Gay Attacks Mark Campaigns

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Registered: 03-24-2003
Gay Attacks Mark Campaigns
Mon, 10-04-2004 - 5:59pm
(Washington) US Senate campaigns in New York and South Carolina are using homophobia to get votes. In South Carolina Republican candidate Jim DeMint, in a televised debate with Democratic rival Inez Tenenbaum, said gays should not be allowed to teach in South Carolina public schools.

The South Carolina GOP platform opposes hiring gay teachers.

"If a person wants to be publicly gay, they should not be teaching in the public schools," DeMint, a three-term congressman repeated for reporters after the debate ended.

DeMint said he'd support the same kind of "don't ask, don't tell" policy used in the military, but that anyone who is openly gay represents the opposite of marriage, family and South Carolina values.

Tenenbaum called DeMint's stance "un-American," adding that she has never come across anything like it in her six years as South Carolina's education superintendent.

"Quite frankly, the private lives of teachers should stay private,"

DeMint drew criticism September 28 after an aide sent an email referring to "fags" and "dykes". (story) The aide received a slap on the wrist for the remarks.

Meanwhile, a gay candidate for the South Carolina House of Representatives says his Republican opponent should be embarrassed for saying the Democrat is aligned with a "militant homosexual lobby."

In a fund-raising letter e-mailed to supporters Rep. John Graham Altman said Charlie Smith belongs to a group that contributes to the "decay of traditional values in America" by supporting same-sex marriages and hiring homosexual Boy Scout troop leaders.

Smith said he is a board member for a gay rights group called Alliance for Full Acceptance, but he said the nonprofit organization is not militant or involved in those activities.

In an e-mail sent to his supporters, Smith forwarded a copy of the letter along with a statement calling Altman a "bigot" and a "national embarrassment."

Smith's sexuality also was a major theme of Altman's campaign in the 2002 election between the two candidates.

In New York, a third party US Senate candidate has released a TV ad portraying both her Democratic and Republican challengers atop a gay marriage wedding cake.

Conservative Party candidate Marilyn O'Grady's ad features male figurines representing Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer and his Republican challenger, Howard Mills, on top of a cake.

"Schumer and Mills, the perfect liberal couple," the 30-second spot states, citing the support offered by both Schumer and Mills for gay civil unions and abortion rights.

"Only conservative Marilyn O'Grady stands with President Bush to defend marriage and protect the unborn," the ad continues.

Schumer's campaign declined to comment on the ad, while Mills campaign spokeswoman Caroline Quartararo called it an "interesting press stunt by a minor party candidate."

Schumer, who is seeking a second term, has a wide lead in the race.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/10/100404gayCamp.htm