December 19, 2007
Eric Stern: The Iowa Diaries
IOWA DIARY
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 (12:15 p.m.)
DES MOINES
After looking at local weather reports, I was pretty concerned about being able to make it to Des Moines. I flew from Oakland, California to Denver, Colorado and then was scheduled to fly from Denver to Des Moines. While waiting in Denver, I heard some folks behind me talking about how the Des Moines airport had been closed all morning and that two morning flights had been cancelled. Things didn’t look good! Then, to our delight, we received news from United that our flight would be boarding shortly and that the Des Moines airport had re-opened. Iowa—here I come!
Blazing Saddles—Meet & Greet with the Local LGBT Community (6:00 p.m.)
After arriving in Des Moines, Iowa Deputy Political Director Alanna Kelly and I headed over to Blazing Saddles, Des Moines’ first gay bar (opened in 1982) for a meet and greet with the local LGBT community. Because the weather had forced nearly all of the presidential candidates to cancel their events in Des Moines, we had a fairly large crowd at the bar. We were greeted at the door by Bob “Mongo” Eikleberry—the owner of the Blazing Saddle. Mongo, a Vietnam Veteran and the founder of the All Iowa AIDS Benefit, is one of the pillars of the Des Moines LGBT community. He has been a role model and source of support for dozens of LGBT youth who came to Des Moines after being kicked out of their homes after revealing their sexual orientation to their parents. Mongo is an inspiration to us all and I am proud to say also a strong and vocal supporter of John Edwards. I spent the evening talking with a diverse group of local LGBT voters—young, old, black, white, gay, lesbian and allied. Many of the voters with whom I talked are still undecided, but I wanted to make sure they knew that the Edwards Campaign was working to earn their vote and that our campaign welcomes and would be honored by the support of LGBT voters across America. Several voters told me that the Edwards Campaign was the first to send an openly gay surrogate to the bar to ask them for their support. Great first event—going back to the hotel to crash and get ready for a long day of travel and events!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
DES MOINES
Breakfast with Carolyn Jenison—Executive Director of One Iowa (9:00 a.m.)
Alanna and I had the opportunity to have breakfast with Carolyn—the head of One Iowa, Iowa’s statewide LGBT advocacy organization. We learned from Carolyn about the extensive community education efforts One Iowa is doing all across the state and the Caucus Project they have put in place to increase the participation of the Iowa’s LGBT community in the January 3 Caucuses. The Edwards Campaign has been sending our Iowa LGBT supporters to One Iowa Caucus trainings and meetings and we are proud of this partnership. Carolyn is a fabulous leader doing vitally important work. She told us that she and her partner caucused for Edwards in 2004 and we would proud and honored to have the support of her and partner again in 2008.
AMES (11:00 a.m.)
On to Ames—the home of Iowa State University and the Cyclones for Edwards!
Community Meet & Greet at Legends American Grill (12:00 p.m.)
Our local field organizers in Ames set up a fantastic meet and greet with undecided voters—both gay and straight in a private skybox room at Legends overlooking the beautiful Iowa State University campus. Upon arriving, I met two remarkable community leaders—Terry Lowman and his husband Mark Kassis. Terry and Mark are openly gay business owners in Ames and proud supporters of John Edwards for President. I also met a number of Iowa State University undergraduate students and graduate students who are serving as precinct co-chairs in their student communities. There was great energy at this event and a number of the more senior voters I met at this event who were undecided before have now since committed to caucus for Edwards. Terry and Mark, like Mongo, are local pillars of the Ames LGBT community. On my way out of the event, Terry told me a story that nearly broke my heart. He told me that it had not always been easy to be openly gay business owners in Ames. But, one experience made them realize it had been worth it. They received a letter from a young man in Ames who told them that he had considered suicide a number of times after realizing that he was gay. But, after learning and reading about Terry and Mark and their success as a couple and as business owners, he told them that he knew he could survive and make it. It is individuals like Terry and Mark and Mongo who make our community so strong.
IOWA CITY (4:00 p.m.)
On to Iowa City—the home of the University of Iowa, the Hawkeyes for Edwards group, and one of America’s best kept secrets. (On our drive out to Iowa City, we kept hoping to run into John Edwards, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins on their statewide bus tour—no luck!!) My best friend in college is from Iowa City—so I know it and love it very much. What many people don’t know about Iowa City is that it has one of the highest per capita LGBT populations in the country and that it was the first city in Iowa to pass laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Community Meet & Greet at the House of Aromas (5:45 p.m.)
