Return-Path: Received: from Athena.MIT.EDU by rpi.edu (4.1/SMHUB31); id AA28029; Mon, 9 Mar 92 23:52:17 EST for buckmr Received: from AMH.AMHERST.EDU by Athena.MIT.EDU with SMTP id AA14195; Mon, 9 Mar 92 23:49:33 EST Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1992 23:47 -0500 From: Tim Pierce Subject: Democrats on Gay Issues: Summary To: gaynet@Athena.MIT.EDU, bisexu-l@brownvm.brown.edu, biact-l@brownvm.brown.edu, qn@Athena.MIT.EDU Message-Id: <8C3380384081C50D@AMHERST> X-Envelope-To: gaynet@athena.mit.edu, qn@athena.mit.edu X-Vms-To: IN%"gaynet@athena.mit.edu", IN%"bisexu-l@brownvm.brown.edu", IN%"biact-l@brownvm.brown.edu", IN%"qn@athena.mit.edu" This letter is being sent to Gaynet, BISEXU-L, BIACT-L, and the QN list. Below is a summary I recently received of the Democratic Presidential contenders' positions on gay issues and gay-related issues. It is somewhat more elaborate than the checklist that is currently being passed around on these lists. I have taken the liberty of removing Harkin's and Kerrey's profiles from this list, since they are no longer directly relevant to the Primary. I can mail them to anyone who is interested. (Suffice it to say that Harkin is just about the worst Democratic contender on gay rights, and Kerrey is no angel himself.) Any typos that I know of are mine. I typed it in as verbatim as possible -- otherwise you KNOW I would have changed "gay and lesbian" to "gay, lesbian and bisexual!" :-) --------------- FORMER GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN ELECTED OFFICES/PARTY POSITIONS Secretary of State of California, 1970-1975 Governor of California, 1975 to 1983 Democratic Party State Chair, 1989 to 1991 OVERALL As Governor, the gay and lesbian community found Jerry Brown to be supportive of their issues. Jerry Brown is supportive of the proposed Federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights legislation and has taken several local and national pro-gay positions. CHOICE As Governor, Jerry Brown favored a woman's right to have an abortion. As a Presidential candidate, Brown has continued to indicate his support for women's reproductive freedom. CIVIL RIGHTS NATIONAL: As a Presidential candidate, Jerry Brown supports passage of the proposed federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill. LOCAL: In the late 1970's, as Governor, Brown signed an Executive Order preventing state employees from discrimination based on sexual preference. No governor to date has repealed this Executive Order. As Governor, Brown came out strongly against Proposition 6, filed by State Senator John Briggs which would have prohibited a school district from hiring a gay person or an individual supportive of a gay person. Jerry Brown supported the passage of California's Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill AB101. Recently, when this legislation was vetoed by Governor Pete Wilson, Jerry Brown again stated that he supports the measure. HEALTH CARE Brown supports a national health insurance program. PARTY PLATFORM ISSUES Jerry Brown assisted the California Democratic Party in modifying delegate selection to mandate that a minimum of 5% of the delegation are lesbians and 5% are gay men. PRIVACY LAWS As Governor, Brown signed a Consensual Sex Bill, which repealed the state sodomy law. PROCLAMATIONS Governor Brown was a strong supporter of California's Gay Pride Day, and as Governor he routinely signed Gay Pride Day Proclamations. --------------- GOVERNOR BILL CLINTON ELECTED OFFICES State Attorney General, 1977 to 1979 Governor of Arkansas, 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to present OVERALL Overall, during his service as Governor, Bill Clinton has been silent about gay and lesbian issues. As a Presidential candidate, some of his recent pro-gay remarks on the campaign trail have surprised local gay and lesbian constituents in Arkansas who had not received outward signs of support from him. If elected President, Clinton says he would repeal military exclusions of gay men and lesbians in the service. However, as of this printing, his campaign staff have indicated that he has not yet taken any position on the federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill. ACCESS The Arkansas Gay and Lesbian Task Force has recently requested that Governor Clinton respond to them in writing to clarify his positions on a number of gay issues. To date he has not yet responded. Local gay and lesbian activists have indicated that in general Bill Clinton has been silent about gay and lesbian issues during his tenure as governor. Many requests for support went unresponded to and the governor did not initiate support for the gay community in Arkansas. CHOICE Bill Clinton generally supports a woman's right to choose. He says, if elected he would actively lobby for the federal Freedom of Choice Act to codify Roe v. Wade. However, as Governor, Clinton supported parental notification and has supported limited restrictions on public funding for abortions. If elected president, Bill Clinton says he would not veto any bill that requires medicaid funding for abortions. CIVIL RIGHTS NATIONAL: As a Presidential candidate, Bill Clinton has not taken a position publicly on the federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill. His campaign has indicated that he is still considering the matter. LOCAL: In Arkansas, when State Representative Jim Lendell introduced a Civil Rights bill in the 1991 Legislature that excluded gays and lesbians and the Governor was contacted, Bill Clinton refused to respond to the gay community on the issue. