2 Democrats Clarify Beliefs About Gays
Kelly
The New York Times
March 16, 2007
2 Democrats Clarify Beliefs About Gays
By PATRICK HEALY
Under pressure from gay rights groups, two rivals for the Democratic
presidential nomination, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama,
issued statements yesterday saying they believed homosexuality was not
immoral.
Mrs. Clinton, who has particularly cultivated gay voters and donors, found
herself under the most intense fire yesterday after she said on Wednesday
that the morality of homosexuality was for "others to conclude." Later that
day, after complaints from gay rights groups, she put out a statement
indicating she thought homosexuality was not immoral, though she did not use
those words.
Her remarks left some gay donors and advocates angry; several said yesterday
that they believed she was afraid to say the words "moral" or "immoral"
because Republicans might use them against her.
The issue arose this week after Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, said in published remarks that he believed homosexuality
was immoral.
Officials from the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization, said
they had a conference call with Clinton campaign officials yesterday to
argue for a clearer statement; they did not speak to Mrs. Clinton directly.
Other gay advocates, including the Empire State Pride Agenda, also lodged
complaints. Blogs about gay politics and culture, too, excoriated Mrs.
Clinton for raising money from gay donors yet being unable to reject the
idea that homosexuality was immoral.
"Given the emotionally charged politics of the situation, for the sake of
clarity, I hope she expressly rejects the word 'immorality' as it applies to
gay people," Ethan Geto, a gay supporter and fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton,
said in an interview.
As Mr. Geto was speaking, Mrs. Clinton put out a statement saying just that.
"I have heard from many of my friends in the gay community that my response
yesterday to a question about homosexuality being immoral sounded evasive,"
she said. "I should have echoed my colleague Senator John Warner's statement
forcefully stating that homosexuality is not immoral because that is what I
believe."
Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, said
he had heard complaints about Mrs. Clinton from a dozen gay donors and even
more activists. Noting that Mrs. Clinton spoke at a dinner for the Gay Men's
Health Crisis on Monday, he added: "Forty-eight hours later she is not able
to say that the people in that room were not immoral. That worries me."
But Mr. Van Capelle said he was satisfied with her new statement.
Gay advocates, including representatives of the Human Rights Campaign, also
spoke to Mr. Obama's campaign yesterday. Mr. Obama side-stepped the morality
question three times on Wednesday, then put out a statement that night that
rebuked General Pace but did not directly address morality. He did so in a
statement yesterday, saying he did "not agree with General Pace that
homosexuality is immoral."