Dornan Draws Fire Over Pledge to Give Raise to AIDS Hospices

Gay activists and the Democratic opponent of conservative Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) strongly criticized the congressman Tuesday for stating publicly on several occasions that he donated his latest congressional pay raise to AIDS hospices but not following through with the pledge.

Dornan referred to the donation at a community forum in his district Sunday but acknowledged on Monday that he had not yet donated the money--about $12,000. He said, however, that he still intends to do so.

‘Why Doesn’t He?’

“First he said that he was going to give the money to a hospice in New York, but he didn’t,” said Drew Barras, a board member of the Election Committee, County of Orange, a bipartisan gay rights political action group. “So why doesn’t he give it to groups in Orange County? We have plenty of people who need the money here, but apparently he wanted to give it to the hospice in New York because it’s connected with Mother Teresa.”

Democrat Jerry Yudelson, Dornan’s opponent in the 38th Congressional District race, who said he has raised more than $150,000 in his uphill bid to unseat Dornan, called his opponent hypocritical for not delivering on his promise to donate his pay raise to AIDS hospices while opposing federal financing for AIDS-related programs.

Eric Rosenthal, a lobbyist for the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign Fund, a bipartisan political action committee, said Tuesday that Dornan has opposed most major AIDS research and homosexual anti-discrimination legislation.

Dornan could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Dornan’s wife disclosed Monday that she had asked a Laguna Beach gay Republican group last spring to help her locate a brother who had gone into hiding after being diagnosed with AIDS.

That revelation followed an incident Sunday in which she quarreled with gay rights activist Jeff LeTourneau during a Town Forum meeting in Garden Grove.

She later apologized to LeTourneau and explained that she grew angry because “my brother is dying.” Rep. Dornan said later that while he knew that his brother-in-law is gay, he did not know that he had AIDS.

Sallie Dornan said Monday that her brother, who is 48, apparently went into hiding earlier this year when he learned that he had contracted the AIDS virus. He had been ailing for about two years, she said.

The congressman’s wife said her brother was missing “for a couple of months. I found him through one of my brothers.”