14 GAY PEOPLE's ChroniCLE OCTOBER 16, 1998

ELECTION 98

On November 3, change the future for GLBT Ohioans

by Doreen Cudnik

We're nearing the end of a year where there we have witnessed unprecedented attacks on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Following comments from Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott comparing gays and lesbians to alcoholics and kleptomaniacs, several religious right groups kicked off their "Truth in Love" campaign, which claimed to offer a "cure" for homosexuality so long as you ascribe to their particular brand of Christianity.

These full-page advertisements appeared in several prominent daily newspapers last summer, and now the religious right is planning to take their campaign to television.

The nomination of gay philanthropist James Hormel to ambassador of Luxembourg continues to be stalled by Senate Republicans. The reason given by the Republicans trying to block the appointment is that Hormel has "promoted the gay lifestyle."

When President Clinton in May signed an executive order to protect gay and lesbian federal workers from job discrimination, some right wing members of Congress, led by U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley, RColo., sought to overturn it.

At the same time, Rep. Frank Riggs, RCalif., introduced a rider to a spending bill which would have denied the city of San Francisco federal housing dollars. Riggs' reason? San Francisco's groundbreaking ordinance requiring city contractors to provide the same benefits they offer married couples to domestic partners of their employees, including samesex partners.

Fortunately, enough progressive politicians saw the anti-gay bigotry behind these bills and stopped them. Hopefully, these same progressive politicians will be able to demand a hearing for Hormel.

The Gay People's Chronicle has endorsed candidates which are boldfaced and marked with this star.

Ohio Governor and Lt. Governor

★ Lee Fisher and Michael Coleman (D) Also endorsed by the Central Ohio Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, Equality Ohio, Stonewall Cincinnati PAC, National Abortion and Repro-

ductive Rights

Action League of Ohio PAC; rated

"100%"

by

Stonewall Ak-

ron.

Robert Taft and Maureen O'Connor (R) Endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans of Cleveland.

Lee Fisher

Zanna Feitler and John Eastman (Natural Law)

John Mitchel and Lawrence Anderson (Reform)

Ohio Attorney General

★ Richard Cordray (D) Also endorsed by Central Ohio Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, Equality Ohio, Stonewall Cincinnati PAC, NARAL Ohio PACic Club; rated "100%" by Stonewall Akron. Betty Montgomery (R, incumbent)

State Auditor

★ Jim Petro (R, incumbent) Also endorsed by NARAL Ohio PAC.

Louis Strike (D)

This past week, we have all experienced shock and mourning over the savage beating death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Wyoming.

The federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which had hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 8 and in the House on July 22, must be passed so that Shepard, and the scores of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender victims that have gone before him, will not have died in vain. Note that Ohio

is one of 19 states whose hate crime law does not include sexual orientation. We must also change this.

Gay civil rights activists in Cincinnati, stunned by the Supreme Court's decision to let stand a Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the Is-

sue 3 anti-gay char-

Have they been a visible presence at their city's AIDS Walk or benefit for breast cancer research?

If the candidate is not an incumbent, have they sought out the local gay and lesbian community and demonstrated an understanding of our issues? Have they pledged their support, if elected, to supporting legislation that will guarantee our civil rights?

The Chronicle relied heavily on information from a va-

Gay People's Chronicle riety of sources

M

ELECTION

ter amendment, are now planning to mount a referendum drive to remove it. Involvement from progressive politicians in the Queen City will be critical in making that campaign a success.

For all of those reasons, and others too plentiful to mention, we have compiled the following list of endorsed candidates. Endorsements were based on a number of criteria.

If the candidate is an incumbent, we considered how have they voted in the past on issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Has the candidate personally appeared or at least sent a representative to one of the 'Meet the Candidates' nights sponsored by several of the state-wide gay political groups, or other such events sponsored by LGBT groups?

Secretary of State

★ Charleta Tavares (D) Also endorsed by Central Ohio Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, Equality Ohio, Stonewall Cincinnati PAC, NARAL Ohio PAC. Kenneth Blackwell (R)

U.S. Senate

★ Mary Boyle (D) Also endorsed by Central Ohio Gay and Lesbian Democratic

Club, Stonewall

Cincinnati PAC,

NARAL Ohio

PAC; rated "100%" by Stonewall Ak-

ron.

