Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 17:32:08 -1000
From: lambda@aloha.net (Martin Rice)
Subject: DP 379:  DNC Includes Gays & Lesbians in Delegate Selection Rules for 2000 Convention

Aloha auwinala kakou.

Any questions?




DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
Gay & Lesbian American Caucus

For immediate release
January 13, 1998

For further information contact:
Jean O'Leary (818) 980-8500
Garry Shay (213) 876-6759
Jeff Soref (212) 473-1060

DNC Includes Gays & Lesbians in Delegate Selection Rules for 2000 Convention

	Washington, DC:  The Democratic National Committee's bodies
governing the delegate selection rules for the 2000 National Democratic
Convention -- the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee & DNC Executive Committee --
voted unanimously in a meeting this weekend to include the first-ever
language requiring state parties to specifically include Gay & Lesbian
representation as part of the delegate selection process for the 2000
Convention.

	"Gay and Lesbian Democrats and our community have taken a
significant step forward," said Jean O'Leary of California, Chair of the
DNC Gay & Lesbian American Caucus and member of the DNC Executive
Committee, the governing body of the DNC.  "These new rules will likely
increase the number of openly Gay and Lesbian delegates to the 2000
Convention and mark the first time that a major National Party organization
has included Gays and Lesbians as a priority for selecting delegates to a
National Party Convention."

	"These new rules reflect what we have done for the Democratic Party
and this Administration over the years as well as how critical our
community's support will be for a Democratic Presidential victory in 2000,"
said Jeff Soref, Vice Chair of the DNC Gay & Lesbian American Caucus and
At-Large DNC Member from New York.

	The DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee voted unanimously in favor of an
amendment to the sections of the 1996 delegate selection rules governing
outreach and inclusion of groups traditionally active but underrepresented
in the Democratic Party.  The amendment, submitted by California DNC member
Garry Shay, requires state parties to develop and submit to the DNC
outreach plans for delegate selection that include those "historically
underrepresented" in the Democratic Party because of "race/ethnicity, age,
sexual orientation or disability."  The new rules also require state
parties to give "priority of consideration" to these underrepresented
groups in a state's delegate selection process "in order to assist in the
achievement of full participation by these groups."

	"This is another example of the Democratic Party's commitment to
equal opportunity and the full inclusion of Lesbians and Gay men in the
affairs of the Party at the local, state and national level," said Los
Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Garry Shay, who submitted the
amendment to the Rules & Bylaws Committee of the DNC.  "While the
Republican National Committee spent the weekend debating whom to exclude
from the Republican Party, the Democratic Party is building on its record
of inclusion and participation," Shay continued.

	Shay credited passage of the new language contained in his
amendment to the work done by DNC Members Jeff Soref, Jean O'Leary and
California State Assemblywoman Carole Migden and Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Executive Director Brian Bond.  Shay also noted DNC Chairman Steve
Grossman's support for the amendment and the strong support of former White
House Deputy Chief of Staff and current At-Large DNC Member Harold Ickes,
who spoke on behalf of the amendment at the Rules & Bylaws Committee
meeting.  The amendment was approved along with other changes to the
delegate selection rules later in the weekend by the DNC's Executive
Committee, the governing body of the DNC.  The DNC will vote once more on
the entire package of 2000 Convention delegate selection rules at a meeting
of the full DNC in May.

	Of the 4,925 delegates and alternates to the 1996 National
Democratic Convention in Chicago, at least 146 were openly Gay or Lesbian.
The site for the 2000 Convention has not yet been selected, but a Site
Advisory Committee was recently appointed by DNC Co-Chairs Steve Grossman
and Governor Roy Romer (D-Colorado) to review bids from over 20 cities for
the 2000 Convention.  The Site Advisory Committee includes three openly gay
men:  Terry Bean of Oregon, Andrew Reyes of North Carolina and Andy Tobias
of New York.

-- end --


 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  "Don't use the word 'gay' unless it's an acronym 
  for 'Got Aids Yet?'".
                   --Former Rep. Bob Dornan (R-CA)
                        ~~~~~~
                   Fred and Martin,
               25 years, yet strangers
           before all but 18.8% of the law.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~