We were greeted at this funky coffee house by Iowa City field organizer Craig Leabhart, an openly gay student at the University of Iowa who has taken time off from school to work for John Edwards. I had a spirited conversation with 15 of Iowa City’s community leaders, including Paul Osterholt—the Chair of the GLBT Caucus for the Iowa Democratic Party. (Paul and his partner James were scheduled to be my host family in 2004 in Iowa City before I got re-assigned to be the Regional Field Director for Kerry-Edwards in Davenport, Iowa). Demonstrating how small the world really is, I also met another local elected official who happened to have grown up in my hometown of Wadsworth, Ohio (his sister was my editor on the high school newspaper). I met yet another inspirational community figure in an allied school board member who had for years—despite being threatened--been working to incorporate into the curriculum books and lessons designed to build awareness and tolerance of LGBT Americans.
I was excited to be able to provide to participants at the meeting with the “breaking news” that Edwards had just received the endorsement of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition and its Executive Director—State Legislator Mo Baxley. Before we knew it, we all had to break up our great discussion to head to a holiday party at the University of Iowa GLBT Center. However, because we have Craig on staff as our field organizer, I am confident that he will continue doing great outreach to all aspects of Iowa City’s LGBT community.
University of Iowa GLBT Allied Union Holiday Party (7:00 p.m.)
The U of I GLBT Allied Union is the oldest GLBT student group in the country and is celebrating in 2008 its 37th anniversary! They also, just last year, were given a cozy and beautiful home as the campus’ GLBT center. I had the opportunity to talk with about two dozen active, engaged GLBT students. They asked intelligent questions about climate change, health care, restoring our reputation abroad and the federal deficit. We left them with policy books, handouts on the work we have done as an LGBT Steering Committee and a message encouraging them to caucus on January 3. They left us with inspiration as we thought about what the world will be like when they are leading it.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Headed Back Home (8:00 a.m.)
What a fantastic trip! I came away with the sense that those voters who are committed to caucus for us will turn out and have the passion, enthusiasm and experience to convince many of their neighbors to support John Edwards. Iowa is lucky to have so many terrific LGBT community leaders and our campaign is so proud to have their support.
Will Huckabee Honor His Word?
Advocacy Groups, Jeanne White-Ginder Still Waiting to Meet with Gov. Huckabee, but after two letters by the Human Rights Campaign and The AIDS Institute, the Huckabee campaign has not responded
WASHINGTON – One week after requesting to meet with Republican presidential candidate Governor Mike Huckabee, Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White, the Human Rights Campaign or The AIDS Institute, still have not heard from Gov. Huckabee or his campaign. The meeting was called in response to Gov. Huckabee’s 1992 remarks, that he refused to repudiate, when he said people living with HIV and AIDS should have been “isolated” even after it was determined the virus was not spread through casual contact. The morning after HRC and The AIDS Institute sent a letter to the Huckabee campaign requesting a meeting, the Governor said, “I would be very willing to meet with them.”
On Saturday, a field representative working for the Human Rights Campaign approached Huckabee during a campaign stop at the Berlin New Hampshire Technical College, located in Berlin, NH. The staffer asked, “I know that you said you are willing to meet with Ryan White's mother, when will you be meeting with her?” Huckabee answered, “Well I don't know how to get in touch with her.” The staffer offered to provide contact information and Huckabee called over Christopher Herr, the campaign’s New Hampshire field manager. She provided the information to Mr. Herr while Huckabee moved on.
“Seven days after we asked Governor Huckabee to meet with Jeanne White-Ginder, she is still waiting to hear from him or anyone on his campaign,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “As we’ve said, this is not an issue of ‘political correctness.’ Rather, this is an issue of valuing science-based evidence over unfounded fear or prejudice. If Gov. Huckabee is a man of his word, then he’ll stop stalling and stand by his pledge and immediately reach out to Jeanne.”
