From: DavidN1327@aol.com
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 16:09:04 -0500
Subject: Stephanopoulos speech 10/20/95


For your information and republication, attached is an ASCII text copy of the
transcript of the October 20, 1995 speech by Senior White House Advisor
George Stephanopoulos to the Fourth Annual Convention of the National Lesbian
and Gay Journalists Association in Washington, D.C. about President Bill
Clinton's support of various federal issues important to bisexual, gay and
lesbian Americans.


THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON

Remarks by George R. Stephanopoulos
Senior Advisor to the President
to
The National Lesbian and Gay [Journalists] Association
4th Annual Convention
Washington, D.C. October 20, 1995

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you=
 Barney and thank you Roy and thank you all of you. You know, I gladly ac=
cepted your invitation to speak here today several months ago. And then m=
y staff told me I should give it back. (laughter) Then I reconsidered tha=
t reconsideration--staff always screws up, you know. (laughter) Just don'=
t send another invitation and we'll be okay.

And thank you Barney for encouraging me to come and speak. As you all kno=
w Barney's a great Congressman. He's got a helluva interesting name. Soun=
ds just like its spelled. F-R-A-N-K. (laughter) I just can't imagine why =
Dick Armey can't get it straight. (applause) You know I just found out th=
is morning that I have something on Barney. I've worked with him for many=
 years and I've admired him and as you all know he's probably the quickes=
t wit and one of the smartest men in the House. But this morning I discov=
ered that I do have something on him. Oliver North named me one of the tw=
enty-five most dangerous liberals in Washington. Barney didn't make it. (=
laughter)

During a visit to the United States in the closing years of the last cent=
ury, a gay writer and occasional journalist was asked to comment on the r=
ole of the presidency in American life. Oscar Wilde replied that "In Amer=
ica, the President reigns for four years, but journalism reigns forever a=
nd ever." I had to spend about five minutes in the White House briefing r=
oom to know how true that is.

As journalists, let me speak to you first as journalists. You communicate=
 facts, you correct misperceptions and contribute to a better understandi=
ng of the promises, the pledges, and the performance of public officials.=
 You have a responsibility to find the truth and tell it -- without you n=
o democracy can survive, although your presence means that many politicia=
ns don't survive very long.

The old saying goes that you speak truth to power. Politicians at their b=
est harness power in the service of truth and progress. In fact, my favor=
ite definition of politics comes from the playwright and the poet and the=
 politician, Vaclav Havel. At his inaugural just a few years ago, he said=
 politics can't just be the art of the possible. It has to be the art of =
the impossible...the art of changing people's lives for the better. I bel=
ieve that Bill Clinton got in the race for President four years ago, dete=
rmined to run for president and win the presidency because he believed th=
at he could change peoples' lives for the better.

He ran for president with a very simple vision in mind--that we had to gr=
ow our economy, strengthen our community, and make sure that we were prep=
ared to face all of the challenges of the next century. And that's exactl=
y what we've seeked to do. And you know Democrats have a tradition of see=
king out bad news, and we like to talk about bad news all the time, and w=
e often have a hard time focusing on the positive. But if you look at the=
 record, in the three years since Bill Clinton has been President, you se=
e it as a record of great progress and the American people are doing very=
 well, under his presidency. We have the lowest unemployment and lowest i=
nflation in twenty-five years. The deficit is going down and jobs are goi=
ng up. Around the world we've seen peace. You know, for the first time in=
 my lifetime, in the last three years, there are no Russian nuclear missi=
les pointed at the United States; there are no United States missiles poi=
nted at Russia. We've seen the beginnings of peace in the Middle East, th=
e return of democracy to Haiti and maybe in the coming weeks and months, =
we'll see an end to the bloodshed in Bosnia because of United States lead=
ership.

And even on our social problems, which many people rightly believe are at=
 the heart of so much that ails the country today, we've seen progress. M=
ost people don't know this but the murder rate and the crime rate have go=
ne down. Over the last three years, welfare rolls are going down, food st=
amp rolls are going down, even the teen-pregnancy rate is going down. So =
we have made real progress. It is something we are very, very proud of.

