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An unconscionable platform'

by Dawn Wolfe

On Aug. 31, Human Rights Campaign President Cheryl Jacques discussed the Republican Party's platform, divisions inside and outside the Convention and upcoming federal and state fights on marriage rights by phone with members of the LGBT media.
Of the new platform, which goes beyond advocating an amendment to the Federal Constitution banning equal marriage rights to also propose banning domestic partnership benefits and civil unions, Jacques declared, "It very clearly and proudly attacks gay families, not just denying GLBT people marriage equality rights but going far further, going into attacking the concept of any legal protections or priviliges or responsibilities to help gay families care for one another."
She continued, "This party in its platform is desperate to shut down any legal protections, recognition, or fair treatment for gay and lesbian families, and that's appalling."

Dissention within and without the Convention

While extremists within the GOP seem to be winning all the battles at this Convention, other voices are being heard. Jacques specifically mentioned the decision by the Log Cabin Republicans to withold an endorsement of George W. Bush, and further talked about "the best of the best" – people who are fighting from within their party to take it back from the social-issue terrorists who have stolen it.
She cited people, "like Congressman Chris Shays, who … spoke to this very issue, about how incredibly disppointed he is in the direction of his party and the President, but he's not going to abandon his party, he's going to work to change it. And I respect that and I'm frankly grateful that there are those who will stand their ground and try to fight back [the fact] that this party has been hijacked by the extremists – we're seeing a lot of that."
As for the 100,000-500,000 protestors outside the convention, Jacques said, "Here, [protesters are] all you see as you walk the streets, literally group after group is barricaded behind those things that they put up in the streets to direct the traffic."

Federal marriage amendment, part 2

Calling it "striking" that the House is planning in Sept. to take up, "not a vote on an economic recovery package, not a vote on bringing health care coverage to 45 million uninsured Americans, not even a focus on 9-11 or the war in Iraq," but, "…a move forward on an initiative that has no place in this country and certainly no place in this Congress," Jacques vowed a tough fight when the House debates the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment later this month.
"…We're going to educate the country…and we're going to do the same exact thing we did in the Senate. We're going to drive a Mac truck into the center of the conservative movement, and we're going to divide that movement and pit them against one another, the way we're seeing Dick Cheney and George Bush pitted against each other on this issue," Jacques declared.

Meanwhile, back at the states…

Jacques and the HRC have not forgotten that several states are facing individual Constitutional battles against equal marriage rights. Jacques called the state battles the second in a three-pronged approach in the marriage rights war. (The first being the sound defeat of the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment in the House.) Repeating her vow to "work…shoulder to shoulder" with local LGBT organizations, Jacques also cautioned that the HRC is planning to make strategic decisions when allocating money to the states.
"We also are looking at viability. We are saying while we will help all states in their ballot initiatives and it's important to…help them financially, the reality is that if you look at polling information, it's far harder to defeat these measures in Arkansas or a Georgia, versus an Oregon or a Michigan or an Ohio where the numbers are more promising."
As an example of HRC's commitment to helping the states, Jacques cited the over $600,000 the organization has spent to help MassEquality.
"…You name it, we've done it for them and paid for it to help them in their very imporant fight to hold marriage equality rights in the one place in this country where we have finally achieved it."

And, in November…

The third prong in HRC's three-pronged approach to protecting marriage rights, and other civil rights, for LGBT citizens is the election of LGBT-friendly candidates in November.
"I can tell you, for example," Jacques said, "that we [have] close to $1.5 million in our PAC, and that money will go to elect fair-minded candidates. [There are] close to 200 federal candidates that those proceeds will be disbursed to." These funds are in addition to HRC's Youth College program, in which young people are sent to assist in LGBT-friendly candidates' campaigns. Over 35 Youth College participants have been sent throughout the country.
As for the Presidential fight, HRC is using the Cheney ad, in which Vice President Dick Cheney breaks with Bush's stand on the "need" for a federal amendment to "protect" marriage, to change the marriage argument from being a "Bush vs. Kerry" issue to being a "Bush vs. Cheney issue." There are no current plans to run the ad beyond its current playing area of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., however, according to Jacques, HRC has received encouraging free publicity from the paid ad.
There is little doubt that the Cheney ad is part of a continuing campaign that HRC plans to wage against Bush. Jacques declared that, on Nov. 3, the slogan on the large trucks that HRC has been driving throughout New York City, "George W. Bush – You're fired!" "…are going to become reality TV. And, George W. Bush, you will be fired."

For more information – to get involved

Human Rights Campaign: www.hrc.org.
To find your Congressperson and to speak your mind to him/her about the upcoming Federal Marriage Amendment vote in the House visit project Vote Smart: www.vote-smart.org
Log Cabin Republicans: www.logcabin.org.
Coalition for a Fair Michigan: www.coalitionforafairmichigan.org.

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