“We are very disappointed that Governor Huckabee has not taken steps to meet with Jeanne White-Ginder after indicating he was willing to do so,” said Gene Copello, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. “HRC and The AIDS Institute sent two letters to Governor Huckabee with the necessary information about how we could facilitate a meeting with Ms. White-Ginder, who is a board member of The AIDS Institute. It is important to Ms. White-Ginder, whose young son, Ryan White, suffered undue discrimination because of prejudice and fear, for this meeting to occur. Since the 1980s we have had good scientific evidence about how AIDS is transmitted and how it is not. Even in the face of such evidence, discrimination against women, men, and children living with HIV/AIDS continues today. Calls for isolation and quarantine not only fly in the face of scientific evidence, they also reinforce prejudice and fear. This is our third request to meet with Governor Huckabee and we will continue to advocate strongly for this meeting until it happens.”
“Over 1.2 million people in our country are living with HIV/AIDS. It’s hard to imagine that a serious Presidential candidate would stand by a statement to ‘isolate’ our fellow Americans, and then ignore offers from Ryan White’s mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, to meet so she can educate Governor Huckabee about the devastating impact of this disease,” said Rebecca Haag, Executive Director of AIDS Action in Washington, D.C. “This nation needs a results-oriented national strategy to end this tragedy. Blaming the victim is not constructive; strong political leadership is needed. The Governor does not appear to be up to the task.”
As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered 229 questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. The Senate candidate wrote: “It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents.”
“When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact,” the Associated Press reported, December 8, 2007. In a FOX News interview on Sunday, December 9, Huckabee stood by his remarks. Watch the interview: http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2007/12/hrc-and-the-aid.html .
The first letter to Gov. Huckabee:
December 10th, 2007
Dear Governor Huckabee:
In 1984, a young boy living in Indiana was diagnosed with AIDS. At the time, that boy, thirteen-year-old Ryan White, had no idea that his life would become a testament of courage and bravery responsible for opening the hearts and minds of millions of people throughout our country and around the world. Six years later, in 1990, Ryan’s life ended -- a dear, precious life cut short.
But Ryan’s death wasn’t the only tragedy in this well-known story in our country’s history. Ryan and his family’s battle with HIV/AIDS was also a stark reminder of what happens in our country when fear and ignorance go unchecked. Governor Huckabee, the Ryan White family was ridiculed, shunned and ostracized by people who thought the answer was to “isolate” them far away from the rest of society. In 1984, this belief was purely based on ignorance. But these same beliefs, which you espoused in 1992 and have refused to recant today, as a candidate for President of the United States, are completely beyond comprehension.
When you answered the Associated Press questionnaire in 1992, we, in fact, knew a great deal about how HIV was transmitted. Four years earlier, in 1988, the Reagan Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services issued a brochure assuring the American public that “you won’t get the AIDS virus through every day contact with the people around you in school, in the workplace, at parties, child care centers, or stores.” To call for such an oppressive and severe policy like “isolation,” when the scientific community and federal government were certain about how HIV is transmitted was then, and remains today, irresponsible. Such statements should be completely repudiated, not simply dismissed as needing to be slightly reworded.
This was not and is not an issue of “political correctness,” as you state. Rather, this is an issue of valuing science-based evidence over unfounded fear or prejudice.
Have we not learned the difficult lesson of how devastating these statements based in ignorance and fear can be to American families? Has it been so long ago that we have forgotten how our neighbors had the backs of entire communities turned on them? Governor Huckabee, those dark moments in American history are the direct result of ignorant views that stifle discussion, hinder resources and delay action. We have a moral obligation as a nation to never allow ourselves to repeat the shameful mistakes of the past. And we cannot sit idly by when a candidate for President of the United States tries to lead us back down that path of ignorance and fear.
Governor Huckabee, if you need a reminder of how calls for “isolation” can shatter a Mother’s heart, you only need to turn to Jeanne White-Ginder. Today, we respectfully ask you to sit down with her and allow her to share with you Ryan’s story. Ms. White-Ginder continues to be active in AIDS advocacy as a member of the board of The AIDS Institute. We hope that, even in 2007, Ryan’s story can continue to open hearts and minds.
We would be happy to facilitate a meeting between Ms. White-Ginder and yourself, or a member of your staff. Please feel free to contact Brad Luna, Communications Director for the Human Rights Campaign, at (202) 216-1514 at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
President
Human Rights Campaign
A. Gene Copello
Executive Director
The AIDS Institute
The second letter to Gov. Huckabee:
December 12th, 2007
Dear Governor Huckabee:
We wanted to follow-up from our initial letter sent to you Monday evening addressing your comments made in 1992 on the isolation of AIDS patients from the general public – comments that you have refused to recant.