Today I'd like to take a few minutes to talk particularly about the effor=
ts of this Administration to fight for equality and justice for gay and l=
esbian Americans. I do that not in a way just because you are gay and les=
bian, but I think it's an important opportunity to tell the country about=
 what the President has done in the fight for decency and progress. And I=
 do believe we have a record of achievement of which we can be proud. And=
 I think the best way to understand that is to understand where we've bee=
n.

Think back four, five, six years ago and imagine what an assistant to the=
 President, an advisor to the President, would say if he came to this gro=
up. First of all, would an advisor of the President come to this group? S=
econdly, would he say what Pat Buchanan said many years ago, that "the po=
or homosexuals have declared war upon nature, and now nature is exacting =
an awful retribution." Would he do what Ronald Reagan did for so many yea=
rs, and stand perfectly silent as AIDS began to consume an entire communi=
ty in this country? Would he talk about how they outlawed AIDS education =
campaigns targeting gay men? Or would he simply say nothing? Or fail to s=
how?

It was in that context that four years ago Bill Clinton began to run for =
President. And I was there from the very beginning, and I remember what i=
t was like to have a candidate for the first time acknowledge the importa=
nce of gays and lesbians to this country, to have a candidate for preside=
nt say we have to fight, not for special rights but for equal rights for =
gays and lesbians, to have a candidate for president of the United States=
 to go openly into the homes, and the community centers of gays and lesbi=
ans and people with AIDS, and do it without apology, without covering it =
up, do it in public, in front of the whole country. And I also know, that=
 very act made people very hopeful, made people say "my goodness, we're a=
bout to see a real change in this country." And because of that, people a=
ll over the country volunteered for the first time in presidential politi=
cs: you gave money, you joined the campaign, you worked all across the co=
untry to help elect Bill Clinton president and you got your hopes raised.=
 You said this is going to be different. Lesbian and gay volunteers along=
 with their families devoted thousands of hours to campaigning, staffing =
phone banks, distributing flyers, walking in the snow, walking in the rai=
n and doing something to change this country. And President Clinton said =
"you are part of my vision for America." He promised an Administration th=
at would look like the American people and this was very new. And now whe=
n we look back, three and four years later, I think we can say proudly th=
at we've made progress on that vision. The President made good on that pl=
edge by reaching out across the country, to outstanding professionals in =
every field--Roberta Achtenberg, Bruce Lehman, Nan Hunter, Bob Hattoy, Gr=
egory King, and your own co-founder Victor Zonana--are all serving in thi=
s administration as gays and lesbians, openly, for the first time in the =
history of the United States of America. (applause)

And let me also say just for a moment a special word on behalf of a woman=
 who is not a lesbian, but has been assigned by the President to work ful=
l time on the issues of gays and lesbians, Ms. Marsha Scott. And, for the=
 first time ever in the White House, we have a full time liaison to the g=
ay and lesbian community, and that's a change.

President Clinton promised to appoint people to his administration on the=
 basis of merit, without regard to sexual orientation, and he did. He pro=
mised that he would work for an America where all our citizens would be v=
alued for their contribution to our society, and he did. He promised to d=
evote the resource needed to combat all our citizens. He said "we don't h=
ave a person to waste," and we still don't.

And I know that even as I may say these words, and look out across this a=
udience, and these are words that I believe very, very deeply, and as I'v=
e said I'd been there from the very beginning. But I also know that many =
of you are sitting out there and saying "give me a break--they took our m=
oney, they took our votes, and they walked away." And I think the only an=
swer to that is I don't believe it--but the only answer to that is to dea=
l with it, and to talk about it. So let's do that.

