November 20, 1978-BLADE-5 Expecting A Little More from the New Congress

Continued from page. 1 sponsored Gay rights legislation or who have put themselves on record by voting run for another office, Yvonne Braithwaite against the McDonald amendment so that Burke of California and Don Fraser of Min• we can be assured that we have a·base of sup• House Ttie new House of Representatives nesota, and one, Michael Harrington of port in the House. A near record number of new will have 276 Democrats and 159 Massachusetts, retired froni. the House. Of t members are corning into the 96th Republicans, a net gain of 12 more the 36 remaining: only one did not get re• SENATE Congress. There are 435 voting Republicans over the last Congress. elected, Robert N.C. Nix of Philadelphia, There has never been a Gay rights bill members in the House of Represen• Pennsylvania. introduced in the Senate nor any kind of roll tatives and four non-voting delegates Senate Robert Nix's case was an unusual one, call vote on Gay rights issues, so it is hard to (from the District of Columbia, Thirty-five of the 100 U.S. Senate however, since he was defeated in the prim• Guam, U.S., Virgin Islands and seats were up for grabs in this elec• ary by a candidate who had the endorsement Puerto Rico) for a total of 439 tion. Among the 35 incumbents, 22 and active support of the Gay community. members. Of the 439, four died in the ran for re-election, the other 13 The Walt Whitman Democratic Club of past ye'ar and 49 retired or ran for retired from the Senate. Of the 22 Philadelphia endorsed and campaigned for other offices, leaving 386 incumbents seeking re-election, 15 were success• Nix's opponent, the Rev. William H. who sought re-election. Twenty-five ful, 7 were defeated. Gray,111. So, in effect, we can say that the (6.5%) of those 386 were defea.ted. Of The new Senate will have 59 Demo• number of co-sponsors of the Gay rights bill those, 20 were Democrats and 5 were crats and 41 Republicans, a net gain remains intact. Republicans. of 3 Republican seats. Individual House races had a kind of \.. . "good news and bad news" quality. Though very few of the co-sponsors oft he Gay rights bill were lost, some members who were The Senate elections weren't all bad news, Gay Rights National Lobby, and the potential supporters were defeated. however. In Illinois, liberal Republican Washington Office of the Mefropolitan Joseph Ammerman (D-Pa.), who voted Charles Percy successfully defended his Community Churches are holding discus• no on the McDonald amendment, was Senate seat from conservative Democrat sions with a wide range of people about what defeated by Republican William F. Clinger. Alex Seith. In Massachusetts, liberal incum• the bill will contain and wh~ will be the Other members who voted no on McDonald bent Republican Edward Brooke was beaten prime sponsor. and who were defeated, include Michael by an even more liberal Democrat, Paul It is possible that House committee hear• Blouin (D-lo), Garry Brown (R-Mi)• Tsongas. Tsongas' election is expected to be ings\on the Gay rights bill will be held in the though this Democratic opponent may be a plus for Gay rights. 96th Congress, for the first time in the legis• better than Brown was overall- Robert document an individual Senator's position Another liberal inc·umbent, Republican lation's history. Primarily, however, the Cornell (D-Wi), David L. Cornwell (D-ln), on Gay rights. But we can safely say that the Robert P. Griffin of , was also focus will be on getting a Gay rights bill Martha Keyes (D-Ks), John Krebs (D-Ca), Senate is more conservative than before. defeated, but by a more liberal Democrat, introduced in the Senate. John J . McFall (D-Ca), Helen S. Meyner Major ·Senate races in. which we lost Carl Levin. The defeat in Minnesota of con• Other issues of concern to the Gay com• (D-NJ) and Newton Steers (R-Md), though ground include Colorado's Floyd Haskell servative Democrat Robert Short, by liberal munity will be the Equal Rights Amendment it is expected that Steers' successor, Michael (D), who was defeated by conservative Republican David Durenberger, should also (which is still awaiting ratification by three Barnes, will be even better on Gay issues. Republican William Armstrong. In Iowa, be a plus. Liberal former Congressman Max more States), probable introduction of U.S. On balance, however, the House of liberal Democrat Dick Clark was upset by Baucus' win for the Senate seat vacated by Criminal Code reform (by now it will be Representatives looks much the same as it · Roger Jepsen, a conservative Republican. In retiring Senator Lee Metcalf of Montana is called "Grandchild of S-1 "),possible threats did in the 95th Congress. Enough conserva• Kansas, retiring Republican Senator James also good news. In New Jersey, liberal to family planning services funding of edu• tive members were also defeated or rt>tired to Pearson's seat· was won by conservative Democrat beat conservative cational material on homosexuality, and the balance liberal losses. We have retained a Republican Nancy Landon Kassebaum over Republican Jeff Bell in a hotly contested chance of additional "McDonald Amend• solid core of members who have co- liberal Democrat Bill Roy. In , incum• race. ment" kinds of surprises. bent Democrat William Hathawa)' was Winners of the other Senate races are What is needed more than anything else is defeated by -Republican challenger William pretty much unknown quantities as far as for Gay people and supportive non-Gays to Cohen, whose politics are perceptibly to the Gay issues go, but Gay lobbyists will be write letters to both their Senators and their right. lncumbent;Iiberal Democrat Thomas keeping an eye on them to determine where Representative urging co-sponsorship of the Mcintyre of was beaten by they stand. national Gay civil rights bill. the very conservative Republican Gordon To ob.tain more information on your Humphrey. In North Carolina, arch• LOOKING AHEAD area's Senators and Representative, contact conservative Republican Jesse Helms, one We expect a little more from the 96th your local Board of Elections and/ or the· of our worst enemies in the Senate, was re• Congress than we got from the old League of Women Voters, an excellent elected easily. Another conservative, South 95th.Things to look for start with the intro• resource. Please send copies of your letters Carolina's (R.), won re- duction of the national Gay civil rights bill to UFMCC Congressional File, Suite 2!0, . election, beating liberal Democrat Charles early in the 1979 session, probably January. 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, (Pug) Ravenel. Steve Endean, Executive Director of the D. C. 20002.

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