According to media reports published Tuesday, you said: “I would be very willing to meet with them. … I would tell them we've come a long way in research, in treatment.”
We are writing to open a dialogue with your campaign to facilitate a meeting between yourself, Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White; Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign; and A. Gene Copello, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute.
As explained in our first letter, Ms. White-Ginder continues to be active in AIDS advocacy as a member of the board of The AIDS Institute. Her son, Ryan, was diagnosed with AIDS on December 17, 1984 at the age of 13, and captivated the attention of millions as he fought to attend school after being expelled due to ignorance of how HIV is transmitted. As you may know, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, was named is his honor. The act is the United States' largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS. Congress voted to reauthorize the Act in 1996, 2000 and again in 2006. We hope that, even in 2007, Ryan’s story can continue to open hearts and minds.
We look forward to discussing our experiences and personal insight with you and your campaign. This was not and is not an issue of “political correctness,” as you have stated previously. Rather, this is an issue of valuing science-based evidence over unfounded fear or prejudice.
To facilitate the logistics of a meeting between Ms. White-Ginder, Mr. Solmonese and Mr. Copello, please contact Brad Luna, Communications Director for the Human Rights Campaign, at (202) 216-1514.
Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese
President
Human Rights Campaign
A. Gene Copello
Executive Director
The AIDS Institute
December 15, 2007
60 Minutes to Feature Out, Active Duty Army Sergeant
This Sunday’s edition of the award-winning CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes will include a story by correspondent Lesley Stahl about reports from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) of a growing number of openly lesbian and gay troops in the United States armed forces. The segment will also feature an exclusive interview with SLDN client and openly gay Army Sergeant Darren Manzella, who has served a tour of duty in Iraq and is now serving inside Kuwait. Manzella tells Stahl that he has received overwhelming support from both his fellow soldiers and superiors since coming out last year. Stahl’s report also looks at SLDN’s work in assisting service personnel such as Manzella, and the organization’s campaign to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In addition to Manzella, Sunday’s segment also features SLDN board member Cholene Espinoza, an Air Force Academy graduate and the "It is perhaps only once in a lifetime that we are given the opportunity to do something of paramount importance, and I am honored to be able to use my voice to speak out on behalf of the countless lesbian and gay Americans currently serving in our armed forces."
“Sergeant Manzella’s story illustrates the arbitrary and uneven enforcement of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” said SLDN executive director Aubrey Sarvis. “Many commands, like Manzella’s, recognize that their lesbian and gay troops are instrumental in the work of defending our country. Those commanders, who want to do the right thing and retain good troops, should not have their hands tied by this unfair law. Our nation’s commitment to fairness and civil liberties demands an end to this law, and our national security interests are best served by repealing it.”
Since 1993, more than 12,000 men and women have been dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), nearly 800 of those dismissed had skills deemed ‘mission-critical’ by the Pentagon, including 322 language experts, 58 of whom were proficient in Arabic. In FY2005 alone, the armed
While “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” dismissals have declined by 50% since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, an average of two service members are dismissed under the law every day.
Enforcement, SLDN reports, is largely arbitrary and varies from command to command. A recent SLDN survey found that troops in deployable units were far less likely to be dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” than those stationed stateside. Less than 25% of discharges in 2005, the SLDN analysis revealed, were from units deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan.
Sergeant Manzella joined the Army in April 2002 and deployed to Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II, in March of 2004. He provided medical coverage during more than one hundred 12-hour patrols on the streets of Baghdad. While under fire, Manzella cared for Iraqi National Guardsmen, Iraqi civilians and his fellow service members, earning him the Combat Medical Badge, a swift promotion and several other awards honoring his courage and duty to service. He returned for a second tour of duty in the Middle East in 2006 and is currently stationed in Kuwait.
“It is perhaps only once in a lifetime that we are given the opportunity to do something of paramount importance, and I am honored to be able to use my voice to speak out on behalf of the countless lesbian and gay Americans currently serving in our armed forces,” said Manzella. “More and more of us are serving openly – and proudly – in our nation’s military. It is important that Americans hear our stories, see our commitment to our nation and understand the harm ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ unnecessarily inflicts on our military and our troops. I am grateful to Lesley Stahl and 60 Minutes for the opportunity to share my story, and grateful to SLDN for their fight on my behalf during my time in the Army.”
