Date: Mon, 10 Oct 1994 15:50:35 -0500 (CDT) From: Kevyn D Jacobs Subject: KS CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR ON GAY ISSUES Candidates for Kansas Governor Show Reluctance,Intolerance for Gay Issues by Doug Glaze Both candidates for Kansas Governor failed to answer how they would respond to proposals by some conservative groups that anti-Gay legislation is needed in Kansas during a televised debate on September 29th. The debate, sponsored by public television station KTWU Channel 11, featured Democratic candidate Jim Slattery and Secretary of State Bill Graves, his Republican opponent, answering questions from a panel of reporters from around Kansas. Panelist Kay Berenson, editor of the Hays Daily News, asked both candidates whether they would support an anti-Gay "Colordo-style" amendment to the Kansas Constitution as Governor. Berenson requested that the candidates not evade her answer, reminding them that she had the option of asking the question again if she felt they did not respond adequately. Jim Slattery, whom recent polls show trailing Graves by as much as 11 percentage points, responded with a lengthy statement of his support for Kansas families which bore little relationship to the question. Graves responded with a brief announcement stating "I do not support any amendments which would give special rights to any alternative lifestyles." Graves, who leads Slattery by as much as 18 percentage points in conservative Johnson County according to polls, has been criticized by Kansas conservative groups for what they consider a "soft stance" on abortion issues, though most of these groups have endorsed or recommended him as the "only choice for families." Panelist Berenson did not ask the candidates to clarify their statements. David Schlosser, a spokesman for the Graves campaign, later stated that "(Graves) does not believe homosexuals need special rights; he believes the Constitution protects everyone equally." When asked whether that meant that Graves would support an effort by conservative groups to pass Colorado-type legislation in Kansas, Schlosser replied "The Colorado legislation makes sure homosexuals don't get special rights." Yet he declined to say specifically whether the candidate would actively support such an effort as there have been no formal proposals for such legislation yet. Jim McClean, press secretary for the Slattery campaign, stated bluntly that Slattery "does not support legalizing discrimination against Lesbians and Gays, and would not support efforts to do so." A source within the Slattery campaign stated just as bluntly, however, that Slattery "won't actively support any type of Gay-rights legislation; the climate is just too volatile out there." Slattery was opposed in his campaign for the Democratic primary by several Lesbian and Gay groups in Kansas for his lack of support for Lesbian and Gay legislation while a Congressman in Washington, D.C. Congressman Slattery was elected to represent the 2nd congressional district in 1982. The Human Rights Campaign Fund recently gave him an approval rating of only 14%, noting that as Congressman he had opposed lifting the ban on Lesbians and Gays in the military. For more information contact: Bill Graves for Governor Campaign, 913-273-1763, or Slattery for Governor Campaign, 913-235-8000.