I know that many lesbian and gay American--including many of you in this =
room--saw the issue of discrimination in the military as an important rea=
son to support the Clinton-Gore ticket. And as a campaign advisor and as =
a member of the President's staff, I worked very closely and very hard on=
 that issue for a long time. And we tried--I know we didn't achieve what =
we set out to achieve. We'll continue to do what we can to ensure that at=
 the very least, gays and lesbians serving honorably in the military, as =
they always have done, can do so without the harassment that has scarred =
too many lives and marred too many careers. I understand your disappointm=
ent. "Don't ask, don't tell" has not worked as well as we had hoped. But =
I also ask you to believe something else. This was an honest attempt to a=
chieve an honorable compromise. The President did his best, and he will c=
ontinue to do his best.

After the battle over the ban, politicians and journalists--probably some=
 of you--stated that President Clinton had learned that gay issues are th=
e third rail in politics. Touch it and you die. And that the President wo=
uld never again talk or work on issues of importance to the gay and lesbi=
an community. But that is not what happened.

It did not diminish our willingness to address the concerns of lesbian an=
d gay Americans in a host of other areas. Because of the President's lead=
ership we have brought gay and lesbian issues out of the closet and into =
the open.

We passed the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act and urged states to =
use it as a model. We created an interagency task force to examine hate r=
elated violence. We granted political asylum to gays and lesbians who fac=
e persecution aborad. We gathered experts to examine the causes and solut=
ions to suicide among gay and lesbian teenagers. We increased our commitm=
ent to research into women's health care and included the specific concer=
ns and voices of lesbians in that agenda--such as their disproportionatel=
y high rates for breast and cervical cancer. And we began, for the first =
time, to make the federal government a full partner in the war on AIDS.

Since 1981, more than 470,000 Americans have been diagnosed with AIDS. Mo=
re than 270,000 have died, among them men of vision and courage such as R=
andy Shilts, Jeff Schmalz, and Tim Halley, early members of this organiza=
tion. Every single day now, 100 more Americans die of AIDS, and our natio=
n has lived with it for fifteen years, and for much of that time the fede=
ral government's response was delay, denunciation, and denial.

President Clinton went to work. And he kept his promise. At a time when w=
e were reducing the deficit and not having any growth in overall federal =
spending, he increased funding for AIDS research, prevention and care by =
forty percent. The President promised to fully fund the Ryan White CARE A=
ct, and in three years the funding has risen 108 percent. During the last=
 two years we have expanded the number of metropolitan areas covered unde=
r the Ryan White program, and now all 54 states and territories are recei=
ving funds to serve people living with HIV and AIDS.

The President made AIDS education a top priority, directing the federal g=
overnment to provide comprehensive work place education on AIDS for every=
 employee and encouraging private employers to do it as well.

He created the National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development, an historic =
partnership among government, industry, academia, medicine, and community=
 organizations working together for the first time to eliminate the barri=
ers to rapid deployment of life-saving drugs.

When that panel was formed, the only licensed antiviral we had was AZT. N=
o, I'm not a pharmacologist, I'm not an expert, but I did check with the =
FDA. Andy they told me we now have four more new classes and other new cl=
asses of drugs on the way. We have more to do, but we have made progress.=


On the issues of equal justice, the Department of Justice and the Equal E=
mployment Opportunity Commission have vigorously prosecuted those who vio=
late the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating on the basis o=
f HIV and AIDS. We've taken action against health care providers and faci=
lities that discriminate, and new efforts are underway to combat discrimi=
nation in nursing homes that provide essential long-term care. And we've =
issued waivers to more than a dozen states so they can provide home and c=
ommunity based services to more than 20,000 persons with AIDS.

The President has spoken out publicly and lent his support to community e=
fforts like the Washington D.C. AIDSWALK. He established the Office of AI=
DS Research as part of the National Institutes of Health to direct all fe=
deral research efforts, and created the AIDS Housing Office in the Depart=
ment of Housing and Urban Development to administer earmarked funds for l=
ow income people living with AIDS.

For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have l=
aunched a frank and forward thinking campaign aimed at young adults to ch=
ange behaviors that contribute to HIV transmission. We took to the airwav=
es with public service announcements that for the first time mentioned th=
e most effective and the most unmentionable word in the fight against AID=
S--"condoms."

