Gay Issues Get Democratic Field’s Backing

All of the Democratic presidential candidates on Tuesday endorsed an exhaustive list of measures to bar discrimination against homosexuals, although the leading contenders balked at embracing gay marriage.

Despite the resistance on that issue, the candidate statements to the Human Rights Campaign -- a homosexual advocacy group -- may mark the broadest commitment yet to the gay rights cause by White House aspirants.

In response to a questionnaire and in remarks to the group at Tuesday’s forum here, all of the Democrats endorsed equal treatment for gays in hiring and adoption. All except Sen. Bob Graham of Florida said they would seek to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy implemented under former President Clinton and allow gays to serve openly in the military.

All of the candidates except Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut said they would support “civil unions” that would offer gay couples most of the same rights and benefits enjoyed by married heterosexuals. Edwards did not take a position on the matter; Lieberman indicated he would leave the decision to the states.

But the six leading candidates -- Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, along with Edwards, Lieberman and Graham -- said they oppose providing same-sex couples the right to marry, as gay activists are seeking.

The event itself marked a milestone in the growing political influence of gays, especially in the Democratic Party. Organizers said it was the first time such a large group of presidential candidates had gathered specifically to address issues raised by the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

All of the Democrats appeared in person except Graham and Edwards, who cited other commitments. All completed the group’s questionnaire, which explored their views on 10 issues.

“This is an extraordinary statement about the journey traveled,” Kerry said of the forum.

The session came as gay activists continue to applaud the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down state anti-sodomy laws. The activists are awaiting a decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Court that could make that state the first to recognize gay marriage.

Tuesday’s event also represented the latest stop in a steeplechase of candidate forums hosted by interest groups representing such constituencies as Latinos, African Americans and government employees. On Monday, the leaders of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People excoriated three of the candidates -- Gephardt, Lieberman and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio -- for missing their gathering in Miami Beach.

Peter LaBarbera, a senior policy analyst with the Culture and Family Institute, a conservative think tank, said the Democratic contenders could pay a political price for backing so much of the gay movement’s agenda.

“They are playing to what they regard as their base, but they are forgetting there is a whole other country out there,” LaBarbera said.

Polls in recent years have shown growing acceptance of gays in many respects. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll after June’s Supreme Court decision found that Americans, by a 2-1 ratio, believed the law should permit homosexuals to have sex in their own home. But in the same survey, 55% of Americans said gay marriage should not be permitted.

At Tuesday’s session, moderated by ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson, the issue of gay marriage provoked the most fireworks.

The rules and requirements for marriage are set by state, not federal, law. But gay activists believe a president who supported gay marriage could encourage states to authorize it through the bully pulpit.

Kucinich, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York, the three candidates generally considered the longest-shots in the field, said gays should be provided the legal right to marry.

As Vermont’s governor, Dean signed into law the nation’s only civil union bill -- a fact he touted at the forum.

All of the contenders except Lieberman and Edwards said that if states sanction gay couples through a marriage or civil union statute, Washington should provide such couples all federal benefits available to heterosexual married couples -- such as survivors’ benefits under Social Security and hospital visitation rights.

Lieberman said he would examine federal statutes one-by-one to determine which benefits to extend to gay couples. Edwards didn’t indicate a precise position, although he generally indicated support for “partnership benefits” to gay couples.

Throughout the 90-minute session, the top-tier contenders struggled to explain why they supported civil unions but not gay marriage.

Lieberman said he resisted the idea of marriage for gays “because marriage has a special status in our culture, our society and our history.”

Kerry and Gephardt both suggested they supported civil unions because they believed it would be more acceptable to the public than marriage for homosexual couples. Kerry indicated he might eventually back gay marriages if a public consensus developed for them.

“We need to achieve what we can, and then we will see where we are,” he said.

Sharpton drew loud applause by deriding the candidates who supported civil unions while opposing gay marriage. “That’s like saying we’ll give blacks or whites or Latinos the rights to shack up, but not marry,” he said.

President Bush has said he opposes gay marriage. But he hasn’t taken a position on calls by some conservatives for a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

A push for such an amendment has been fueled by concern among conservatives that the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down state laws barring gay sex in private locations might encourage state courts to void state laws barring gay marriage.

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Ranger designation

To achieve Ranger status in President Bush’s reelection campaign, an individual has to have raised at least $200,000 in contributions. Election law limits individual contributions to $2,000.

*--* Name State Occupation/P Employer osition Katherine E. Boyd California Interior Self-Employed Decoration Joseph C. Canizaro Louisiana Real Columbus Estate/Banki Properties/ ng First Bank & Trust William O. DeWitt Jr Ohio N/A N/A Richard J. Egan Massachusetts N/A N/A Christopher F. Egan Massachusetts President Carruth Capital Frank E. Fowler Tennessee N/A N/A Sam Fox Missouri N/A N/A Bradford M. Freeman California Investment Self-Employed Banker Al Hoffman Florida CEO WCI Communities Inc Robert W. Johnson IV New York Chairman/CEO New York Jets L.L.C Nancy G. Kinder Texas President Self-Employed Carl H. Lindner Ohio Chairman American Financial Group Stan O’Neal New York Chairman, Merrill Lynch & Chief Co Executive, President Jamie Reynolds Georgia N/A N/A Ned L. Siegel Florida Development/ Self-Employed Real Estate Gregory W. Slayton California Managing Slayton Capital Director Eric Tanenblatt Georgia Chief of Gov. Sonny Staff Perdue’s office Zachariah P. Zachariah Florida Physician Holy Cross Hospital

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SOURCE: www.georgewbush.com/donors/PioneersAndRangers.htm

Researched by Mark Madden and Janet Lundblad