SLDN also announced today that Manzella will join its national speakers’ bureau and join other veterans who are helping to build public support for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
“All of us at SLDN are enormously proud of Sergeant Manzella for risking so much in telling his story,” said Sarvis. “We are honored to stand up, every day, for patriotic troops like him; and we are more dedicated than ever to repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ once and for all.”
60 Minutes airs this Sunday at 7/6c on CBS. For more information on the program, visit www.cbsnews.com. For more information on Sergeant Manzella, Sunday’s story and SLDN’s campaign to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” visit www.sldn.org.
December 14, 2007
Eric Stern: Edwards knows all LGBT politics is local
While I believe that the Democratic Party has a tremendous field of candidates, I ultimately decided to endorse John Edwards for President and signed on as a volunteer adviser to his presidential campaign in January of this year. I initially got into politics and advocacy because of my passion for helping underserved communities. Edwards' focus on poverty alleviation and his REAL plan on universal health care and leveling the playing field in public education is unmatched by other candidates and, in fact, has forced the other candidates to re-focus on these issues.
The Edwards Campaign from day one has worked very hard to cultivate LGBT support across the nation and to seek our input and ideas—as opposed to simply our money. Our LGBT steering committee has been incorporated into all aspects of the campaign, resulting in the Edwards campaign being the first to release a public list of high-level LGBT supporters, the first to release a questionnaire to HRC, the first to release a comprehensive HIV/AIDS policy, and the first to have its candidate visit a LGBT community center and to have the candidate's spouse participate in a gay pride event. And, in an early and pivotal moment in the campaign, Edwards clearly denounced General Pace’s statement that homosexuals were immoral. This was in striking contrast to how Hillary and Obama responded to the same question.
Edwards supports immigration equality and repealing all portions of DOMA—Hillary and Obama do not. And while John Edwards is not yet a supporter of marriage equality, he has pledged to use the power of the White House to rid the federal laws of anti-gay discrimination and extend all of the federal benefits of marriage to same-sex couples in committed relationships. And, while I wish he was now a supporter of marriage equality, I believe that a candidate whose wife and daughter support equality will get there much earlier than a candidate whose husband signed DOMA and encouraged Senator Kerry to support the FMA and anti-gay state constitutional amendments in order to win more conservative votes.
While much of the focus of the campaign thus far has been on foreign policy, immigration and health care, I believe that there is an important theme in this election cycle that is directly relevant to our work as LGBT community activists. As most of us now realize, almost all of the victories for our community have been at the state and local level. These victories are due to the hard work, persistence and talent of LGBT statewide organizations and their allies. Because these activists devoted their lives to educating their neighbors and elected representatives, we have marriage in Massachusetts, civil unions in New Jersey, Vermont, California, New Hampshire and Connecticut, and laws providing workplace equality, safe schools, protection from hate crimes and domestic partnership registries in dozens of states and local municipalities.
Many of us have also worked very hard to elect Democratic Governors and Democratic legislators in our home states. And as a result of the officials we helped to elect in 2006 and because of the state and local LGBT organizations on the ground working to close the deal after these individuals were elected, we have seen some real results in the states with direct benefits for our community, including, among many other accomplishments:
In Iowa, new Democratic Governor Chet Culver signed a state Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) into law. In Colorado, new Democratic Governor Bill Ritter signed a second parent adoption bill. In Ohio, new Democratic Governor Ted Strickland signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination against state employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In Oregon, newly-reelected Governor Democratic Ted Kulongoski signed domestic partner and state ENDA bills. (Democrats took control of the State House and passed domestic partner and state ENDA bills.) In New Hampshire, State Democrats who won a majority in the state Senate and the first Democratic majority in the State House since the Civil War passed a civil unions bill and defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would have barred same-sex marriage. Newly-reelected Democratic Governor John Lynch signed a civil unions bill into law. In Massachusetts, new Democratic Governor Deval Patrick led the successful effort to keep an anti-marriage amendment off the ballot. Democrats in the Alaska legislature defeated a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit domestic partner benefits for state employees, while Democratic state legislatures in Maryland and North Carolina defeated proposed constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage. The Democratic legislature in Vermont passed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity, while the Democratic legislature in Washington State passed a domestic partner bill.
