AGLBICAL

TAMMY BALDWIN
First Openly Lesbian Congress Woman

State Rep. Tammy Baldwin has made history by becoming the first openly gay first-time candidate ever elected to Congress, winning Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district seat over Josephine Musser.

While four openly gay men have served in the House, all disclosed their sexual orientation after first being elected to their posts. Baldwin also becomes the first lesbian to win a House election.

The 2nd district seat was vacated by moderate Republican Scott Klug. He successfully held onto this Democratic-leaning district, which includes Madison, for four terms by veering from his party's orthodoxy and working hard.

His retirement was expected to hand this seat to the Democrats, but that was thrown into some doubt as Baldwin's liberal politics and sexual orientation were expected to be a hard sell in conservative rural and suburban areas of the district.

A GOP primary that drew six hopefuls was won by state insurance commissioner Musser, a moderate who has Klug-like appeal.

On the campaign trail, Baldwin tried to focus the spotlight on the issues rather than her sexual orientation. She stuck with traditional Democratic themes such as universal health coverage.

Musser portrayed her opponent as a single issue candidate. But Baldwin denied the charge, pointing to her work on prisons, health and campaign finance reform issues.

A former nurse and health care consultant, Musser also spoke about health care reform. Like her Democratic challenger, she is pro-choice.

Musser diverged dramatically with the more conservative side of her party on several key issues: She said she supports a ban on some types of late-term abortions only if there are exceptions for the life and health of the mother; she opposes a constitutional amendment barring flag desecration; and she would not support legislation to ban gay marriage.

The Republican candidate was known during the campaign as being blunt and a self-described "difficult person to manage," having gone through four campaign managers over the course of the race.

The race for Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district was one of the few match-ups this year between two women.

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PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CIVIL RIGHTS AGENDA
Support for LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Here is an overview of President Obama's agenda regarding gay and lesbian rights, as stated on the official White House website:

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.

Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

Official White House Website
Click on The Agenda... Click on Civil Rights...

MESSAGE FROM HRC PRESIDENT

That's from an Oklahoma lawmaker's speech about gay people. You heard right. A secret recording has just emerged of State Rep. Sally Kern speaking to a Republican group in January, where she equates both sexual orientation and religion with terrorism.

Tell Oklahoma's governor and top legislators to publicly denounce Kern's remarks. This recording, first released in a video by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, is all the more troubling given the recent spate of hate violence against gay and transgender youth.

What are the official positions of the candidates currently seeking office? More specifically, what are their attitudes regarding GLBT issues?

“Unless Moses comes down with two stone tablets from Brokeback Mountain to tell us something different, we need to keep that understanding of marriage.”
-Mike Huckabee

“It’s the acts, it’s the various acts that people perform that are sinful”
-Rudolph Giuliani (on homosexuality)

“I don't want civil unions or gay marriage.”
-Mitt Romney

Click here for HRC BackStory on Giuliani Comment
Click here for TPM Election Central Report on Huckabee Comment
Click here for Boston Globe Report on Huckabee Comment

On July 18, Patricia Todd won the Democratic primary election runoff, beating out Gaynell Hendricks to replace retiring Rep. George Perdue for House District 54. Since there is no Republican challenger for the seat, Todd is the apparent winner.

Patricia Todd will be the first openly gay state legislator in Alabama in obtaining a state House seat representing parts of Birmingham. The district includes part of downtown Birmingham and all or part of the city's East Thomas, Fountain Heights, Druid Hills, Forest Park and Crestwood neighborhoods. It also includes part of Irondale.

In the June 6 primary election, Alabama voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Ironically, on the same day Patricia Todd came one step closer to becoming the first openly gay member of the Alabama Legislature.

The massive vote for the anti-gay marriage amendment did not make her victory bittersweet, she said. "We knew the marriage amendment was going to pass overwhelmingly. It was not surprising. It was just a matter of how big the margin was going to be," Todd said.

Todd was upbeat on her chances for victory in the runoff, noting that she has been endorsed by two of her primary competitors. She also theorized that some gay voters in her Birmingham-based district crossed over to vote in the Republican primary to help defeat Roy Moore's bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

Moore, an outspoken gay rights opponent ousted as Alabama's chief justice for refusing to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments, was easily defeated by incumbent Gov. Bob Riley, receiving only 33 percent of the vote.

Todd was endorsed by the national Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, likely the most significant involvement from national gay rights groups in the Alabama election.

Including Alabama, 17 states now ban gay marriage in their constitutions. Passage of Alabama's amendment will "enshrine a firewall of protection of the definition of marriage" in Alabama's constitution, said John Giles, president of the Christian Coalition of Alabama. Giles' group spent $15,000 to print and distribute literature supporting the ban on gay marriage. One brochure claimed that allowing gay couples to marry would cause "the health care system to stagger and collapse," and called for Alabama voters to set an example for voters elsewhere because "other states and nations are watching our march toward homosexual marriage and will follow our lead."

LESBIAN WINS HISTORIC RACE IN ALABAMA
Patricia Todd Becomes First Openly Gay Official in State's History

by Denis Dison / July 18, 2006

Patricia Todd made history when voters in Alabama’s 54th legislative district voted to send the Democrat to the State House, marking the first time ever that legislature will include an openly gay Representative. The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, the nation’s largest gay and lesbian political action committee, endorsed Todd and helped raise tens of thousands of dollars from its national network of donors to help fund her campaign. Todd has no Republican opponent in the general election in November.

“The road to equality in Alabama is a mile shorter today,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. “Gays and lesbians in Alabama will now have what all Americans deserve--a voice and a vote. Alabama knows well what a single voice can accomplish. We applaud Patricia’s courage in stepping up to be heard,” Wolfe said.

In other elections, Victory-endorsed candidate Rep. Karla Drenner won her Democratic primary to advance to the general election in November. Drenner is Georgia’s only openly gay state legislator. Allen Thornell, a Victory endorsee who is seeking election to the Georgia state House, advanced to a runoff in his Democratic primary election.

“Karla‘s voice in the Georgia legislature is vitally important. We’re working hard both to make sure she stays there and to help elect Allen Thornell to join her,” Wolfe said. Thornell would be the first openly gay man in the Georgia legislature.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund provides strategic, technical and financial support to openly LGBT candidates and officials. It’s the only national organization solely committed to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials at federal, state and local levels of government. Victory is the nation’s largest LGBT political action committee and one of the nation’s largest non-connected PACs. In 14 years, Victory has helped the number of openly LGBT officials grow from 49 to more than 350.

GLBT POLITICIANS
Openly Gay in the Political Spotlight

Consider the gay and lesbian politicians and public servants who are currently in office...

US Representative Barney Frank
From Massachusetts / First US Congressman to come out freely and win reelection

Sheriff Lupe Valdez
From Dallas TX / First Latina lesbian sheriff in US

Mayor Ron Oden
From Palm Springs CA / First openly gay African-American Mayor popularly elected in US

City Commissioner Sam Adams
From Portland OR / First openly gay Commissioner in Portland

US Representative Tammy Baldwin
From Wisconsin/ First lesbian elected to Congress

State Representative Nicole LeFavour
From Idaho / First openly gay official in Idaho

Councilmember David Catania
From Washington DC / First openly gay Republican Councilman in nation's capitol