Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 10:13:57 -0700 From: Doug Case To: queerpolitics@abacus.oxy.edu Subject: *QP-ED*: Democratic Party Gay & Lesbian Pride Release STATEMENT BY DNC NATIONAL CHAIRMAN STEVE GROSSMAN AND DNC GENERAL CHAIRMAN GOVERNOR ROY ROMER ON THE 1997 CELEBRATION OF GAY AND LESBIAN PRIDE __________________________________________________________ We would like to extend our best wishes to everyone participating in the 1997 celebrations of Gay and Lesbian Pride around the country. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our nation's gay and lesbian community for its support of the President, Vice President, and the entire Democratic ticket in 1996. The support of our nation's gays and lesbians truly made a difference for Democrats in 1996. The Democratic Party is committed to ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to achieve the American dream. We strongly support local, state, and federal laws which promote equal opportunity for all Americans by prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation. We also support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) because no American should be denied employment on the basis of something that has no relationship to their ability to perform their work. The Democratic National Committee, the governing body of the Democratic Party, has had a long history of protecting the rights of its gay and lesbian employees. In fact, the DNC has joined several hundred Fortune 500 companies, labor unions, and non-profit organizations which treat all similarly-situated employees equally by extending health benefits to the domestic partners of its gay and lesbian employees. We are proud to support our gay and lesbian employees who have decided to serve their Party and their country by contributing their talents and abilities to the Democratic Party. Though millions of Americans now stand against discrimination against lesbian and gay Americans, there are still those who seek to divide us with their comments and actions. Although government has a responsibility to protect the basic civil rights of all Americans, we will only be successful in our fight for economic and social justice if all Americans speak out against ignorance, bigotry, intolerance, prejudice, hatred, and fear. Again, congratulations to everyone participating in the celebration of Gay and Lesbian Pride in 1997. We hope to continue working with you in the months and years ahead to promote equal opportunity and build one America for all. ************************************************************************ This message has been forwarded as a free informational service. Please do not publish, or post in a public place on the Internet, copyrighted material without permission and attribution. Forwarding of this material should not necessarily be construed as an endorsement of the content. In fact, sometimes messages from anti-gay organizations are forwarded as "opposition research." %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % To post to the list, email QUEERPOLITICS@abacus.oxy.edu % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%