Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour chaired a platform committee that
looked at how to protect marriage from ‘activist’ judges. (Photo
by AP)
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CYD ZEIGLER JR.
Friday, August 27, 2004
NEW YORK — As the Republicans gear up for their national convention next
week, the party’s platform committee unanimously adopted language this
week officially endorsing the Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,
which would ban marriages involving gay couples.
The committee also rejected a plea from moderate GOP groups to adopt a “unity
plank” that would urge respect for those Republicans who do not agree
with the party’s opposition to abortion rights and gay rights.
The 2004 Republican National Convention began with a quiet rumble Wednesday,
Aug. 25, at the Javits Center in New York City with meetings of the RNC’s
platform committee.
Gay issues from marriage to job discrimination to HIV were addressed for the
better part of Wednesday with little dissention, as unanimity ruled the day.
“Compared to previous conventions, this was a lot less heated and emotional
than previous occasions,” said former presidential candidate Gary Bauer,
now chair of the Campaign for Working Families.
The hot-button issue of same-sex marriage was addressed by the Protecting
Our Families Platform Subcommittee, chaired by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour,
who is also a former chair of the Republican National Committee. A paragraph
titled, “Protecting Marriage,” was included in the platform.
“One of the people who voted against the Defense of Marriage Act was
Senator John Kerry,” Barbour noted during the public discussion of the
plank.
DOMA, passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1996, limited
federal benefits associated with marriage to heterosexual couples and provided
that states are not obligated to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
The original platform draft language proposed Aug. 24 said marriage defined
as between a man and a woman has deep historical context, that that definition
should be protected, and attempts to change it should be stifled by a constitutional
amendment.
“Attempts to redefine marriage in a single state or city could have
serious consequences throughout the country, and anything less than a constitutional
amendment, passed by the Congress and ratified by the states, is vulnerable
to being overturned by activist judges,” part of the proposed draft read.
Cecilia Levatino, a delegate from Las Cruces, N.M., proposed the paragraph
be amended to admonish “activist judges,” and to withdraw the U.S.
Supreme Court’s jurisdiction over marriage so that other states would
be protected from “the mischief in Massachusetts.”
Barbour quickly requested an amendment to the amendment that would change
the “mischief in Massachusetts” language to “Massachusetts’ attempt
to redefine marriage.”
Levatino later said she used the term, “Because I’m mischievous
and wanted to add a little punch. Nothing more sinister than that.”
The amended paragraph on marriage, and almost every section of the subcommittee’s
platform, was adopted unanimously.
Gay rights groups were quick to criticize the anti-gay language adopted by
the GOP.
“Vice President Cheney must explain how he can stand behind a platform
that discriminates against families like his,” said Cheryl Jacques, the
Human Rights Campaign’s executive director, in a statement.
“There are millions of Republican families who don’t want to see
their sons and daughters discriminated against. It must be hard for these families,
including the vice president’s, to reconcile their own support for inclusion
and this divisive platform.”
Dave Noble, president of the National Stonewall Democrats, a gay group, echoed
Jacques’ sentiments.
“This proposed language essentially tells gay Americans that the GOP
doesn’t need their votes,” Noble said. “With their presidential
candidate struggling to stay afloat, I don’t think that is a luxury that
Republicans can afford.”
After the vote, Jim Bopp, a delegate and lawyer from Terra Haute, Ind., called
the group’s attention to a news release issued last week by a coalition
of moderate GOP groups, including the Log Cabin Republicans.
The release, sent the morning of Aug. 25 before any subcommittees had convened,
expressed disappointment that the first draft of the platform did not include
the coalition’s proposed “Party Unity Plank.”
Log Cabin Executive Director Patrick Guerriero, along with leaders of other
moderate GOP groups, sent a letter on Aug. 19 to platform committee co-chairs
Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee, Gov. William Owens of Colorado, and Congresswoman
Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania, urging them to develop an inclusive platform.
“We recognize and respect that Republicans of good faith may not agree
with all the planks in the party’s platform,” the proposed plank
reads. “This is particularly the case with regard to those planks dealing
with abortion, family planning, and gay and lesbian issues.”
Guerriero also asked that the platform not take a position on the Federal
Marriage Amendment and that language stating, “We affirm that homosexuality
is incompatible with military service,” be removed.
At the subcommittee meeting, Bopp said the coalition’s Aug. 25 statement,
released before a vote was ever taken by a committee, showed a lack of commitment
to unity.
“It frankly indicates bad faith from someone who is attempting to divide
the party rather than bring it together,” Bopp said.
“Everybody knows … that [the draft] becomes the foundation,” Guerriero
said. “Regardless of where you stand on these issues, if you’re
a gay or lesbian American or an ally, this platform is offensive. That press
release was probably muted when you look at the types of amendments that were
passed unanimously.”
The Strengthening Our Communities subcommittee had a bit of trouble adding
anti-gay language to the GOP platform this week. When a delegate attempted
to add a clause to the “Ensuring Equal Opportunities” paragraph
that would exclude “sexual preference” from protection against
discrimination, at least one subcommittee member voiced concern that “sexual
preference” could include straight people.
There was some talk of specifying that homosexuals should not be protected,
but the issue was tabled indefinitely.
The draft of the platform, at more than 90 pages, is more detailed and issue-specific
than the 19-page platform adopted by the party in 1992.
“It doesn’t mean anything other than people have strong feelings
about a lot of different issues,” Bauer said.
The main event begins Monday, Aug. 30, when the convention moves to Madison
Square Garden. The Republicans have promised to showcase a more moderate, diverse
face of the party when the convention gets underway.
Guerriero said that very few people read the platform, but millions watch
the convention speeches.
“We have great friends who are going to be featured in prime time at
the convention,” Guerriero said. He said they include New York Gov. George
Pataki, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former New York City Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani.
With his announcement Tuesday, Aug. 24, that he opposes a federal ban on same-sex
marriage, Vice President Dick Cheney may also be counted as a friendly voice,
Guerriero said. [See related story, Page 1]
Log Cabin will host its “Big Tent Event,” on Sunday, Aug. 29,
honoring inclusive Republican governors. Honorees include Pataki, Schwarzenegger,
Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman
and former Massachusetts governors Jane Swift and William Weld. The event is
being hosted in Midtown’s Bryant Park by New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg.
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