Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 13:51:17 -0400 (EDT) From: tobin@interramp.com (Henry Tobin) Subject: Re: Jack Kemp rumors >[The following message was posted on the Gays and the Republicans board of >AOL.--MP] Whether Kemp has or has had homosexual or bisexual feelings or experiences or whether he once helped a boss or friend, his public record on gay and AIDS issues is abominable. Dole, who at least mused that beliefs about gay rights might be a "generational thing", might be even be more 'sensitive' than Kemp (who is of a younger generation). It is time to nip in the bud any talk of Kemp providing relief or a buffer from the religious political extremists --look at Kemp's record: JACK KEMP'S RECORD ON GAY AND AIDS ISSUES: =B7 Kemp said he opposed the Supreme Court decision overturning Colorado's Amendment Two, the state ballot initiative that outlawed civil rights protection for gay people. "Clearly in my opinion however, I'm not as clear as I would like it to be -- I think Justice Kennedy was wrong in suggesting that the people of Colorado had an animosity toward gay people. What they were basically saying, they shouldn't get special rights." May 25, 1996 - Capital Gang Saturday - CNN =B7 Kemp said in an interview with David Frost that he favors firing teachers who are gay. "I would suggest that we want all Americans to enjoy civil liberties and the right to privacy, and we have to at the same time recognize that there have to be public standards. I think a school board should have the right to choose what type of example we have for our children in public schools." December 20, 1996 - Interview with David Frost as reported by the Washington Post =B7 Kemp SUPPORTED REP. DANNEMEYER'S - attempts to pass legislation that mandated the reporting of names of individuals who tested positive for HIV/AIDS (H.R.5142, 1988). =B7 Kemp sat out important votes on Hate Crime Statistics Act and Fair Housing Amendments Act. =B7 Kemp voted against expanding the civil rights protections to include people with contagious diseases such as HIV, by voting against the 1988 Civil Rights Restoration Act. Jerry Falwell had launched a disinformation campaign around the vote termed "unmatched by any other in recent memory" by Members of Congress. (S.557, 1988) =B7 Kemp SIDED WITH NOTORIOUS ANTI-GAY - Congressman William Dannemeyer and voted for legislation to repeal the D.C. AIDS Insurance Bill and for an amendment that to provided a religious exemption to the D.C. Human Rights Ordinance against discrimination based on sexual orientation. =B7 After a contract was negotiated with the American Federation of Government Employees, HUD Secretary Jack Kemp wrote the union in March 1990 saying he would not approve the contract "because the clause has been widely viewed as extending domestic partnership benefits to gay and lesbian employees." Kemp also objected to the anti-discrimination provision on the grounds that it went beyond existing federal law. September 18., 1992 - The Washington Post PLAYED INTO GAY BAITING - by overreacting to rumors about his sexual orientation stemming from a 1967 New York Times article by Drew Pearson exposing a "homosexual ring" in California Governor Ronald Reagan's administration. March 17, 1986 - San Diego Union - Tribune "Rep. Jack Kemp's political handlers, in a state of shock since he was asked last week on NBC's "Today" whether he had ever had a homosexual experience, will screen future interviews and bar any that go into the old slanders against him." KEMP IS A Distinguished Fellow of the Heritage Foundation, the preeminent think tank of the Right.