Gay Today: World

Democratic Party Platform
Makes Great Strides on Equality

Compiled by GayToday

Washington, D.C.--Last weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, language proposed by a coalition of gay rights groups to strengthen the Democratic party platform on gay and lesbian rights was included in the chair's amendment and adopted by the platform committee without dissent.

The National Stonewall Democratic Federation, applauding the Democratic document, says it reflects the strongest planks of support for gay and lesbian Americans ever inscribed in the platform of a major political party.

Largely a reflection of Gore's priorities, the platform builds on the 1996 Democratic platform in its commitment to AIDS funding, treatment, and the search for a cure, and in its support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

It also stakes out new terrain, expressing support for hate crimes legislation that includes protection against "violence based on gender, disability or sexual orientation," and reflects Gore's vision calling for the "full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of the nation" with "an equitable alignment of benefits." It also rejects all discrimination in the military.

The pro-gay amendments were drafted by openly gay DNC members Jeff Soref and Emily Giske, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and two National Stonewall affiliates, the Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats (GLID) of New York City and the Federation of New York Gay and Lesbian Democratic Clubs, headed by Jeffrey Tooke.

For several days before the meeting, the National Stonewall Democratic Federation lobbied the Democratic National Committee and the Gore campaign to urge them to accept the additional provisions offered by the openly gay members of the platform committee, which included Elizabeth Birch of HRC, Cythnia Smith of GLID, and Michael Milliken, a National Stonewall board member.

In the last two weeks, Geico and SkyTel made similar announcements.

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Initially silent on the exclusion of openly gay and lesbian people from the military, the gay leaders were successful in amending the draft, through the chairman's amendment, to affirm that "Al Gore is committed to equal treatment of all service members and believes all patriotic Americans should be allowed to serve their country without discrimination, persecution, and violence."

"We're proud and pleased that the Democratic party platform reflects such broad and unprecedented support for the rights of gay and lesbian Americans," said Milliken of the National Stonewall Democrats. "As a statement of where the major parties are on fairness for all Americans, the differences couldn't be more stark."

Daniel McGlinchey, political director of the National Stonewall Democrats, noted that while a party platform is not a binding document or even a prediction of what will happen, it is an opportunity for the party to take stock of itself and create a public declaration of principles.

"In this case," said McGlinchey, "it's also a marker of progress, reflecting not only the great strides the Democratic party has made in the past four years, but also the key advances that will be possible under a Gore Administration."

"By contrast," said McGlinchey, "according to the GOP platform, under a George W. Bush Administration, we'll go back to the days of his father and Dick Cheney, to an Administration where gays are ignored and where their rights are diminished.

“The Republican platform keeps gay and lesbian Americans at the margins of society. It explicitly rejects public policies that protect gay and lesbian Americans, opposes any recognition of gay relationships, and states that homosexuality is incompatible with military service.”