Dec 21, 2007  |  By: LAURA DOUGLAS-BROWN  | COMMENTS     

Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson said he would call on Congress to pass a transgender-inclusive employment non-discrimination bill, saying he disagrees with the strategy of Democratic leaders that a gay-only bill is all that could pass in the next few years.

“I would go for the full-blown protection, including transgender,” he said in an exclusive Dec. 15 interview with the Washington Blade. “I think we’ve got to do what’s right and not do halfway measures.”

Richardson, who spoke to the Blade by phone while campaigning in New Hampshire, noted that as governor of New Mexico, he pushed through and signed into law a comprehensive, transgender-inclusive gay rights bill in 2003 in a conservative, “red” state. The bill bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations, among other areas.

“I think the American people are a tolerant people,” he said. “The country’s changed a lot. And I would push to get it through [Congress] and I think I could get it through as president.”

On the international front, Richardson said he would “include the treatment of gay and lesbian people as a factor in American foreign policy positions” when dealing with countries known to persecute gays, such as Iran. He said he would also ask the United Nations to pass resolutions condemning anti-gay persecution and to advocate for the “full rights for gays and lesbians around the world.”

He said he would emphasize his commitment to domestic and international AIDS issues by immediately appointing his vice president as chair of the Presidential Commission on HIV/AIDS.

Equality New Mexico, the statewide gay rights group, has credited Richardson with playing a key role in pushing through a wide range of gay rights and AIDS-related measures in the state, including a hate crimes bill that protects gays and transgender persons.

Activists have said Richardson didn’t take no for an answer when opponents demanded he drop transgender protections in both the hate crimes and non-discrimination bills. Acting as an outspoken advocate for the two bills, political observers in the state have said he helped line up the votes needed to pass the measures. The hate crimes bill cleared the state Senate by a one-vote margin.

Richardson used his executive powers as governor to issue an order providing state health insurance benefits to the domestic partners of state employees. And earlier this year, he called on the legislature to pass a comprehensive domestic partners bill that includes all of the rights, protections, and responsibilities available to married couples under New Mexico law.

The bill passed in the state House but fell one vote short in the state Senate when the legislative session ended in March. Richardson responded by calling a special legislative session and included the domestic partners measure on a list of just three bills to be considered in the special session. It remained blocked in the Senate when the special session ended, but Richardson now says he believes he has the votes to get it passed when the legislature begins its regular 2008 session in January.

“He was an amazing partner with us in getting the domestic partners bill further than we ever thought we could,” said Christopher Salas, Equality New Mexico’s field director.

Richardson proposed another bill that would require health insurance companies to provide coverage for domestic partners of private sector employees whose employers choose to offer partner benefits. That bill died in committee. Salas said it would not be needed if the legislature passes the more comprehensive domestic partners measure in 2008.

A separate, same-sex marriage bill that was also introduced in the state legislature in 2007 died in committee, with Richardson remaining neutral on the bill. The marriage measure, which had no more than six supporters among state lawmakers, was aimed at raising same-sex marriage as an issue for future consideration, Salas said.

Richardson has stated in recent Democratic presidential candidate debates that he favors civil unions or domestic partnerships over same-sex marriage.

Richardson’s gay backers note that he emerged as an outspoken supporter of gay civil rights since his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1980s and during his tenure in the Clinton administration as Secretary of Energy and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Washington Blade: Why should lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans vote for you as president?

Bill Richardson: Because I, by far, have the best record, not just the record of voting right but of pushing for gay and GLBT legislation throughout my career as a congressman and as a governor, particularly as a governor. I believe I have the most far-reaching legislative record in a red state than any other governor. In fact, I think New Mexico and New York are considered the most pro gay-lesbian ...