20
JU S t O U t
« October t . 2004
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he majority of Latino voters are against
changing the Constitution to ban same-sex
marriage and support nondiscrimination and civil
union laws for same-sex couples, according to a
poll released Sept. 28 by Bendixen Associates.
The survey of 800 registered Latino voters found
that 55 percent oppose a constitutional amendment
to ban same-sex marriage, according to the Human
Rights Campaign, which commissioned the poll
with the National Latina/o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
Transgender Organization.
Additionally, 73 percent of John Kerry’s
supporters and 64 percent of President Bush’s
supporters polled said they support laws protect
ing gays from discrimination. About 54 percent
of voters polled said they would support allowing
same-sex couples to legally form civil unions.
“We do not support any type of constitution
al amendment that hinders the civil rights of
any individual. Any constitutional amendment
should he progressive, not regressive,” said
Gahriela Lemus, director of policy and legisla
tion at the League of United Latin American
Citizens. “This poll shows that the proposed
Federal Marriage Amendment is an ineffective
wedge among Latino voters.”
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endorse and support the president for re-
election,” Sneed said. “Some callers have ques
tioned our right to independent thought and
decision with such statements as: ‘You’re blacks;
you should have endorsed him as blacks! No
gays should support him.’ ”
Abe Lincoln national spokesman Anthony
Falls said the group will stand by its endorse
ment. The caucus does not support same-sex
marriage.
“We respect the rights of all, hut we do not
believe that marriage for gays is right for gays,
right for America or right in the eyes of God,”
Falls said.
edia news stories are leaving bisexuals out
of the debate on marriage equality, “mak
ing the record factually incomplete” and over
simplifying a complex issue, according to the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
The group cited several articles in major
newspapers that referred to same-sex couples as
lesbians even though the women had empha
sized their bisexuality to reporters.
“Same-sex marriage is more than a lesbian or
gay issue. The marriage issue is a big deal for
bisexuals who haven’t found their life partner
yet,” said Toby Adams, chairwoman of the Plac
er County Chapter of Marriage Equality Califor
nia. When she married her partner, Jean, in San
Francisco last February, most news stories
referred to the pair as lesbians.
“O n a first date, with everything else going
through your mind, who wants to he thinking,
‘So if this is the one, 1 get to look forward to
either (a) A life of wedded bliss, or (h) A life
of second-class citizenship, depending on
what the sex that date happens to be,’ ”
Adams said.
❖
he Republican National Committee dis
tributed letters last month showing a
banned Bible and one man proposing to anoth
er, asking voters to “vote Republican to protect
our families."
The Democratic National Committee
denounced the move as “a coordinated effort to
target and discriminate against GLBT Ameri
cans” and said the Bush-Cher.ey campaign had
been linked to anti-gay state ballot measures
across the nation. “Instead of running on his
failed record, Bush is dividing the country,”
DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe said. “On
LOUISIANA
Nov. 2, Americans will show Bush that we will
elevangelist Jimmy Swaggart apologized
not he hoodwinked by his hateful politics.”
after telling a New Orleans congregation
The Human Rights Campaign also that he would kill any gay man who kx>ked at
denounced a television advertisement released him “and tell God that he died.”
in late September that
* Swaggart made the
criticizes U.S. Sen. John
comments during a tele
Kerry’s record on same-
vised worship service
sex marriage. The ads are
Sept. 12. He apologized
believed to he the first
after complaints were
election season ads tar
filed with a Canadian
geting Kerry on same-sex
broadcasting group that
marriage. The New York
had aired the program,
Times reported Sept. 25
and after his Louisiana-
that the ads are funded by
based Jimmy Swaggart
a group headed by Gary
Ministries received com
Bauer and that $500,000
plaints from several queer
is being spent to run them
groups.
on television stations in
During the broadcast,
Michigan and Pennsylva
Swaggart said: “I’ve never
nia. The two are consid
seen a man in my life I
ered battleground states
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart apologized wanted to marry. And I’m
in the November presi
going to be blunt and
after saying he would kill gays
dential election.
plain: If one ever looks at
HRC president Cheryl Jacques said the ad me like that, I’m going to kill him and tell God
campaign “tears at families with gay loved ones, he died." The audience laughed and cheered.
like the Cheneys,” referring to Vice President
Swaggart later told The Associated Press
Dick Cheney’s lesbian daughter, Mary.
that he jokingly used the expression “killing
someone and telling GtxJ they died" many times
•5»
about all kinds of people and that it wasn’t
he Abe Lincoln Black Republican Cau meant to harm anyone.
cus, a group of young, urban, African
Cheryl Jacques, president of the Human
American, gay Republicans, voted Sept. 22 to Rights Campaign, said Swaggart’s apology fell
endorse President Bush for re-election. The short.
group’s co-founder, Don Sneed, challenged
“Apologies don’t discourage violence, action
Patrick Guerriero, executive director of Dig does,” she said. “Wc urge Jimmy Swaggart to
Cabin Republicans, to a debate about the affirmatively preach against hate violence. He
endorsement two days later. U>g Cabin, a group should use his position in the pulpit to speak up
of gay and lesbian Republicans, voted not to for equal treatment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and
endorse Bush in this election.
transgender people. His initial comments
“Unfortunately, we have received many ugly, encourage an environment where hate crimes
belligerent and hostile phone calls from gays occur. We appreciate his apology, hut it’s imper
across the nation condemning our decision to ative that he do more.”
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