Howard Dean is likely to become the next chair of the Democratic
National Committee. (Photo by AP)
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By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Friday, February 04, 2005
The head of the Democratic National Committee’s Gay & Lesbian Americans
Caucus joined a growing number of party leaders this week in endorsing former
presidential candidate Howard Dean’s bid to become the chair of the Democratic
Party.
Dean, who is viewed as too liberal by party officials in the South despite
a record of governing as a moderate, appeared to have lined up enough votes
to win the Feb. 14 DNC election for chair late this week. Most of his leading
opponents have dropped out of the race and endorsed him.
In his role as governor of Vermont, Dean is credited with pushing through that
state’s historic civil unions statute, which provides same-sex couples
with all of the rights, benefits and obligations of marriage under Vermont law.
In his unsuccessful race for president last year, Dean emerged as one of the
nation’s most gay-supportive presidential candidates.
However, Dean drew criticism from some gay activists for his position against
same-sex marriage. In campaign appearances, he said he personally believes marriage
must remain an institution between a man and a woman and that Congress should
instead pass legislation recognizing civil unions bills approved by state legislatures.
While troubling to same-sex marriage advocates, Dean’s opposition to gay
marriage is likely to be embraced by leaders of the Democratic Party’s
moderate to conservative wing, who worry that the perception of the party being
too liberal will play into the hands of the Republicans.
Among those who have endorsed Dean are Jeff Soref, chair of the 16-member DNC
Gay & Lesbian Americans Caucus, and Ray Buckley, the gay vice chair of the
New Hampshire Democratic Party.
Buckley said he had been supporting Donnie Fowler, one of Dean’s rivals,
but was pleased to endorse Dean after Dean easily won the backing this week
of the Association of State Party Chairs, an influential group within the Democratic
Party. Buckley is an officer of the association.
According to Buckley, the National Stonewall Democrats, which represents gay
Democrats, was also expected to endorse Dean this week. A spokesperson for the
group did not return a call by press time.
Last month, the DNC gay caucus released a statement calling on the party to
continue to stand behind the “GLBT-inclusive” planks that the party
adopted in its platform at the Democratic National Convention last summer.
The gay planks, which were vetted and approved by the campaign of Democratic
presidential candidate John Kerry, call for full civil rights protections for
gay citizens.
Although the platform language opposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex
marriage, it avoids taking a position on whether the party supports gay marriage.
“We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of
our nation and seek equal responsibilities, benefits, and protections for these
families,” the platform states.
Other sections of the platform pertaining to gays call on Congress to pass
legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and call for
passage of a “strong national law” to fight hate crimes. The platform
does not specifically call for repealing the Pentagon’s “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays in the military, but states, “We
… believe all patriotic Americans should be allowed to serve our country
without discrimination.”
In its statement, the gay caucus listed seven areas where the DNC should boost
its outreach to gay voters. It called on the new party chair, for example, to
“pledge to maintain and fund at least one full-time senior-level position
of Director of GLBT Outreach at the DNC, whose primary responsibility will be
policy and organizing.”
Outgoing DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe retained the gay outreach director’s
position during his four-year tenure at the DNC. Gay Democratic activist Eric
Stern currently holds the position.
The gay caucus statement calls for the DNC and its next chair to work for the
appointment or election of more gay DNC members; to arrange for more gay representation
among DNC staff and consultants; to push for more gay delegates at the next
Democratic National Convention; and to boost support for gay community recognition
in the party’s Charter & Delegate Selection Rules.
The statement also calls on the DNC to “expand activities” of the
gay caucus through such means as “increased staffing, polling and research
on how to motivate GLBT voters” and “underwriting an annual national
GLBT training conference for activists.”
Among the DNC chair candidates that dropped out of their race against Dean
are former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost of Texas, who was seen as the candidate of
the party’s conservative wing and Ohio Democratic Party leader David Leland.
Dean’s remaining rivals, as of Wednesday, were Fowler, former Rep. Timothy
Roemer of Indiana, and moderate party activist Simon Rosenberg. Fowler supports
full marriage rights for gays.
He told the Blade via e-mail this week, “I’m pro-gay rights, including
gay marriage.”
The DNC’s gay treasurer, Andrew Tobias, is running unopposed for re-election
to the treasurer’s post and was expected to easily win another term in
office. Tobias, who is a member of the DNC gay caucus, was among the gay speakers
at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
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