By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
New conservative majorities in Congress and state houses across the country are expected to bring major setbacks for homosexual causes.
In a press release issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, executive director Rea Carey tried to maintain a fighting spirit when describing the bleak outlook for the advancement of homosexual rights that can be expected from a Congress that is now dominated by conservatives.
“We’ll cut to the chase: The shift in the balance of power will very likely slow advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights legislation in Congress,” Carey says, then goes on to promise a fight. “Does this mean a blockade on LGBT rights? Not if we can help it.”
But a review of the night’s outcome revealed few victories for pro-homosexuality forces. For instance, they managed to win several gubernatorial seats where the incoming governor favors same-sex marriage, such as California’s Jerry Brown, Vermont’s Peter Shumlin, New York’s Andrew Cuomo, and Rhode Island’s Lincoln Chafee.
They also managed to hold onto a few governorships but some of these came with a caveat, such as New Hampshire’s governor John Lynch who favors same-sex marriage but now finds his hands tied by a new veto-proof Republican majority in both state houses.
Tuesday’s election saw similar results in Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. In total 25 state legislatures are now controlled by Republicans, 16 by Democrats, with four remaining divided and several more undecided.
“The domination of Republicans in the state legislatures could impact next year’s redistricting, likely meaning a more Republican Congress,” writes Inga Sarda-Sorensen, Task Force director of communications.
The new Congress is also expected to put a stop to efforts to repeal the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that prohibits gays from serving openly in the armed forces. An amendment calling for repeal of the policy is currently attached to a defense appropriations bill. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), the originator of the amendment, lost his job in the election along with 10 other Democratic members of the Armed Services Committee, including Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO).
The new Committee Chairman is expected to be Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), a nine term veteran who has already said he favors leaving “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in place.
President Barack Obama indicated in his Nov. 3 press conference that he may rely on the upcoming lame-duck Democratic Congress to push the repeal through, but they would not be able to do so at least until after December 1 when a report on how a repeal will impact troops is expected from the Pentagon. If an attempt to repeal the law fails in this session, it is believed to be almost dead as few conservative lawmakers have indicated a willingness to pursue the issue.
“No matter what the political breakdown is in Washington, the Task Force will continue to identify and work with all fair-minded members of Congress who are willing to support and defend equality for LGBT people,” says Carey, even while being forced to admit that Tuesday’s election results are indeed a “mixed bag” for the advancement of homosexual causes.
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