Badpuppy Gay Today

Thursday, 22 May 1997

Representative Chuck Carpenter, an openly gay Republican serving in the Oregon Legislature, and his colleague, Jim Hill, have drawn furious insults from their Party for their attempts to insure passage of a job protection bill that would help stabilize the civil rights of gay men and lesbians in that state. Eleven other states, six of which comprise the whole of New England, have already passed such a bill.

In a letter dated May 16 to Rep. Carpenter signed by Oregon Republican Party Chairman Deanna Smith and Vice Chairman Perry Atkinson, the gay-friendly representatives have been told that "you have been holding this legislature hostage to promote your personal social agenda."

The enraged Republican chairs also advised Carpenter, "This is inexcusable.You are obstructing the democratic process in a cynical maneuver based on a selfish view of the goals of the governmental process. What's more, HB 3719 (the job rights bill) is in direct contrast to the Oregon Republican Platform. You are turning this legislative session into a circus to advance a philosophy that is detrimental to the philosophy of this party and the vast majority of its members. Your activities are an offense to the democratic process that has made this country unique and precious, they have also been an embarrassment to the entire Republican Party and especially those Republicans who serve their constituents in public office."

The Smith and Atkinson letter closes by recommending that Carpenter and Hill lift their legislative blockades or leave the Republican Party. If this latter suggestion were accepted, Republicans would no longer hold a majority in the Oregon Legislature. The two lawmakers have rejected this last suggestion, however.

Carpenter has been struggling with his own Party's representatives in his attempts to insure gay and lesbian protections in the workplace. At one point, he threatened to join Democrats to stand in the way of every bill before the Oregon Senate until its members agreed to hear the job rights bill.

The bill, HB 3719, was due to die in a Senate committee because of procedural maneuvers established by Senate President Brady Adams who refuses to consider legislation unless a majority of Senate votes are already clearly behind it. Neither will Adams countenance amendments to bills originating in the House. According to political observers, Carpenter's job protection bill has enough votes, but without amendments it falls just shy of votes needed.

Carpenter was not aware of Adams' rules until it was too late. Even so, on May 14 he issued an apology for his threat to block bills, two days prior to the issuing on May 16 of his party leaders' insulting letter.

On May 19 Carpenter responded with verve to the insults, denying the assumption by the central committee of authority to dictate its own "narrow agenda under the guise of a party 'philosophy.'"

Carpenter expresses confidence that he is representing his constituents, he says, and he points out that these consist of American citizens who are lesbians and gay men also. His letter contrasts arbitrary firings from their jobs experienced by homosexuals in Oregon with "the Republican Party philosophy that all Americans have the right to work without fear of discrimination."

The openly-gay Republican politician cited examples from his legislative record supporting other aspects of the Republican Party platform and insists he has not instituted "a narrow personal agenda" as the party's chair and vice-chair accuse him of doing.

"I respectfully decline your invitation to choose between civil rights and my party membership," he says, and "instead I invite you to devote your efforts to broadening the base of our party by working for inclusion, not exclusion." Carpenter concluded by saying that "excluding mainstream voters will only relegate us (the Republican Party) to minority status."

On May 20, Richard Tafel, Log Cabin Executive Director (a gay Republican organization) followed Carpenter's response with one of his own, directed also at Oregon's Republican chair and vice chair. He said:

"Those of us who are committed to strengthening and expanding the Republican Party all across the country can only be appalled by the content and spirit of your letter."

Explaining to Smith and Atkinson how their invitation to Carpenter and Hill to resign from the Party would eliminate Republican control of Oregon's legislative bodies, and shows how, because of misguided anti-homosexual prejudices they'd be willing, even, to forego such control, the Log Cabin Director said, "This fact alone demonstrates the recklessness of your letter, and calls into question the soundness of your leadership." The Log Cabin leader has demands\ed, therefore, that there be an apology from the GOP chairs to both Representatives Hill and Carpenter.