
out of touch with middle America, they are also out of touch with their
own party's rank and file.

*****Note to reporters, editors and producers: Apuzzo, who served as White House
Assistant to the President for Administration and Management, currently holds
the first endowed chair at any GLBT organization and is an NGLTF spokeswoman
on presidential politics. To schedule interviews, please call the NGLTF
Communications Department at 202-332-6483, ext. 3303.

"What's at Stake" documents the increasing strength of the GLBT electorate.
In the 1996 presidential election, 5 percent of voters self-identified as gay,
lesbian or bisexual -- a figure that would undoubtedly be hirer if more GLB
voters were willing to tell exit pollsters their sexual orientation. The GLB
electorate is now roughly the same size as the Latino voting block and 
larger than the Jewish vote.

"What's at Stake" also discusses the dramatic growth in GLBT rights legislation
at the state and local level, and explains the gulf between U.S.  public opinion
and national leaders on GLBT issues. "Presidential and congressional candidates
who oppose GLBT equality are out of touch with the voters," said Apuzzo.
"Through the past decade, we have seen a groundswell of support not just in America's
largest cities, but also in small and mid-sized communities across the 
heartland. This is testimony to a number of factors, including the success
of local organizers, the importance of coming out to one's family, neighbors
and colleagues, and an overall increased understanding regarding issues of sexuality."

"What's at Stake" may be downloaded for free at www.ngltf.org/pub.html or 
purchased for $10 by calling 202-332-6483, ext. 3205.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to eliminate
prejudice, violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered people at the local, state and national level. As part of a
broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, NGLTF is
creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human
expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
This message was issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Communications Department.  If you have a question regarding this post, please
direct it to the contact at the top of this message.

To reach the NGLTF Communications Department at NGLTF, please call David
Elliot, Communications Director, at 202-332-6483 x3303 or pager 800-757-6476.
 
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