So, now you may be asking yourself what all of these accomplishments have to do with why the LGBT community should be supporting John Edwards for President. The answer is simple: if we want to continue to see this kind of progress in the states and to see the bills that we all work so hard to pass (and the anti-gay bills we all work so hard to kill), we need to retain the majorities Democrats hold in statehouses and build new ones. And there is only one candidate with a 50-state plan who can ensure that we capitalize on the opportunities have across the nation. That candidate is John Edwards. I would encourage you to read the sign-on letter our LGBT steering committee released 2 weeks ago and we would welcome your participation in the campaign.
Eric is the former Executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats and the former Director of LGBT Outreach for the Democratic National Committee. He currently serves as the Associate Director of Career Development at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) and is a Volunteer Advisor to the John Edwards for President Campaign. This is the first time Eric has contributed to the Project.
December 12, 2007
New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Endorses John Edwards
The John Edwards for President campaign today announced the endorsements of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition and its executive director, State Rep. Mo Baxley. The group cited Edwards’ commitment to equal rights and fighting discrimination in all forms.
“I am proud to announce both our group’s endorsement, as well as my personal endorsement, of John Edwards for president,” Baxley said. “We took a long look at all of the candidates, we met with many of them, and in our judgment, John Edwards’ sincere commitment to battling discrimination and ensuring equal rights for every American is unparalleled. He and his wonderful wife Elizabeth have spent their entire lives fighting for those without a voice and standing up for what is right. John Edwards will be the kind of president we can trust to stand up for everyday Americans.”
“I am proud to have the endorsements of Mo and New Hampshire Freedom to Marry,” Edwards said. “NHFTM has done outstanding work advocating for LGBT families in New Hampshire. I am committed to equality for all Americans -- discrimination of any kind is morally wrong. I believe that all Americans should have the same freedoms and the same responsibilities.”
NHFTM is a statewide LGBT education and advocacy organization whose work on behalf of LGBT families has raised awareness of LGBT issues. NHFTM made its decision to endorse John Edwards after considering all candidates’ policy positions, voting records and their campaigns’ outreach to the LGBT community. They met with candidates and contacted leaders in the gay community in their home states as well as the other early caucus and primary states.
John Edwards opposes discrimination in all forms. He supports the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell as well as the full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. He supports equal rights for same-sex couples and believes that all Americans should have the same rights and responsibilities. As president, he will expand hate crimes legislation and will prohibit job discrimination.
December 11, 2007
Huckabee Says He Will Not 'Recant' 1992 Comments on HIV/AIDS
Kaiser Daily: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, on Sunday said that he will not "recant" statements made in 1992 in which he called for people living with HIV/AIDS to be isolated from the general population, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports. Huckabee -- who made the statements in an Associated Press survey while running for Senate that year -- wrote that in order for the federal government to effectively address the spread of HIV, "we need to take steps that would isolate the carries of this plague." He added in the survey, "It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents" (AP/International Herald Tribune, 12/9).
Huckabee in the 1992 survey also said that HIV/AIDS research was receiving too much federal funding, The Politico reports. "In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote. "An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities -- such as Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding -- be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research," he added (Allen, The Politico, 12/8). In addition, Huckabee in the survey said that homosexuality was an "aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk," the Washington Post reports.
Campaign Response
Huckabee's campaign on Saturday released a statement from him saying that in 1992 there was confusion over how HIV is transmitted. "We now know that the virus that causes AIDS is spread differently, with a lower level of contact than with TB," Huckabee said in the statement, adding, "But looking back almost 20 years, my concern was the uncertain risk to the general population -- if we got it wrong, many people would die needlessly." (of course, Huckabee's statement is dead wrong because we knew a whole lot more about HIV/AIDS in 1992 than his statement suggests). Huckabee also pledged to make the fight against HIV/AIDS a central part of his presidency if elected (Bacon, Washington Post, 12/9). Huckabee in the statement released Saturday added that his "concern was safety first, political correctness last." Huckabee responded to the 1992 Associated Press survey after it was "well established" that HIV could not be spread through casual contact, the New York Times reports (Luo, New York Times, 12/9). In addition, Huckabee responded to the 1992 survey more than one year after President George H.W. Bush called on Congress to "get on with the job of passing a law" to prohibit discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the AP/Herald Tribune. Although Huckabee acknowledged the prevailing scientific view in 1992, and since, that HIV is not transmitted through casual contact, he said he was not certain at the time. Huckabee cited a 1991 report of a dentist who infected a patient with HIV -- an "extraordinary case that highlighted the risk of infection through contact with blood or bodily fluids" -- according to the AP/Herald Tribune.
