May 04, 2007  |  By: ELIZABETH PERRY  | COMMENTS     

As pro-gay legislation makes its way through the new Democratic-controlled Congress, gay rights advocates have found a staunch supporter from the Republican side of the aisle.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) has emerged as a reliable gay rights advocate and is a lead sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and a sponsor of the hate crimes bill.

It wasn’t always this way.

In 1996, Shays voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, which establishes marriage as between a man and woman in federal law.

But in an interview with the Blade this week, Shays said he has reconsidered his stance on gay rights.

“Gays and lesbians don’t want special rights,” he said. “They want the same as other Americans: equal protection under the law. They deserve no less.”

In 2004, in the midst of the contentious battle over same-sex marriage that engulfed the presidential campaign and played out in cities across the country, Shays voted against a federal constitutional amendment to ban such unions.

He said he changed his mind after watching media coverage of same-sex marriage ceremonies.

“My views on gay marriage have evolved since I voted for the Defense of Marriage Act,” he said. “At the time I thought I would not support gay marriages. But after watching the coverage of marriages being performed in states like California and New York, I have started to feel differently.”

Last year, Shays said he does not advocate the legalization of gay marriage, but he decried efforts to ban the unions in the Constitution and said the issue should be left to the states.

“I look at these marriages and wonder how they impact in any way the marriage I have with my wife,” he told the Blade this week. “I don’t think they do. I don’t think people need to fear this type of union. I recognize two people of the same sex can be involved in a loving, long-term relationship and feel no less love for one another than partners in a heterosexual relationship. Our challenge is to find a way to recognize a legally binding contractual relationship between two consenting adults of the same sex.”

Less than a year later, Shays joined Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in introducing ENDA April 24. If enacted, the legislation would extend federal employment discrimination protections that are currently provided based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age and disability, to also include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Shays received a perfect 100 percent score on Human Rights Campaign’s most recent congressional scorecard. 

“I appreciate the wonderful support I have received from Human Rights Campaign and many in the gay community, but I do not apply any litmus tests to my votes,” he said. “I vote each issue on its merits and let the chips fall where they may.”  

He has been endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans and also supports a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, putting him at odds with some of the leading GOP White House hopefuls. In an April 16 letter to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the law, “unambiguously maintains that open homosexuality within the military services presents an intolerable risk to morale, cohesion and discipline.”

Allison Herwitt, legislative director of HRC said Shay’s positions on gay issues have been fairly consistent through the years and that he is not the only Republican carrying the torch for gay issues in Congress. She also cited the support of Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Pryce.

“Kirk, Pryce, Mary Bono and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have always been there on LGBT issues,” she said. “We got 30 Republicans on the hate crimes vote in 2005, even though many of them were voted out. They were replaced by good Democrats, but it was a high water mark for us.”

Shays represents the 4th District, which is made up of 17 communities. He was first elected to the Connecticut State House of Representatives in 1975 and served for 12 years. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987 and was most recently reelected in 2006. He has served on various committees throughout his career, including Financial Services, Oversight and Government Reform and Homeland Security.

Connecticut Republican Party Chair Christopher Healy said Shays is an independent leader within the party who speaks from the mind and the heart.

“He is strong on issues around terrorism and the military,” said Healy. “He is a fiscal conservative who supports tax cuts and spending restraints and is diligent on wasteful spending and pork barrel spending. He’s been ...