16
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T he Y ear of the Q ueer
An analysis of national news for 2000
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ropertles
to be expelled for being gay. Then in May, the
Pentagon went after him to recover the money
spent on his education. The Bush administra
tion had ended this policy, known as recoup
ment, but it began again under President Clin
ton. Enough of a public stink and pressure from
the Congressional Black Caucus forced the Pen
tagon to back down, but it waited to the very
P o l it ic s
last moment to act.
Despite Clinton’s claims to dislike “don’t ask,
olitics dominated the news as only it can
don’t
tell,” his appointees have been vigorous in
during a presidential election year.
their defense of the anti-gay policy. Discharges
On the Democratic side, former New Jersey
were up 42 percent, according to the Service-
Sen. Bill Bradley competed for the gay vote,
which was crucial in primary states like Califor members Legal Defense Network’s annual
report, Conduct Unbecoming. Co-executive
nia. He pushed Vice President Al Gore to take
stances that were more pro-gay than perhaps he director C. Dixon Osbum said, “While the
Defense Department claims everything is fine,
would have liked to have taken publicly.
events of the past year show that
On the Republican side,
conclusion to be a whitewash.”
many voters, gay and nongay
Arizona Republican Steve
alike, swooned over the surpris
May
is being prosecuted for vio
ing candidacy of Sen. John
lation of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for
McCain. But he faded as the
the “telling" he did on the floor
weather warmed up.
of
the state assembly during
Texas Gov. George W. Bush
debate on legislation. That was
held a meeting and news confer
before he was called up from
ence with gay Republicans in
inactive status to the Army
April, a historic first for the pre
Reserve. Once the crisis passed,
sumed nominee. And at his ini
his prosecution began.
tiative, openly gay Arizona Rep.
Massachusetts Democrat Bar
Jim Kolbe addressed the Republi
ney Frank and more than 20
can National Convention in
Barney Frank
other members of Congress wrote
Philadelphia, another first.
Log Cabin Republicans said they were Clinton saying this prosecution was a constitu
tional violation of May’s role as an official carry
encouraged by the progress made with the Bush
ing out a duty of that elected office. But Clinton
campaign and endorsed the party nominee,
ignored this graceful out and continues to
something they had not always done. They
process
May out of the Reserves. The next step
acknowledged that the candidate and the party
likely will be a federal court sometime this year.
still had a long way to go on gay issues.
Dick Cheney’s nomination for vice president
brought broader public acknowledgment that
H ea lth
his daughter, Mary, was a lesbian. The Human
Rights Campaign said that both Cheneys had to
IDS remains a principal concern of the gay
publicly address issues of gay rights during the
community as protease inhibitors and
campaign, but the pair managed to ignore that
dictate. However, the fathers comments on gay other drugs used in combination therapy allow
many to treat the deadly disease as a chronic,
marriage during the vice presidential debate
manageable one. But the list of possible long
were seen by many as the most thoughtful and
term side effects continued to grow in 2000. It
supportive of the major national candidates.
Final resolution of post-election legal wran now includes lipodystrophy, or shifting deposits
gling over votes in Florida touched off specula of body fat; increased risk for heart attack and
tion about which openly gay people might be diabetes; calcium loss leading to bone problems;
appointed to positions within the Bush adminis and an increased rate of malignancies such as
tration. Expectations were low, in part because anal cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Perhaps the most encouraging development
the community has not identified many people
was the limited initial data indicating patients
with the appropriate political resume.
Openly gay and lesbian candidates contin might be able to cycle off and back onto thera
ued to break barriers in their quests for public py at points during their treatment. That could
reduce toxicity, side effects and cost while
office, being elected for the first time to state
legislatures in Georgia and Michigan. Four les improving quality of life.
For some, the cycling might be able to
bians now serve in the California legislature,
and three gay men are in the Arizona state “teach” their immune system to better help con
assembly. Gay bashing was down significantly in trol the virus. A lucky few might be able to learn
campaigns across the country, a sign that being to do that without drugs at all.
Some public health officials fear that com
gay or gay friendly has lost much of its sting.
placency about HIV has led to an increase in
risky behavior, especially among young men,
and with it an increased rate of new infections.
M il it a r y
Some anecdotal evidence supports those fears,
ays did not disappear from the military nor although the data are still sketchy.
To the surprise of many, Congress in October
J f from the headlines. The pair of soldiers
who bludgeoned Pfc. Barry Winchell to death in reauthorized the Ryan White CARE Act— the
July 1999 as he slept at Fort Campbell, Ky., were principal way the federal government funds
sentenced to long prison terms.
AIDS services— for another five years. Credit
Tommy Lee Watkins Jr., president of his largely was given to the bipartisan efforts of
archconservative Tom Cobum, R-Okla., and
graduating class, resigned from the U.S. Naval
Academy when he was told either to do that or staunch liberal Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
topia did not arrive with the new
millennium, but overall 2000 was
a pretty good year for gays and
lesbians. Even the dark clouds
often had their silver linings.
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