Badpuppy Gay Today

Friday, 06 June 1997

Republican Congressman Mark Neumann had already made a name for himself after being quoted in The New York Times Magazine (November 3, 1996) saying, "If I were elected God for a day, homosexuality wouldn't be permitted, but nobody's elected me God."

Nor, it appears, are they about to. Wisconsin Christian United, a conservative religious organization, has, after revelations uncovered by a gay newspaper, accused Neumann of making a deal with the devil. Sunday, his discriminatory remarks--"I won't hire gays"-- spoken before a group of approximately 70 Christian Coalition members, were parlayed across the state. (See Archives Top Story, June 3)

At the offices of Wisconsin Light, a gay newspaper, journalists recalled how Log Cabin Republicans solicited and received Congressman Neumann's signed promise he'd never practice any such discrimination. His signature on this promise, it appears, now conflicts with anti-gay rhetoric made to such hate groups as the Christian Coalition and Wisconsin Christian United. Now, because Rep. Neumann has attempted to play both sides, nobody trusts him.

A statement put out by Wisconsin Christian United says: "Mark Neumann claims to stand on a biblical world view, but has made a deal with the devil."

Milwaukee reporters besieged a politician who has suddenly become clearly irritable and who is trying desperately to change the subject.

"The fact that we are talking about the issue in my office would indicate we are off track and off-subject," he told Steve Schultze of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "We are going to re-focus our attention where it belongs on solving the problems facing the country....and this doesn't happen to be one of them."

Even if Neumann is right, that homosexuality is not among problems facing the country, he knows now, with evident bitterness, that it is a problem facing him, clearly one of his own making. "I don't have anything more to say about it," he blurted at Steve Schultze, and hung up.

Neumann had hoped to run for the U.S. Senate from a proud state that was the first in the nation to outlaw anti-gay employment discrimination. Now, because Wisconsin is awash in indignation over his duplicity, his seat in the U.S. Congress could easily, some say, be up for grabs.

If Wisconsin Christian United has united against him, Neumann obviously hopes he has not burned every bridge. In a Monday discussion with Log Cabin officials, he insisted he'd been consistent signing a non-discrimination pact because he wouldn't ask someone if they were gay, and if he didn't know that they were, then he wouldn't be forced to fire them.

The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement calling Neumann "an equal opportunity panderer." His statements, said Winnie Strachelberg, HRC's legislative director, "clearly illustrate the need for a federal law to protect people from this kind of discrimination, plus what he is advocating is patently illegal in his home state."

Log Cabin executive director, Richard Tafel, said "The political consequences are not good for someone seeking statewide office in Wisconsin. It looks like he is trying to play to both sides, and people don't like that."