february 2 . 2 Q 01 » J hsk
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P rogress R eport
Continued from Page 1
“Many people— and I am the evidence of
it— have opened their hearts, opened their
minds and are trying to understand more,”
Smith said. “And while I may not be, they may
not be able to help you with every issue, we can
help you with most every issue.”
Bean, who has met with Sm ith regularly
since the 1996 election, said he is “amazed” at
how far the senator has come along. W hat start
ed as a political relationship eventually turned
into a good friendship, and they now are golf
buddies.
arrange a significant meeting last April between
then Texas Gov. George W. Bush and 12 gay
Republicans.
About 300 people attended a breakfast
Jan. 19 to kick off the coalition. Sheffo said
Sm ith intended to attend but was unable to
because of scheduling problems.
According to Francis, the coalition sub
scribes to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” type of philos
ophy. His group wants to make sexual orienta
tion a “nonissue” in the Republican Party and to
encourage candidates to reach out as never
before to attract gay and lesbian voters.
Exit polling published by several news net
works indicated Bush captured more than 1 mil
lion votes from self-identified gays, lesbians and
bisexuals— 25 percent of the gay vote. Those
PHOTO BY
From left, James H orm cirK oiiG ianville,
Gordon Smith and Terry Bean ahat during
last year’s Portland Human Rights
Campaign Gpla Dinner
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ill
Smith has likened
the intolerance he
has experienced
as a Mormon to that
o f sexual minorities.
His spokesperson
said he also deeply
was affected by the
1998 murder o f
Matthew Shepard.
“W hat I especially
appreciated about his
leadership and passion
about these issues is
that he took these posi
tions in defiance of his
own party’s leadership,”
Bean said. “The man’s
got a good heart.”
Smith has likened
the intolerance he has
experienced as a Mor
mon to that of sexual
minorities. His spokes
person said he also
deeply was affected by
the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard.
“It probably can best be described as a slow
evolution that has taken place over the past sev
eral years,” Smith press secretary Joe Sheffo said.
“He has slowly, as he put it to me, tried to open
his heart and listen and learn from the gay com
munity and keep an open mind and meet the
gay community on its own terms.”
Shepard’s mother, Judy, will speak Feb. 11
during the opening program of the 2001 O re
gon Hate Crimes Conference, during which
Sm ith also is scheduled to make some remarks.
Emily Gottfried, Am erican Jewish Com m ittee
Portland Chapter executive director, said the
senator was interested in attending from the
beginning.
“I think we have to give him credit,” she
said. “He’s really trying.”
Gottfried said Smith has received a national
award from her committee for his work on Jew
ish issues but has not previously worked with the
Coalition Against Hate Crimes. “This confer
ence will be a starting point, we hope.”
Last month, Smith made major headway in
fostering tolerance by serving on the host com
mittee for the newly formed Republican Unity
Coalition, a sort of “gay-straight alliance" for the
GOP. The group is headed by Charles Francis, a
gay D.C. public relations executive who helped
numbers contrasted sharply with a
widely reported national survey con
ducted by the Washington Blade in
October predicting he would receive
only 2 percent of the gay vote.
Francis said he is confident that
the new president will not discrimi
nate despite a comment Bush made
last February regarding appointments:
“An openly known homosexual is
somebody who probably wouldn’t
share my philosophy.” Francis said the
candidate personally promised him
during their meeting that sexual ori
entation “would not be a factor” dur
ing the administration.
Sm ith was asked to serve on the host com
mittee for the coalition because he had worked
with its members before. “We reached out to
specific representatives that we felt would repre
sent all parts of the party,” Francis said.
David M. Sm ith, H RC communications
director and senior strategist, said the coalition
is a good sign for the Republican Party. “I think
any entity that works towards a better under
standing of who gay people are...is something
that should be encouraged and applauded.”
David Smith wasn’t surprised to learn Smith
is working with the coalition. He said Oregon’s
junior senator was instrumental in helping get
the votes necessary to pass the Hate Crimes Pre
vention Act.
“His leadership sent a message," David
Smith said. “Obviously, he’s not there on all our
issues, but there is movement in the right direc
tion with him.”
David Smith cited former Vice President Al
Gore as a good example of a politician who once
was ignorant about gay rights and since has
come around in a big way. He said he hopes Sen.
Smith continues his progression.
“Almost every member of Congress...has
evolved on this issue," David Smith said. “We
need to find our common ground.... We defi
nitely hope he goes further.’
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