From: Gayeditor@aol.com
Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 03:01:57 -0400
Subject: bilbray meets with san diego gays

from update, southern california's gay and lesbian weekly newspaper


Bilbray Calls For Meeting With 
Gays And Lesbians 

By Harry McCann
For Update

SAN DIEGO - Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray met 
with leaders of various organizations in the Gay and Lesbian and 
AIDS communities at the Lesbian and Gay Men's Community 
Center on Tuesday, April 25. One opinion held by those in 
attendance was that a beginning had been made in opening 
communication between the freshman legislator and what Bilbray 
spokesperson Steve Danon termed "an important part of Brian's 
constituency."
The other generally agreed to sentiment was that the AIDS and 
the Gay and Lesbian communities had much work to do in 
educating elected officials in general and Republican officials in 
particular, since the GOP has not traditionally counted Gays as 
likely supporters.
Bilbray is usually seen by most in the Gay and Lesbian 
community as somewhat to the right of center on most issues, but 
describes himself as having an open mind and being willing to 
listen. 
As if to underscore that claim, the meeting was initiated by 
Bilbray through Gay activist Tony Zampella, chair of the San 
Diego County Young Republicans, and Dr. Michael Clark, 
president of the county's Log Cabin Club, a Gay and Lesbian 
Republican political club. The fact it was Bilbray who initiated the 
meeting was accorded high marks by most of those in attendance.
Among those at the closed meeting which preceded a tour of 
the facility, was Center executive director Karen Marshall, who 
said the meeting "was a good start to open dialogue."
Carol Nottley, executive director of AIDS Foundation San 
Diego, said she was pleased he had taken the initiative, and that 
the AIDS and Gay communities could now feel they had access to 
the new congressperson. Nottley also noted Bilbray pledged to 
do what he could to assure the reinstatement of federal money for 
the Ryan White Care Act, and the Housing Opportunities for 
People With AIDS (HOPWA) program. Bilbray said he felt 
virtually certain most of the cuts made in the House of 
Representatives would be restored in Joint Committee with the 
Senate. On a one to ten scale, Bilbray put "restoration of full 
funding for cost effective programs" at eight, then said he 
included Ryan White and HOPWA as examples of such programs.
"It is important to have access to elected officials and to allow 
mutual understanding," Nottley said, "I hope, and it was 
indicated, this would be the first of many meetings between 
members of the Gay and AIDS communities with Bilbray."
As if to reinforce the point, Danon said one of the meeting's 
attendees, Joe Columbo, chair of The Center, will meet with 
Bilbray in Washington, D.C. next month.
Zampella, who is past president of Log Cabin/San Diego, said 
it was extremely important to recognize it was Bilbray who had 
initiated a "first contact," and in Zampella's words, "remarkable" 
that the congressmember would agree, as he did at the meeting, 
"to vote against any amendments people like Bob Dornan [U.S. 
Representative from Orange County] or [Senator] Jesse Helms or 
others of the ultra right," may try to add to bills. According to 
Zampella, Bilbray is against anyone singling out Gays or Lesbians 
for unfair treatment, but feels it is equally unfair to grant "special 
rights" to Gays and Lesbians. "He comes from the perspective that 
everyone starts off being treated the same," Zampella said. "He 
sort of thinks there isn't as much discrimination as there really is 
because he doesn't discriminate."
In a comment related to the idea of more time being necessary 
to accord AIDS victims, as well as Gays and Lesbians full citizen 
status, Nottley told Update she felt "tired of being patient. As a 
Lesbian I want to know 'where are my rights?' and why I don't have 
the same rights as every other American; or why I have to 'be 
patient' and wait to get them."
Susan Harris, a longtime Republican and a member of Log 
Cabin called the meeting, "a very good first step," and offered 
that "although no one wants it to, it takes time to make others 
aware of the discrimination Gays and Lesbians suffer."
In other comments, Bilbray told Update he had asked for the 
meeting "to open communication. And to let this part of my 
constituency know we didn't want major funding to fall through the 
cracks."
"What some people don't understand," he continued, "is that 
we came into this session, and a lot of cuts were made from this 
year because of Haiti and Somalia. Everyone thinks there was 
money for that in the budget but there wasn't. It's a strange feeling, 
to walk in as a freshman and have to pay the bills of the previous 
Congress."
He was referring to the deployment of U.S. troops in Somalia 
and Haiti as peace keepers by the Clinton administration, as 
authorized by the last session of congress.
He said it was an easy step for him to become involved with the 
issue of AIDS program funding, because of the experience he had 
with county public health issues while serving as supervisor. He 
also repeated his surprise at how little "hands on" experience in 
local government most of his colleagues in the House have. "I'm 
the kind of guy who has experience at the local level, and you may 
agree or disagree with me, but you'll know where I stand," he said
One Gay Republican who is not necessarily a strong Bilbray 
supporter, and who requested anonymity, was pleasantly 
surprised by the new congress member thus far. "This is the first 
time I've seen this kind of thing so soon after a politician was 
elected. ...he's not even running for anything or in the middle of 
a campaign right now and he's doing this. That's just about 
unheard of."