We appointed a special AIDS coordinator in the White House and I think yo=
u'd all agree that Patsy Flemming is doing a wonderful job. We have an AI=
DS advisory commission headed by Dr. Scott Hitt, a nationally recognized =
expert in the field. And on December 6th, for the first time ever, the Wh=
ite House will devote and entire day to the study and the speaking about =
AIDS in the White House, and again that is a first, again, for this White=
 House.

Do we have to do more? Of course we do. We can't rest for a second when A=
IDS is killing 100 people a day. You know there was a lot of celebration =
yesterday in the House of Representatives and the Senate. And they were c=
elebrating the passage of their medicare plan which the President said he=
 would veto because it destroys Medicare. But next week they're going to =
vote on something that is possibly even more threatening, will have even =
more severe impacts across this country, especially for people with AIDS.=
 Because as we sit here, they're on the verge of passing a cut in Medicai=
d, $182 billion dollar cut in Medicaid funding, which is a dagger to the =
heart of the entire gay and lesbian community that is concerned about AID=
S. Make no mistake about it. This is one of the worst public disasters th=
at has come along in the last decade and if we don't fight it we're going=
 to be terribly sorry.

In 1984 alone, Medicaid spent $3.6 billion dollars providing health care =
for people with AIDS--five times the amount of money distributed by the R=
yan White Act. More than 50% of the people in the country with AIDS, incl=
uding 90% of the children with AIDS, rely on Medicaid for their medical c=
are. But the Republican plan, which gives everything over to the states--=
Barney has often pointed out, you ever noticed that Republicans don't blo=
ck grant things people like? They only block grant things that they think=
 it's going to be popular if they send it over. So people with AIDS, all =
the money for people with AIDS-block grant it, give it to the states. You=
 know what that means? That means that there is absolutely no national gu=
arantee that if you have AIDS, you are going to get your medical care pai=
d for by Medicaid. And that means that people are going to lose their pre=
scription drug care coverage; it means that people are going to die, befo=
re their time, and we can't allow it to happen. The President has said he=
 would veto it but we need your help, to tell the truth about this bill t=
o the entire country. (applause)

I think it is fair to say that in the past three years, we have done more=
 to combat AIDS and AIDS related hysteria than the federal government did=
 in the last decade and a half combined. And we know that there is still =
more to do.

But each day we face the threat that Jesse Helms will emerge victorious i=
n his efforts to cut our funding priorities or gut and AIDS related progr=
am that works. Each day we await some new amendment from Bob Dornan or Ph=
il Gramm. Each day we face the stupid and short-sighted comments like Jes=
se Helms said back a few months ago, he said we shouldn't spend any money=
 on AIDS because it's a "product of people's behavior."

Each day we have to fight that extremism with facts, just as the Presiden=
t has done. When Jesse Helms got up there and said that, Bill Clinton did=
n't wait a day. He said: "You know, smoking causes lung cancer, but we do=
n't propose to stop treating lung cancer and stop doing research to find =
a cure...Drunk driving causes a lot of highway deaths, but we don't propo=
se to stop trying to make cars safer...the gay people who have AIDS are s=
till our sons, our brothers, our cousins, our citizens. They are American=
s, too." And he told that to the entire country. We can't let Jesse Helms=
 and his kind get away with this. (applause)

And like all Americans, lesbian and gay Americans deserve to have a fair =
opportunity to make a contribution through the work they've done, whether=
 it is in an office or on an athletic field, in a newsroom or in public s=
ervice.

This is the first Administration to appoint an openly lesbian federal jud=
ge, and the first to direct every agency and department to include sexual=
 orientation in their non-discrimination policies. Barney talked about se=
curity clearances and he worked very, very hard on the issue for a year a=
nd a half. Every year 3.2 million people in this country receive security=
 clearances from the Federal Government. But for forty years, any gay or =
lesbian wanting to work in a job that required a security clearance faced=
 a very painful choice: lie, or lose your job. Because of this President,=
 they can't be denied a security clearance simply because they're gay.

