august 21.1998 • J«a8 M fJ 13
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H efley P roposal F lops
Amendment's failure in a conservative, Republican-controlled House
inspires optimism about the future of ENDA legislation
sible affirmative action. Nine Republicans who
have not made a statement on employment
voted against Hefley.
“It was an incredible victory, it certainly is
historic,” says Stachelberg. “It is the first time
the House of Representatives, and a fairly con
servative House at that, has made clear that dis
crimination against gays and lesbians is not to be
tolerated.”
The White House issued a statement in
which Clinton said: “This vote reflects the val
ues of our nation. The American people believe
in fairness, not discrimination.”
Sky Johnson, director of policy and public
affairs at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian
Community Center, says, “The Hefley vote is
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COLLISION REPAIR NEEDS
he gay and lesbian community
scored a victory in the U.S. House
of Representatives Aug. 5, when a
measure seeking to roll back
L President Bill Clinton’s executive
order barring sexual orientation discrimination
in the federal workplace was defeated by a 252-
176 vote.
Interestingly, conservative legislators were
among the proposal’s outspoken opponents.
“Homosexuals are taxpayers too, and deserve
an even break in employment in a federal gov
ernment that they pay taxes for,” said Rep. Dana
Rohrabacher, a California Republican.
GOP Rep. Tom Bliley of Virginia, chairman
of the House Commerce Committee, added, “If
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President Clinton signs the order May 28
a person does an honest day’s work for an hon
est day’s pay, that’s all I can ask.”
Winnie Stachelberg, political director of the
Human Rights Campaign, a national gay and
lesbian rights group, thinks Bliley’s message “res
onated with a lot of his colleagues.”
Both Rohrabacher and Bliley have 100 per
cent ratings from the American Conservative
Union.
Supporters of the measure, known as the
Hefley Amendment, claimed the executive
order would lead to affirmative action, quotas
and “special rights” for gay men and lesbians.
However, few chose to defend that position in
debate.
Democrats contributed 188 votes and
Republicans 63 votes in defeating the amend
ment.
Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin
Republicans, a national GOP gay and lesbian
group, was pleased by the Republican count.
"We were solid with about 45.. .and about 18
came on who were waverers,” he says.
The 15 Democrats who supported the mea
sure were overwhelmingly representatives from
the South.
In 1993, several Oklahoma congressmen
proclaimed they would not knowingly hire les
bians or gay men to be part of their office staffs.
That led HRC to seek written pledges from all
members of Congress stating they would not dis
criminate on the basis of sexual orientation in
their own employment practices.
Stachelberg says the vote mirrored the pat
tern of pledges HRC received: “Maybe not on a
one-for-one ratio, but it was pretty close.”
Tafel, meanwhile, notes that 21 of the 75
Republicans who made such a pledge voted for
the amendment. Most cited concerns about pos-
particularly encouraging given the recent anti
gay advertising campaign and comments by
Reggie White, Gary Bauer and Trent Lott.”
Kerry Lobel, executive director of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, adds:
“We hope this takes some of the wind out of the
sails of the right wing and their anti-gay crusade.
However, with the November elections loom
ing, it is doubtful their campaign of intolerance
and mean-spiritedness will go away.”
Daniel McGlinchey, interim executive
director of the National Stonewall Democratic
Federation, says, “The Democrats carried the
day.” He points to the fact that 92 percent of
Democrats, compared to 28 percent of Repub
licans, opposed the amendment.
Republicans currently control the House.
Even if Democrats gain control in the next elec
tion, it will be by only a slim margin, likely less
than the number of defections on this vote. So
continued Republican support would be neces
sary to pass pro-gay legislation.
Stachelberg sees the Hefley vote as “a good
first step toward getting a read on where people
will be over time on the Employment Non-
Discrimination Act.”
ENDA is proposed federal legislation which
seeks to bar sexual orientation discrimination in
employment.
Tafel adds: “It is very clear that Republicans
are willing to help form a majority who believe
it is wrong to discriminate in the hiring, firing or
promotion of people. Where they really get
antsy is when you bring in the remedies of tradi
tional civil rights and affirmative action.”
He believes ENDA backers “could be more
careful in crafting ENDA language” to facilitate
its passage.
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