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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2004)
auaust 6. 2QQ41 news sometimes are difficult doesn’t mean that they’re not going to happen. They will.” She continued: “If my child ever came to me and told me, ‘Mom, this is who we are and this is what I’m going to do,’ then 1 would feel, as a mother, free to share my joy, my pride, with all my friends, no matter the circumstances or reli gion or their understanding or their culture, in the same way that I would it my son said, i ’m marrying this wonderful girl.’ You know what? What we owe one another is respect, dignity, civil rights and the generosity of spirit that always has been a great American trait. “Two months ago I was in Sonoma [Calif.) for a fund-raiser, and after I spoke, a guy came up to me and said, ‘I wish you were my mom,’ ” Heinz Kerry said. “At least if nothing else, you will have a mom in the White House.... I will always have an ear, I will always have a heart, and I will always respect and want you to he loved.... You can call me Mama T anytime.” The caucuses also were addressed by Maine Gov. John Bal- dacci; U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney of New York, Robert Matsui of C ali fornia, Sheila Jackson Lee o f Texas and Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C.; U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California; and actors Robert Gant of Queer as Folk and Steve Buscemi of The Sopranos. “Our nominee for president is the most pro- % gay nominee for president in U .S. history,” said lesbian U .S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who also addressed the convention in prime time, discussing health care. She was appointed one of the convention’s co-chairs, a queer first. Like several other speakers, 7 0 s pop singer Carole King expressed disagreement with Kerry’s marriage positions. “But I think that with our support and our love and our openness and encouragement, I think he will eventually come to where we are on it,” she said. “This is a good man who has been your advocate for many, many years.” |USt 0 U l 17 support the appointment o f judges who will uphold our laws and constitutional rights, not their own narrow agendas." The platform failed to support trans issues, to the distress of the convention’s seven trans delegates. G ay U .S. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachu setts addressed the convention on the final night. He did not give the speech that was on the TelePrompTer, which did not reference same-sex marriage. Instead he winged it and talked extensively about marriage. “I’m going to be honest with you now,” Frank said, “the fact is, we who are gay, lesbian, bisexu al and transgeridered, we do have an agenda. And here it is: We think we should be able to fight for our country like John Kerry and serve in the mil itary. We believe, revolutionary as it may sound to Rick Santomm and Tom DeLay and Jerry Fal- well, we believe people ought to be able to be hired for a job and be judged solely on how well they do the work and not on what some body else thinks about who they are. We go so . ... far as to believe that a 15-year-old who is differ ent in a lot of ways sexu ally from others ought to be able to go to high school without being beaten up. I admit it, we believe that. And we even believe, it’s true, that when two people are in love and they are willing to be morally and legally committed to each other and financially responsible to each other, that if they are prepared to get married, it’s a gixxl thing for the stability of society." "You will have a mom in the White House. . . . I will always have an ear, I will always have a heart, and I will always respect and want you to be loved You can call me Mama T anytime. — Teresa Heinz Kerry WHETHER YOU'RE STARTING A FAMILY OR CREATING ONE AS YOU GO. A part from same-sex marriage, the only other queer conflict at the convention concerned the Human Rights Campaign’s decision to un invite comedian Margaret Cho from headlining the week’s biggest gay party, a fund-raiser and del egate reception at a nightclub. H RC communi cations chief Steven Fisher said she was dumped because “we were apprised to expect an incendi ary and controversial performance.” he official Democratic Party platform H RC’s action caused the National Gay and weighed in with a host of pro-gay positions. Lesbian Task Force to withdraw as a sponsor of the It says: “We support full inclusion of gay and event and gave 17 members of DontAmend.com lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek a second reason to picket it. The group also equal responsibilities, benefits and protections for demonstrated outside the party to highlight these families. In our country, marriage has been Kerry’s anti-gay position on marriage. defined at the state level for 200 years, and we “The leading political organizations in our believe it should continue to be defined there. community have chosen to politely downplay the We repudiate President Bush’s divisive effort to Dem(x:rats’ attacks on our equal marriage rights, politicize the Constitution by pursuing a ‘Federal all while using the marriage issue in fund-raising Marriage Amendment.’ Our goal is to bring letters to swell their treasuries,” DontAmend’s Americans together, not drive them apart.” Andy Thayer said. “Can you imagine the [Nation The platform continues: “We will enact the al Ass(x:iation for the Advancement of Colored bipartisan legislation barring workplace discrim People! endorsing a candidate who opposed legal equality for African Americans [or the National ination based on sexual orientation. We are Organization for Women) endorsing a candidate committed to equal treatment of all service- who opposed legal equality for women?” members and believe all patriotic Americans Fisher conceded that H RC’s action may not should be allowed to serve our country without have been the best move. discrimination, persecution or violence. We “I can’t say it’s 100 percent that C h o ’s performance would have created a bigger media firestorm than what’s going on now,” he said. “ But I think the risk was very real. And I think our taking a hit in the com munity is worth avoiding even a 30 percent chance of distracting from the efforts to defeat George W. Bush. Our community is their target, and we can’t give them any opportunities. If I were a Republican opera tive and I heard that Margaret Cho was going to be debuting new material at the gay event at the convention, I’d make sure The Human Rights Campaign uninvited comedian Margaret Cho from headlining a queer fund-raiser for press was there.... We have to keep our eye fear of “an incendiary and controversial performance” on the prize.” J H T B H u m a * ItCHTt «»**« ««*. We invite your family to join ours. From now until ocem ber 3», 2004 when you buy or leas« any new Volvo, we will donate $500 to H RC * To learn more about this special offer call t 900 852-7782 It’s our way of letting you know, we care for the people you care about. VOLVO for life -A« don srw n * m *«» b * »aoorrvan m ti by * • o fS c a l HHC/Vo<vo coupon and l e u c v p u r e r « « «graem e-« c 2003 Vow* Com rtf North Atmttc*. LLC. HERZOG-MEIER VOLVO JIM FISHER VOLVO 139th & Canyon Rd., Beaverton 503.644.9121 www.herzogmeier.com 21st & W. 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