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GAYS IN THE MILITARY Governor Clinton announced in November that if he is elected President, he will sign an executive order to overturn the ban on gay men and lesbians in the military. HEALTH CARE Clinton supports comprehensive health care reform that includes universal medical coverage, cost controls, and managed care health networks. KERREY'S HOMOPHOBIC AND ANTI-WOMAN JOKE Governor Clinton was asked to make a public statement regarding a homophobic and anti-woman joke Senator Kerrey made to him on the Presidential campaign trail. This incident was broadcast by CSPAN in an event for candidates. Clinton refused to make a statement about this joke that was derogatory to lesbians and all women, although in a previous incident he confronted a legislator who made a racist joke. PRIVACY LAWS Arkansas is one of the states with a sodomy law still on the books. In the 1991 Legislature, State Senator Vic Snyder introduced a Senate bill to repeal the State Sodomy Act. Governor Clinton was asked to support this legislation. However, Clinton did not make any comment and never publicly took a position on the legislation. The legislation was defeated. PROCLAMATIONS In past years, the Arkansas Gay and Lesbian Task Force has asked the Governor to issue a Proclamation for National Coming Out Day. Governor Clinton has consistently refused this request. --------------- FORMER SENATOR PAUL TSONGAS ELECTED OFFICES: U.S. Representative, 1974 to 1978 U.S. Senator, 1978-1984 OVERALL Overall, Paul Tsongas has an extremely strong track record on gay and lesbian issues both nationally and locally. As a Senator and as a leader in the Democratic Party, Paul Tsongas has consistently fought on behalf of gay and lesbian civil rights. Tsongas has publicly indicated his support for the federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill in addition to taking other pro-gay positions. AIDS Tsongas opposes mandatory AIDS testing of medical personnel. If elected President, Paul Tsongas has stated that he would develop a comprehensive AIDS policy, including increased funding for research, medical care, AIDS education and prevention. Tsongas has lobbied the Bush administration to fully fund the Ryan White Bill and has pledged that it would be a priority of his administration. Tsongas has said that as President, he would appoint a Special Assistant to the President on AIDS policy. CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION Tsongas has mentioned gay men and lesbians in his campaign speeches in a positive manner. Furthermore, he has produced campaign literature identifying himself as a friend of the gay community and promoting his record on gay rights issues. His campaign has specific position papers on such issues as AIDS; gay and lesbian rights; and health care. CHOICE Paul Tsongas is pro-choice and fully supports a woman's right to abortion. He has voted for public funding of abortion and in support of reproductive rights. Tsongas supports the Freedom of Choice Act and opposes parental consent laws and the gag rule. As a Presidential candidate, Tsongas has stated that he would select judicial appointments who support reproductive freedom. CIVIL RIGHTS NATIONAL: Paul Tsongas was the first Senator to sponsor the federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill. He first introduced the bill in the Senate in 1979, shortly after his election. During his time in the Senate, Tsongas actively lobbied other Senators on this bill and was successful in soliciting Senators to join him as a co-sponsor. Tsongas reintroduced the bill in two subsequent Congressional sessions. Tsongas supports the current federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill, S. 574 and HR 1430, and has repeatedly stated that he would favor its passage if elected President. As a Senator, Tsongas opposed the appointment of anti-gay Rev. B. Sam Hart to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. This nomination was ultimately withdrawn. After California Governor Pete Wilson refused to sign the California Gay Civil Rights Bill, AB101, Tsongas said he would have signed the California Gay Civil Rights Bill, if it had been put before him. LOCAL: Paul Tsongas supported the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill which passed in 1990. Tsongas has voiced strong support for the right of gay men and lesbians to become foster parents. Tsongas has been honored by the local gay community, including receiving a recognition award from the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GAYS IN THE MILITARY Tsongas, in November 1991, pledged that if he is elected President, he would take action on "Day 1" of his administration to end discrimination against gay men and lesbians in the military, and would repeal current anti-gay military policies. HATE CRIMES Tsongas has pledged to work aggressively to implement the federal Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, to end discrimination against people based on race, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. HEALTH CARE Paul Tsongas supports national health care and has developed a detailed health care reform plan. His plan would fully cover primary, prenatal, obstetrical and gynecological care and comprehensive services for people with AIDS and HIV. Tsongas supports increased research funding for women's health and AIDS. IMMIGRATION Paul Tsongas supports an end to immigration policies which prevent entrance into the United States based on sexual orientation or HIV status. JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS As a Presidential candidate, Tsongas has pledged that if elected he would select judicial appointments who believe in the right to privacy and who support reproductive freedom. LEGAL SERVICES As a Senator, Tsongas lobbied to defeat the McDonald Amendment to the Legal Services Corporation bill, which threatened to forbid gays and lesbians access to the tax-funded Legal Services. Unfortunately, the bill passed. PARTY PLATFORM ISSUES In 1980, Tsongas assisted in adding the Lesbian/Gay Civil Rights Plank to the Democratic National Convention Platform.