From: listmgr@ngltf.org Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 11:32:53 +0400 Subject: [NGLTF Press] Groundbreaking report looks at GLBT electorate, presidential race ********************************************************************** NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE PRESS RELEASE Contact: David Elliot, Communications Director 202-332-6483 ext. 3303 800-757-6476 pager delliot@ngltf.org http://www.ngltf.org 1700 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC ********************************************************************** 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. If you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, please send an email message with your request to delliot@ngltf.org.