["On Gay Marriage, Bh May Have Said All He's Gog To" article, March 1, 2004] - The Portal to Texas History

Contents:

• GEE W. BH'S FOTTEN GAY-RIGHTS HISTORY
• BH ON GAY RIGHTS ISSU
• HISTORY OF THE ANTI-GAY MOVEMENT SCE 1977
• ["ON GAY MARRIAGE, BH MAY HAVE SAID ALL HE'S GOG TO" ARTICLE, MARCH 1, 2004]

GEE W. BH'S FOTTEN GAY-RIGHTS HISTORY

Bh utned agast cricizg gay upl, sayg an terview on "This Week" that you shouldn't cricize others "until you've examed your own heart. " Bh had wad to the revalized same-sex marriage bate last week -- if only barely -- a ment to a reporter Zambia, who asked whether gay marriage nflicts wh Christian valu.

"I meant 's very important for people not to be overly cril of someone else until you've examed your own heart, " Bh told story went on to note that "As print, Bh opposed gay marriage, and Republins phed ballot measur to ban at the state level.

Meanwhile his vice print, Dick Cheney, opposed the nstutnal amendment to ban gay marriage that was a popular ia among social nservativ at the time. ''As Republins seek to fd a new way forward the wake of the Supreme Court cisn strikg down DOMA, 's worth rellg that one equently discsed proposed path -- backg civil unns but not full marriage equaly -- would jt take the GOP back to where s succsful printial ndidate was , the more nservative ndidate who lost where Bh won, opposed both gay marriage and civil unns picture wh Bh was hardly one of straightforward support for gay unns, of urse. At the same time, he benefed om an aggrsive state-by-state mpaign to turn out evangelil voters opposed to givg gay unns the same standg as heterosexual on.

BH ON GAY RIGHTS ISSU

And tight rac, those voters -- who historilly have leaned heavily Republin -- may have tipped the now Bh, rponse to a journalist Zambia askg about whether gay marriage is agast Christian valu, said, "I shouldn't be takg a speck out of someone else's eye when I have a log my own. "The short answer is that is unclear, " said David Smh, a spokman for the Human Rights Campaign Washgton, one of the natn's largt gay rights anizatns, when asked how the Bh admistratn might handle gay rights many, cludg Smh, say they fd forebodg Bh's Texas rerd and some of his recent picks for his admistratn's Cabet, cludg former Sen. Both Powell, now Bh's nomee for secretary of state, and Condoleezza Rice, Bh's natnal secury adviser-signee, oppose gays servg openly the 1993 policy stat that those the ary who engage "homosexual nduct" would create "an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good orr and disciple, and un hn that are the sence of ary pabily.

HISTORY OF THE ANTI-GAY MOVEMENT SCE 1977

Acrdg to a recent report by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the Pentagon fir three service members every day for beg lbian, gay or bisexual. Michael Piazza, senr pastor of The Cathedral of Hope, a large Dallas church that wel gays and Exist, But Willg to Give Bh Benef of the DoubtBut while Bh may not act on the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, many gays are worried about his actn. "There is a fear that the admistratn is gog to s on [the issu] and we won't see any movement, said Michael Colby, executive director of the Natnal Stonewall Democrats, a gay polil anizatn.

"Though many gays would say the progrs for gay rights has been slow, others ntend the Clton admistratn was the first to tackle the issu, and succeed by takg small steps Clton admistratn tak cred for, among other thgs, supportg the passage of longer sentenc for hate crim, protectg feral workers om discrimatn based on sexual orientatn, hostg the first Whe Hoe nference on HIV and AIDS, and appotg a number of gays and lbians to ernment posns — cludg the natn's first openly gay U. Ambassador [of Luxembourg], Jam uld make some cisns that uld have a negative impact on gay rights, gay lears say, by makg chang to executive orrs Clton has already signed.

["ON GAY MARRIAGE, BH MAY HAVE SAID ALL HE'S GOG TO" ARTICLE, MARCH 1, 2004]

"Many gay polil lears say they are tryg to give Bh the benef of the doubt the early months of his most gay voters are registered Democrats, Bh received 25 percent of the gay vote, acrdg to a Voter News Service survey. And many Republins have supported legislatn such as the Hate Crim Preventn Act and the Employment Non-Discrimatn Act, which are nsired important measur for protectg gay rights.

Senate is nsired by gay activists to be Ashcroft's nomatn was announced, the Human Rights Campaign lled "a ighteng halt to the morate tone" of earlier Bh nomatns.

Ashcroft was a -sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act, a law passed 1996 which bans feral regnn of gay marriag and prohibs spo same-sex marriag om receivg feral the time, Ashcroft asserted that unlike race and genr, homosexualy "is clearly a choice — a choice that n be ma and unma, " acrdg to a report by the San Francis Chronicle. "It is a difficult challenge for the civil rights and gay muny bee of his rerd the Congrs, " said Steve Gunrson, a former ngrsman om Wisns who was the first openly gay Republin member of Congrs.