Feb 13, 2009  |  By: Lou Chibbaro Jr.  | COMMENTS     

Gay advocacy groups in Illinois and New York are hailing the politicians appointed to replace President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate as strong supporters of equal rights for gays and transgender people.

But activists in New Hampshire and Colorado said they were unaware of the gay rights views held by the newly appointed senators in those states named to replace Commerce Secretary Judd Gregg and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

With at least two important gay rights bills expected to come before Congress this year, votes from the four newly appointed senators could play a key role in preventing an expected filibuster by Republicans who hope to kill the measures, according to Capitol Hill observers.

Former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, Obama’s Senate replacement, and former U.S. Rep. Kirsten  Gillibrand, Clinton’s replacement, have expressed strong support for nearly all of the proposed gay rights bills pending in Congress, activists in the two states have said. Both are Democrats.

Obama resigned from the Senate in November after winning election as president. Clinton resigned from her seat in January after Obama picked her for Secretary of State.

Burris’ appointment to the Senate became engulfed in controversy when former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, defied leaders of his own party by appointing Burris while headed for impeachment over charges of political corruption. Among other things, federal prosecutors have accused Blagojevich of attempting to sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Many critics of Burris’ appointment have acknowledged that Burris is highly qualified for his new job, but they denounced his appointment by a governor embroiled in scandal.

Rick Garcia, public policy director for Equality Illinois, said the controversy surrounding Burris’ appointment overshadowed Burris’ strong record on gay rights.

Garcia said that, similar to Obama, Burris favors civil unions over same-sex marriage while backing virtually all other gay rights initiatives on the state and national level. Garcia noted that Burris worked closely with gay activists to help lobby for a gay rights bill in the Illinois Legislature in the early 1990s.

Burris recently attended and spoke at Equality Illinois’ annual political dinner in Chicago, and was warmly greeted by the crowd of activists and their allies, Garcia said.

“He’s from Southern Illinois, which is as conservative-leaning as Indiana,” Garcia said. “For him to have come out in support of gay issues back in the early ’90s really says something. His record on our issues is excellent.”

N.Y. senator backs same-sex marriage

Gillibrand’s even heartier support for certain gay issues, including same-sex marriage rights and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” came as a pleasant surprise to many gay activists in New York.

As a one-term congresswoman from conservative-leaning upstate New York, Gillibrand had been cautious about becoming a vocal gay rights supporter. She voted in the House for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would have barred employment discrimination against gays, and voted to empower the federal government to prosecute anti-gay and anti-transgender hate crimes. Both bills died last year after failing to receive final approval.

Gillibrand stopped short of backing a same-sex marriage bill in the New York Legislature and declined to sign on as a co-sponsor for several gay rights bills pending in Congress, including a measure seeking to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

But on the day New York Gov. David Paterson (D) announced he had selected Gillibrand as Hillary Clinton’s replacement, the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s largest gay rights group, revealed that Gillibrand told the group she had changed her views on a number of gay-related issues and considers herself a supporter of full equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. She also backs the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” as well as repeal of the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act.

Alan Van Capelle, the Pride Agenda’s executive director, said Gillibrand called him the night before Paterson announced her appointment, when she knew she was a finalist for the Senate seat but had not yet been informed she would be selected.

Paterson is a strong backer of same-sex marriage equality and, according to reports by New York media, the governor urged her to contact Van Capelle to clarify her views on a number of gay rights issues, including marriage.

“She told me she was a finalist and she wanted to continue to work with the Pride Agenda on a number of issues, including marriage equality,” Van Capelle said.

Van Capelle noted that Gillibrand is the first U.S. senator from New York to fully embrace same-sex marriage equality and recognition. Clinton and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) have said they support ...