And these are not symbolic acts. These are policy changes that guaranteed=
 equal opportunity in the federal workplace. They improved the lives of t=
housands of lesbian and gay Americans working in every region of the coun=
try. They sent a message to employers thoughout the country that men and =
women should be judged by their ability to do their job, rather than face=
 discrimination because of who they are.

But we have to go one step further. And that's why I'm also proud to say =
that President Clinton has announced his support of legislation to protec=
t all Americans from discrimination in the workplace. (applause)

Last year, Senator Kennedy held the first hearings on the Employment Non-=
Discrimination Act. He heard from men and women who had lost their jobs s=
imply because of who they were. He heard from business leaders who said t=
he time had come to change the law and protect all Americans against disc=
rimination on the job.

Today President Clinton has written to Senator Kennedy restating this Adm=
inistration's opposition to job discrimination and endorsing the Employme=
nt Non-Discrimination Act. (applause)

Frankly, most Americans don't realize that in 41 states, gay and non-gay =
citizens alike can be fired from their jobs, demoted, or denied a promoti=
on, simply because their boss dislikes their sexual orientation. You know=
 most Americans think that's already against the law. But it's not. And i=
t should be.

The President has spoken a great deal over the last year about the need t=
o find common ground in this country, common sense policies and common gr=
ound--ending discrimination in the workplace is part of that common groun=
d. No one should lose their job for reasons that have nothing to do with =
the job they do.

There is a broad national consensus for ending employment discrimination =
based on sexual orientation. This is not a partisan issue. A post electio=
n poll of 1994 election voters found 7 out of 10 support equal rights in =
hiring and firing for lesbian and gay Americans, including 64% of those w=
ho identify themselves as Republican. Equally significant, business leade=
rs from Xerox to AT&T, labor unions from AFSCME to the International Asso=
ciation of Fire Fighters, religious institutions from the Episcopal Churc=
h to the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, have all endorsed this b=
ill.

During the military debate in 1993, many who opposed the President's effo=
rts said that "the military is different, it's not the same as civilian l=
ife." They said anti-gay discrimination in the civilian workforce was wro=
ng. It is time for us to ask them if they really meant what they said. (a=
pplause)

There are always going to be people, there's going to be people who say t=
hat this bill will give gays and lesbians special rights. And we've seen =
it all prefigured not only in your own battles but in this entire battle,=
 over affirmative action in the last year. But as journalists you can mak=
e a difference. Ask them what's so special about wanting to keep a job wi=
thout worrying about being fired for something that has nothing to do wit=
h your job performance.

Some will claim than ENDA abrogates the right of religions to set their o=
wn rules for the clergy, forces local gas stations to meet quotas for gay=
 mechanics, and forbids the police and fire departments from prescribing =
uniforms. They'll say everything and anything--that ending employment dis=
crimination is the first step toward unisex rest rooms, the dissolution o=
f family life, and the end of Western civilization. (laughter) Oh, they'l=
l say it, but that doesn't make it true.

And you can challenge these claims with the truth. When they say that no =
one faces discrimination in this country, tell them the truth. Tell them =
about Americans who've lost their jobs, tell them about women like Cheryl=
 Summerville, a lesbian cook who was fired from her job in a Cracker Barr=
el restaurant near Atlanta.

When they say that ENDA forces employers to give people unfair advantages=
, tell them the truth. Tell them all this bill does is reaffirm the princ=
ipal of merit. Lesbian and gay Americans, like all Americans, should be j=
udged on the basis of the quality of their work, not penalized on the bas=
e of someone else's prejudice.

When they say it will create a homosexual preference, tell them the truth=
--and hand them the bill. This bill prohibits quotas and preferential tre=
atment. It exempts small businesses and religious organizations. It ensur=
es simply that everyone gets equal treatment, and no one gets special tre=
atment. Equal rights. Not special rights.

Former Senator Barry Goldwater had it right when he urged all Americans, =
regardless of party, to support ENDA. He said "it's time America realized=
 there was no gay exemption in the right to 'life liberty and the pursuit=
 of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence. Job discrimination aga=
inst gays--or anybody else--is contrary to each of these founding princip=
als."

