just ou t T Juno 10. 1005 T O
P in k elep h an t fro lic
GOP members o f Congress and major supporters o f Log
Cabin Republicans convene in Washington D.C.
,
by Bob Roehr
L
nied the reports and, even though redistricting
og Cabin Republicans held its first
pitted him against another sitting congressman,
“Washington Weekend” for about 40
won re-election by a surprisingly large margin.
members of the Lincoln Club, the
Rich Lazio’s Long Island district includes the
group’s major supporters. The event
gay enclave of Fire Island. Lazio spoke of in
drew an impressive retinue of mem
creased
bers of Congress for briefing on issues, and
visi partisan polarization in the House with
surviving Democrats being more urban and lib
tors found a warm reception in Congressional
eral than before: “It appears that the conservatives
offices, where discussion focused on AIDS legis
are in control but the reality is that things are much
lation and funding.
more broadly based.” He is one of four leaders of
Massachusetts Gov. W illiam Weld, often
the Tuesday Lunch Bunch, a group (30 to 50
called the most pro-gay governor in the nation,
depending on the issue) of moderate Republicans.
and openly gay Wisconsin Rep. Steve Gunderson
Lazio spoke of efforts to reform federal hous
were featured guests at a June 7 kick-off recep
ing from his key position as subcommittee chair
tion. It was held at the Capitol Hill Club, the
man. He criticized local authorities for not effec
Republican bastion run by the national party.
tively using HOPWA funds and promised that
Briefings the next morning took place in a
“HOPWA will be protected, fenced off and reau
hearing room of the powerful House Ways and
thorized” in restructuring the Department of Hous
Means Committee. Log Cabin Executive Direc
ing and Urban Development.
tor Rich Tafel announced that Sen. Mike DeWine
Sen. Alan Simpson (Wyo.) told the luncheon
(Ohio) had agreed the previous day to become the
audience he didn’t think the
58th co-sponsor of a reau
1996 Republican Conven
th o rized R yan W h ite1
tion would reprise the gay
CARE Act. “That hap
bashing of 1992. “I still hear
pened because there were
people say they did not like
six people from all over
Ohio” in his office talking
at all the tone of what Pat
Buchanan said in Houston.”
with DeWine, Tafel said.
He closed by praising the
“ M uch of what we
group for “conducting]
have accomplished [on
AIDS] over the last two or
yourselves with great pride
in what I know must be a
three months we really
very difficult situation.”
would not have done with
David Boaz provided
out the help of Log Cabin,”
the red meat at the lun
M ark B arnes told the
cheon. He is the openly gay
group. He is executive di
executive vice president of
rector o f AIDS Action
Council, the nation’s prin
The Cato Institute, an in
creasingly influential lib
ciple AIDS lobbying arm.
ertarian think tank.
“T h ese guys [Log
Cabin lobbyists] went to
“We ought to be talking
the matón HOPWA [hous
about why, in a free soci
ing for people with AIDS] and saved almost all of
ety, we have turned something as important as
it in a House-Senate conference. The point is,”
retirement over to the federal government,” he
said in a blistering attack on Social Security. For
Barnes said, “President Clinton did not save
gay men and lesbians in particular, “Greater so
HOPWA, in the end it was Chris Shays [R-Conn.]
and Kit Bond [R-Mo.] who saved HOPWA.”
cial diversity means that a monopoly bureaucratic
Barnes noted the “big change on Nov. 8,
system is increasingly outmoded.”
which many in the AIDS community...tradi
He believes one of the major problems the gay
tionally so identified with the D em ocratic
community has is that most of its prominent and
Party...have not quite understood. They are, in
most widely quoted “leaders” are socialists.
many ways, in denial. Our challenge as a commu
“People need to stand up to this notion that the gay
leadership wants to define gays as a marginalized
nity is in how we respond to that change in a
constructive way, to embrace the agenda of
class and suggest that their political salvation lies
change.”
in being allied to the other marginalized classes
Rep. Jim McCrery (La.) spoke from his per
like welfare recipients and the inner city poor.”
spective as a senior member of the Ways and
Lobbying efforts, which began earlier in the
Means committee. He outlined some of the radi
week for many delegations, continued that after
cal changes in tax policy being discussed, ac
noon. Frank Ricchiazzi, a political appointee of
knowledging their preliminary nature and con
Gov. Pete Wilson to the number-two slot in the
cluded that “we are a long way from getting to
9,000-employee California Department of Motor
where we need to go.” He did foresee a new tax
Vehicles, led representatives from his state to
code if the Republicans retain control of Congress
meetings with 10 California Republican con
and win the White House in 1996.
gressmen.
“We cannot continue to sustain 10 to 12 per
“Unbelievably positive, just very supportive,"
cent annual increases in Medicare and Medicaid,”
is how he described those sessions. He noted the
he said. McCrery hoped that Congress would “be
three openly gay employees working in conserva
honest” with the American public and say, “We
tive Dana Rorabacher’s office.
cannot afford to take care of every nut and bolt.”
“We are helping them understand how to
He saw part of the solution as moving people into
protect their flanks,” explained Ricchiazzi. “Be
managed care. “But we can’t, won’t and shouldn’t
cause these groups will come in and say, oh, we
move everyone into managed care.”
want you to do this, and we want you to do that,
McCrary’s mere presence at a gay event was
but when it comes to election time, they will turn
interesting in light of a 1992 cover story by The
to every one of these Republicans and say, screw
Advocate alleging several homosexual affairs by
you. I’m supporting the Democrat.”
the then recently married congressman. He de-
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