Aug. 3, 2004 – WASHINGTON, DC – The Family Pride Coalition today denounced the tone of hostility and the message of exclusion directed toward LGBT-headed American families at this week’s Republican National Convention (RNC) in New York City.
RNC officials invited several virulently anti-gay speakers to participate in convention activities, including Sheri Dew, who offered Tuesday morning’s invocation. In a previous speech, Dew said those who support gay and lesbian families are no different from those who supported Adolph Hitler in the years preceding World War II.
Defending her statements, Dew said that “it may seem a bit extreme to imply a comparison between the atrocities of Hitler and what is happening in terms of contemporary threats against the family – but maybe not.”
“This is a disgraceful affront to millions of Americans of all backgrounds and orientations,” said Aimee Gelnaw, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition, the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to securing equality for LGBT parents and their families. “Most people in this country don’t buy this type of hateful, volatile rhetoric.
“Rather, we all know – and research bears this out -- that what is in the best of every child is to have a consistent, predictable, loving family in which they enjoy a sense of permanence and protection,” Gelnaw continued. “The Bush administration policies have repeatedly compromised this possibility for LGBT-headed families. This flies in the face of the ‘No Child Left Behind’ rhetoric and leaves millions of children and families at risk.”
On Wednesday evening, following Vice-President Dick Cheney’s remarks, his family joined him on stage with the noticeable exception of his openly lesbian daughter, Mary Cheney. Mary Cheney was also not present after Bush’s Thursday speech, when members of both the First and Second Families appeared on stage.
Days prior, at a rally in Davenport, Iowa, Vice-President Cheney responded to a question about his personal stance on marriage for same-sex couples and acknowledged Mary was a lesbian. “Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it’s an issue our family is very familiar with. With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone. … People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to,” Cheney said. “The question that comes up with the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government? Historically, that’s a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that fundamental decision of what constitutes a marriage.”
Cheney’s remarks are consistent with those he made during the 2000 campaign, but not with his more recent support of the Bush Administration’s support of the anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment.
“It’s beyond hypocrisy for Vice-President Cheney to express support for his daughter at a rally in Iowa and then, just days later, allow her to be barred from the stage with the rest of his family in New York,” Gelnaw said. “Cheney’s more compassionate tone on the issue of marriage came at the same time Republican party leaders were constructing the most anti-gay, anti-family, divisive and discriminatory platform in history. Actions speak louder than words. Fair-minded Americans will see through this Administration’s attempt to have it both ways.”
In his acceptance speech on Thursday night, President George W. Bush reaffirmed his commitment to “protecting marriage against activist judges,” consistent with his support of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would write discrimination against same-sex couples into the United States Constitution.
“It seems George Bush forgot some of his lines during his acceptance speech. Espousing his support of values such as inclusion and the expansion of freedom, he forgot to add, ‘except for gay and lesbian Americans,’” said Corri Planck, director of advocacy and communications for the Family Pride Coalition. “LGBT-headed families share in the American dream – they are working hard, paying their taxes and raising their children in every state in this nation. They deserve better from this Administration and certainly from the Republican Party.”
The Family Pride Coalition is the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to securing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their families.