Dec 21, 2007  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO J  | COMMENTS     

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 states in terms of rights simply because I’ve taken leadership positions and not just supported them.

I’ve taken the lead, as you probably know, on a number of pieces of legislation. Hate crimes [legislation] with [protections for] gender identity — I pushed that in 2003 against the advice of gay rights activists who thought it would be too controversial. I pushed it and got it done by one vote. I passed executive orders preventing discrimination against gays in the state workplace. We passed legislation preventing discrimination against gay people. … I put a domestic partnership bill on the legislative agenda last year. We lost by one vote, and I’m going to put it up again in January.

So by far I’ve got the strongest record and the gay civil rights community should, in my judgment, support me, not because I have the best position papers or give the best speeches but what I’ve done as a governor to advance the legislation, and that I would champion this legislation. These efforts in the Congress, if I were president, I would repeal DOMA. I would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” I would push for a hate crimes bill. It looks like the Senate and the Congress has failed to pass one. In addition to that, they eliminated from the Armed Services bill a vitally important amendment. So that’s what I would do.

Blade: Can you talk about what you would do to get the domestic partners bill through the New Mexico Legislature? Would it be in next year’s session?

Richardson: Well, it would be our January session. It will be in about a month, and I think the odds of us getting it passed are good. I’ve worked on a lot of votes. I think we have a comfortable margin in the House and a one-vote margin today in the Senate. I’m going to try to add a little insurance to that in the next few days. But my point is that I’ve put domestic partnership on the call of a special session last year. I brought in the legislature specifically to deal with three issues and one of them was domestic partnership. So I think, given this is a red state, it’s a significant commitment.

Blade: Your supporters say the domestic partnership bill you are pushing in New Mexico may be among the broadest of the states that have these laws and that it includes most of the rights and benefits of marriage under your state’s laws. Was that your intent to go as far as you could under state law?

Richardson: Well, yea, it’s very prog