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LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Two high level officials with the Republican National Committee acknowledged they
are gay after becoming the latest GOP targets in an outing campaign by D.C. gay
activist Michael Rogers.
Jay Banning, the RNC’s chief financial officer and director of administration,
and Daniel Gurley, the RNC’s national field director and deputy political
director, each confirmed they are gay in telephone conversations that Rogers
recorded last month and released to the media two weeks ago.
Rogers disclosed details of his conversations with Banning and Gurley, including
their acknowledgement that they are gay, on his Web site, Blogactive.com.
Gurley also discussed his and Banning’s sexual orientation in an interview
with the Blade, saying the outing by Rogers did not appear to have any negative
consequences for the two men in connection with their RNC jobs.
“The reaction with Jay, at least to my knowledge, has been the same as
it’s been with me,” Gurley said. “Everybody’s been completely
supportive of us.”
Rogers said he targeted to the two RNC officials after learning about them
from reliable sources who knew them, including sources within the Republican
Party.
“They are gay while they are working to oppress gay people,” said
Rogers, who has said his aim is to expose gay members of Congress and their
staffs, as well as others involved in politics, if it can be shown that their
actions harm gay rights advances.
He said Banning and Gurley were “guilty” of helping to advance
the RNC’s election year efforts to use gay Americans and gay civil rights
as a wedge issue. He pointed to a recent mailing the RNC sent to households
in West Virginia and Arkansas linking “liberal politicians” to efforts
to ban Bibles while allowing same-sex marriages.
Rogers also pointed to the platform the Republican Party adopted at its convention
in New York City in August. The platform, among other things, calls for a constitutional
ban on same-sex marriage, a continued prohibition against gays serving openly
in the military, and strong opposition to legislation prohibiting employment
discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Spokespersons for the RNC did not return repeated calls seeking comment on
the outing of Banning and Gurley, who became the highest-ranking known gays
in either the Republican or Democratic parties.
Banning also did not return calls from the Blade.
Gurley told the Blade he disputed Rogers’ claim that he is causing harm
to gays but declined to discuss details about his job duties. He said that although
he doesn’t work directly in the RNC’s policy-making section, he
does work on efforts to help GOP congressional campaigns.
“I think it’s totally counterproductive,” Gurley said of
Rogers’ outing campaigns. “What he’s doing is making it more
difficult for people to help from the inside,” referring to closeted gays
working for Republican organizations or members of Congress.
Rogers’ outing campaign against Banning and Gurley came less than two
months after Rep. Edward Schrock (R-Va.) ended his re-election bid and announced
he was retiring from Congress following a series of Web site postings by Rogers
saying Schrock was gay.
In postings on his site, Rogers released audio recordings of a telephone message
Schrock allegedly left on a telephone sex line catering to gay men, in which
the man speaking sought other men for sexual encounters. Rogers has declined
to disclose how he obtained the recorded phone message.
In his two terms in the House, Schrock voted against the interests of gay civil
rights and AIDS-related causes in every case such issues arose, prompting the
Human Rights Campaign, the national gay political group, to give him a rating
of 0 out of a possible 100. Even after being outed, he voted two weeks ago in
favor of amending the U.S. Constitution to ban states from marrying gay couples.
Earlier this month, Rogers also posted information on his Web site targeting
Congressman David Dreier (R-Calif.). Dreier is a 12-term congressman and the
influential chair of the House Rules Committee.
Rogers’ postings about Dreier came one month after Dreier declined to
say if he was gay or straight when asked about his sexual orientation during
a radio interview at the Republican National Convention in New York City.
Gay journalist Michelangelo Signorile conducted the interview with Dreier on
the Sirius Satellite OutQ Radio network on Aug. 29.
Signorile raised the question about Dreier’s sexual orientation after
Dreier said he opposed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage but
declined to take a position on a bill in the California Legislature calling
for legalizing same-sex marriage.
“There have been a lot of rumors that you yourself are gay,” Signorile
said. “People feel it’s hypocritical of you not to speak on the
subject of same-sex marriage.”
“I have spoken out very, very vigorously in opposition to amending the
U.S. Constitution, which is really the key question and the key issue here,”
Dreier said, in his response to the question.
“Any comment on the rumors about your own sexual orientation?”
asked Signorile.
“No,” Dreier said. “You know, there are an awful lot of people
out there who try to do harm to a lot of individuals, and I believe it is absolutely
wrong,” he said, in referring to outing efforts by gay activists. “And
so I’m not going to get into anything like that.”
“So you are, are you saying you’re heterosexual?” Signorile
asked.
“No, I’m not going to talk about this issue,” Dreier said.
“That’s not what I’m here about. I’m here about talking
about the very important issues the president of the United States is focused
on.”
When asked by Signorile if he thinks it’s hypocritical for a gay politician
to vote against the interests of gay people, Dreier said, “I will tell
you, I’m voting for all the American people. That’s what I’m
doing. And I’m standing up for what I believe is right for everyone. I
am for the rights for individuals. I want to do everything I can to help them.”
Although Dreier voted two weeks ago against the Marriage Protection Amendment,
the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the Human Rights
Campaign said he has voted against gay rights on nearly all previous bills and
amendments during his 24 years in Congress.
He has declined to co-sponsor or support the Employment Non-Discrimination
Act, a pending gay civil rights bill; voted for the 1996 Defense of Marriage
Act; voted for the Marriage Protection Act, which bars federal courts from ruling
on gay marriage related issues; voted for an amendment to the D.C. appropriations
bill seeking to ban same-sex couples from adopting children; and voted against
a hate crimes prevention bill with protections for gays.
Rogers said he learned of Gurley’s and Banning’s sexual orientation
through a network of sources, many of whom are gay, who work within the RNC
and who work in congressional offices. Upon learning of Gurley and Banning,
Rogers said he telephoned the two at their offices and engaged both in conversations,
which he recorded.
He played the recordings over the telephone for the Blade. In his conversations
with both men, Rogers disclosed that he was recording the conversations. The
men did not object, and continued to talk with Rogers.
“Are you out at work?” Rogers asked Gurley.
“Um hmm,” he replied.
“You are,” said Rogers.
“I mean, I don’t go around telling people about myself, but my
supervisors know, the people I work with and work for know,” Gurley said.
“So it’s not like I’m being outed.”
When Rogers asked him what he thought of the flyers about gay marriage and
the Bible, which were sent to various states, Gurley declined to comment.
“I’m not going to discuss those,” he said.
“Are they something you agree with, by your silence?” said Rogers.
“No, I don’t discuss my work,” said Gurley. “I work
for the committee. That’s all I’m going to say.”
“So you have no crisis of conscience at all to what they are doing to
gay people like you and me in the campaign?” Rogers continued.
“I, like anyone else, have policy disagreements with any number of elected
officials,” Gurley said. “I don’t expect to agree with everything,
with everybody.”
Lou Chibbaro Jr. can be reached at lchibbaro@washblade.com.
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