Huckabee in an interview with Fox News Channel's "Fox News Sunday" said, "I still believe this today" that "we were acting more out of political correctness" in responding to HIV/AIDS. "I don't run from it, I don't recant it," he said of his statements in 1992. He added that his comments were not meant as a call to quarantine HIV-positive people. "I didn't say we should quarantine," Huckabee said, adding that his idea was not to "lock people up" (AP/International Herald Tribune, 12/9). However, Huckabee added that he would state his position "a little differently" today, the Wall Street Journal reports (Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 12/10).
A transcript of the "Fox News Sunday" segment is available online.
December 09, 2007
New Yorkers Say Giuliani Showed "Zero Concern" for People Living with AIDS
From Kaiser Daily: NewYork City-based HIV/AIDS advocacy group Housing Works recently criticized former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, for his work on HIV/AIDS issues while in office, the Boston Globe reports. Giuliani "showed absolutely zero concern for people living with AIDS and HIV" during his eight years as mayor, Housing Works President Charles King said. He added, "We had to litigate against him from the beginning of his term to force his administration to follow New York law with regard to the provision of services and care to persons with AIDS and HIV."
Giuliani on World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 said that if he is elected president, he would "continue America's life-saving role as a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS until the day humanity can declare victory against this deadly disease." However, King said Giuliani's statements are "gross hypocrisy." According to King, Giuliani's administration withdrew the group's city contracts as punishment for its "frequent, very aggressive criticism" of Giuliani and his policies, the Globe reports.
In 2005, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's (R) administration settled a lawsuit for $4.8 million that Housing Works had filed against Giuliani's administration over the contracts dispute, but the city did not acknowledge any misconduct in the case, the Globe reports. Maria Comella, Giuliani's campaign spokesperson, said funding levels for HIV/AIDS-related services remained consistent while Giuliani was in office. In addition, the Giuliani administration maintained at the time that Housing Works' contracts were terminated because of mismanagement.
Housing Works also was among several organizations to file lawsuits against Giuliani's administration on free speech issues, the Globe reports. The group won federal court approval in 1998 to use the plaza outside City Hall for World AIDS Day observance, but Giuliani had closed the area for public demonstration citing terrorist threats, according to the Globe. King said that his group was "surrounded by police in riot gear" and confined in penned areas during the event. Comella said that as "a precautionary measure," groups using City Hall for rallies and demonstrations were "all asked to use the same safety procedures while using the space" (Mooney, Boston Globe, 12/7).
December 08, 2007
Eric Stern Heads to Iowa for John Edwards
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Demonstrating that no other candidate is working harder to earn the votes of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Americans, the John Edwards for President Campaign is sending former National Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Eric J. Stern to Iowa next week to do a series of events in Cedar Rapids, Ames, and Iowa City. These events are designed to provide Iowa's LGBT voters with information about Senator Edwards' campaign and opportunities to get involved in the all-important Iowa Caucuses.
Stern has been one of the most active Edwards for President LGBT supporters. In addition to his work with Stonewall, Stern formerly served as the Director of LGBT Outreach for the Democratic National Committee and a Regional Field Director for the Kerry-Edwards Campaign in Davenport, Iowa.
Edwards has laid out one of the most progressive and specific set of proposals on the issues that matter most to the LGBT community. The details of his policy proposals can be found on his website: http://www.johnedwards.com/issues/lgbt/
TUESDAY, DECEMBER, 11, 2007
LGBT Happy Hour
6:00PM
Blazing Saddles
416 E. 5th Street
Des Moines, IA
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2007
LGBT Meet & Greet Event
12:00PM
Legends American Grill
119 Stanton Ave, #117
Ames, IA
LGBT Coffee House
5:45PM
House of Aromas
118 S. Clinton St.
Iowa City, IA
University of Iowa GLBT Allied Union Meeting
7:00PM
LGBT Resource Center
125 Grand Avenue
Iowa City, IA
For more information about these events, please call 919.636.3203
December 05, 2007
AIDS Advocates Launch AIDSvote.org
AIDSVote.org: The Web site -- launched by Housing Works, Gay Men's Health Crisis and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago -- is a nonpartisan voter and candidate education project. The site includes the results of a poll conducted among 16 presidential candidates about HIV/AIDS issues. It also includes GMHC's report about candidates' views on HIV/AIDS topics, as well as a chart that compares the candidates' HIV/AIDS-related voting record and positions. The site will track the candidates' positions up until the November 2008 election. Visit the site at www.aidsvote.org.