George Voinovich (R) Endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans of Cleveland.

Mary Boyle

U.S. House, District 1

★ Roxanne Qualls (D) Also endorsed by Stonewall Cincinnati PAC, NARAL Ohio PAC.

Steve Chabot (R, incumbent) U.S. House, District 4

★ Paul McClain (D) Michael Oxley (R, incumbent)

U.S. House, District 9

★ Marcy Kaptur (D, incumbent) Edward Emery (R)

U.S. House, District 10

★ Dennis Kucinich (D, incumbent) Joe Slovenec (R)

'98

around the state in making our endorsements.

Stonewall Akron sent a survey to candidates in all

races in Summit, Stark and Medina counties, and then rated the candidates based on

their responses. They also held a candidates' forum on September 2, and information from that event, along with the survey results, helped to determine our endorsements.

Like any minority group, not all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people think or vote the same way, and data gathered and provided by the Log Cabin Republicans indicated that not all Republicans are anti-gay. As an example, there were more Republican candidates than ever before at the Stonewall Cleveland candidates' forum, held October 4 at Zion United Church of Christ. Some of those candidates have earned both the Chronicle and the Log Cabin Club endorsement.

Stonewall Cincinnati PAC, Equality Ohio, and the Central Ohio Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club all did surveys and met with candidates before making their en-

U.S. House, District 11

★ Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D) Also endorsed by NARAL Ohio PAC.

James Here-

ford (R)

Jean Murrell

Capers (1)

Stepriame Tubbs Jones

U.S. House, District 13

★ Sherrod Brown (D, incumbent) Also endorsed by NARAL Ohio PAC.

Grace Drake (R) Endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans of Cleveland.

U.S. House, District 14

★ Thomas C. Sawyer (D, incumbent) Also endorsed by NARAL Ohio PAC; rated "100%" by Stonewall Akron.

Tom Watkins (R)

U.S. House, District 15

★ Adam Clay Miller (D) Also endorsed by the Central Ohio Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club.

Deborah Pryce (R, incumbent) U.S. House, District 19 ★ Elizabeth Kelley (D)

Steven LaTourette (R, incumbent) Endorsed by Log Cabin Republicans of Cleveland.

Ohio Senate, District 3

★ Debra Payne (D) Also endorsed by the Central Ohio Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, Equality Ohio.

Bruce Johnson (R, incumbent)

dorsements. The Chronicle worked closely with these groups before deciding on our endorsements.

Information from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League of Ohio political action committee helped us determine where the candidates stood on the issue of reproductive freedom. A candidate that is willing to cut or deny funding for family planning services may also deny funding for AIDS and safe-sex education in the schools, and other health-related matters involving women and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Based on the information we were able to gather, we have made an effort to provide as comprehensive a list as possible. But not all of the races are listed here, nor did we make an endorsement if we felt we did not have enough information about the candidates.

We did not endorse in the judicial races, but instead left that up to our friends at the Ohio Human Rights Bar Association, whose recommendations are on page 9.

We do feel it is necessary to give a very strong recommendation to Gary Tyack for chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Both Tyack and current Justice Thomas Moyer were given a "Highly Recommended" rating by OHRBA, and both have sought the support of gay and lesbian groups. However, we believe that Tyack will interpret the law a bit more progressively than Moyer in cases involving gay and lesbian people and issues.

We encourage all Chronicle readers to continue to gather more information about the candidates in the days leading up to the November 3 election. Go to the polls informed-—and ready and able to cast the votes that will help change the future for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Ohioans.

Ohio Senate, District 5

Rhine McLin (D, incumbent) Also endorsed by NARAL Ohio PAC. Jack Hensley (R)

Ohio Senate, District 7

★ Les Mann(D) Also endorsed by Stonewall Cincinnati PAC.

Richard Finan (R, incumbent)

Ohio Senate, District 9

★ Mark Mallory (D) Also endorsed by NARAL Ohio PAC, Stonewall Cincinnati PAC.

Janet Cohen Howard (R,

incumbent)

DOREEN CUDNIK

Congressional candidate Elizabeth Kelley chats with Eric Fingerhut, who is running for Ohio Senate, at Stonewall Cleveland's candidate night.