And I believe that when Americans understand what this bill is really abo=
ut, they'll give it their support. Most Americans don't believe people sh=
ould be fired from a job because of something that has nothing to do with=
 the work they are doing. And the last time I checked, western civilizati=
on had not died in New Jersey, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, or any =
of the other states where they've already outlawed discrimination against=
 gays and lesbians. Pat Robertson may not like it. Pat Buchanan may not l=
ike it. Bob Dole's still thinking about it. (laughter) But President Clin=
ton is for this legislation because it's the rights thing to do, and the =
American people will be as well. (applause)

Before I close and take your questions, you know I don't get to take-I do=
n't do press conferences that much anymore and I sort of miss it, not tha=
t much (laughter), I want to close and talk not about policy, but about t=
he values that lie behind the work we do everyday. Most Americans want a =
country where men and women work together, for the common good and common=
 purpose, recognizing that the problems we face, face us all. A country w=
here communities work hand in hand to encourage opportunity and responsib=
ility and justice. And that's exactly the kind of society that President =
Clinton has set out to help lead in his presidency.

And I suppose we're going to hear an awful lot of talk about values over =
the next year. And I frankly think that that's a very good thing. Values =
of opportunity and responsibility and community, values about taking care=
 of ourselves and our communities and pulling for each other. The values =
of justice and dignity and respect for everyone, no matter who they are, =
or where they come from of what they believe, or what their sexual orient=
ation is. And we're going to hear a lot about family values. Some helpful=
, some not so helpful. But it's not a bad thing to talk about values--I k=
now we often shy away from the debate. And an awful lot of people over th=
e next year are going to try and use the gay and lesbian community in tha=
t debate. They'll use them as whipping boys, they'll use them to rile up =
emotions across the country, and it probably won't be the most responsibl=
e debate, but there is something we can do about it. And I for at least o=
ne minute, would like to praise what should be praised in the gay and les=
bian community.

Because in the face of a tragedy that has now touched all Americans, but =
has threatened to tear the heart out of your community, you have pulled t=
ogether, and have taught all of the American people a lesson in community=
=2E

In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, when the federal government respo=
nded with apathy and indifference, you did your duty. And much, much more=
=2E In cities throughout this country, you built clinics and created life=
 saving community centers. You began buddy programs to care for the sick =
and education campaigns to protect the healthy.

You donated your time, your energy, your money, your heart, your soul to =
make life better for people you loved and people you never knew. You held=
 their hands, swabbed their sores, cried with them and made sure that som=
eone prayed for them before they died. You lived the simple lesson that w=
e should love our neighbors as ourselves. You honored life, and fought de=
ath, with love. You proved the truth that we all have etched in our heart=
s: that when the Bible teaches we are created in the image of God, it mak=
es no exceptions. Not one. (applause)

And because you did your duty, because you acted with love and responsibi=
lity, many Americans realized for the first time that lesbian and gay Ame=
ricans are not what we've been told. The stereotypes spread by bigots and=
 bashers no longer resonate. We've discovered what we've really already k=
new but often failed to admit--that you are our friends, our neighbors, o=
ur co-workers, and our relatives. We have discovered that you are entitle=
d to the same rights and respect as everyone else. We've discovered the t=
ruth.

Daniel Webster said "there is nothing so powerful as truth." And of cours=
e he was right. As journalists, you have a responsibility to tell the tru=
th. As journalists who are lesbian and gay, you have an opportunity to te=
ach us, to shed light on issues that are ignored or distorted by those wh=
o seek to divide our people into enemy camps.

You have the power to help us build a national community where all our ci=
tizens are valued for the contribution they can make to the common good. =
And through your efforts, all America will benefit. The work ahead won't =
be easy. But our course is sure. Remember Prior Walter's quiet hope, from=
 the close of "Angels in America":

"The world only spins forward"

And we have so much to do.

Thank you very much.=

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