December 04, 2007
Barack Obama on Ending Discrimination in the Military
Marking the 14th anniversary of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, the Human Rights campaign has asked the leading Democratic candidates for President to respond to the question, “If you are elected President, what concrete steps would you take to overturn ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?’
Barack Obama responds on HRC Backstory
Fourteen years ago, the Democratic Party faced a test of leadership, and our party failed that test. We had an opportunity to be leaders on the World stage in eliminating discrimination against gay and lesbian service members, to recognize the patriotism and heroism of the hundreds of thousands of gay and lesbian citizens who have served our country. Instead, we bowed to fear and prejudice.
We were told that American soldiers weren’t ready to serve next to gay and lesbian comrades. We were told that our airmen, sailors and Marines would lose their “unit cohesion” if we implemented a policy of equality. And so, rather than embracing leadership and principle, we embraced Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — a policy that is antithetical to the values of honor and integrity that our military holds most dear. Patriotic gay and lesbian Americans are now told that they may serve their country only if they hide their true identities. They are forced to live a lie as the price of risking their lives for their country.Fourteen years later, the United States of America lags far behind. We lag behind our military allies, who are repudiating discrimination against lesbian and gay soldiers in ever increasing numbers — in Great Britain, Canada, Israel, nearly every NATO member in Europe — all with no impact upon military readiness and performance. And our politicians lag behind the American people, who now call for the repeal of Don’t Ask,Don’t Tell in super-majority numbers. It is time for a change.
As president, I will work with Congress and place the weight of my administration behind enactment of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which will make nondiscrimination the official policy of the U.S. military. I will task the Defense Department and the senior command structure in every branch of the armed forces with developing an action plan for the implementation of a full repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. And I will direct my Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to develop procedures for taking re-accession requests from those qualified service members who were separated from the armed forces under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and still want to serve their country. The eradication of this policy will require more than just eliminating one statute. It will require the implementation of anti-harassment policies and protocols for dealing with abusive or discriminatory behavior as we transition our armed forces away from a policy of discrimination. The military must be our active partners in developing those policies and protocols. That work should have started long ago. It will start when I take office.
America is ready to get rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All that is required is leadership.
December 03, 2007
John Edwards on Ending Discrimination in the Military
Marking the 14th anniversary of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, the Human Rights campaign has asked the leading Democratic candidates for President to respond to the question, “If you are elected President, what concrete steps would you take to overturn ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?’
John Edwards responds on HRC Backstory
“It is long past time to end the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy and to allow openly gay men and women to serve in the military. It is critical to our national security that we have the best people in our military. Gay men and women have continually served our country with honor and bravery, and we should honor their commitment and never turn away anyone who is willing to serve their country because of their sexual orientation."
"This is an issue of fundamental fairness – and our military ought to treat everyone fairly. ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ did not become wrong. It was always wrong. Instead of fumbling when people question the morality of the 12,000 gays and lesbians who have unjustly lost military careers, we must repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”
December 02, 2007
Hillary Clinton on Ending Discrimination in the Military
Marking the 14th anniversary of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, the Human Rights campaign has asked the leading Democratic candidates for President to respond to the question, “If you are elected President, what concrete steps would you take to overturn ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?’
Here's is Hillary Clinton's response from HRC Backstory
"I strongly believe that anyone who has the courage, strength, and valor to serve our country should be able to do so. We are at war and our top generals are warning that America’s military is stretched to the breaking point, yet we have a policy that dismisses good people from our ranks. Even service members with critical skills such as Arabic language skills are being discharged because they are gay. Senior retired military officials who can speak freely say this law does not serve our national security interests. These same military leaders are confident that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell won't lessen standards of behavior or lower morale.
As President, I will work with high-profile military leaders, such as former Joint Chiefs chairman John M. Shalikashvili and Retired Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to achieve the rank of three-star general in the Army, who have called for repeal of the law. I will stand with soldiers like retired Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, the first American soldier to be seriously wounded in Iraq, and retired Army Sgt. Jose Zuniga, former Army Soldier of the Year, who are shining examples of why this law no longer makes sense.
Over the last seven years in the Senate, and as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I have built relationships with members of Congress and senior military officials through my work on the Armed Services Committee. When I am President, I will bring this strength and experience to bear to end this outdated and outmoded policy."