Wow. A whole new insight in to how gay republicans "think." Thanks to unpoetaloco for catching this in the Spokesman-Review. Lots of comments about this one already...and it deserves a separate post:
Dave Kaplan, president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Washington, a pro-gay GOP group, said that just because West has different opinions than many in the gay community does not make him anti-gay.The same article has Mayor West's legislative history:
Though Kaplan said he disagrees with many of West's positions, he said that gays and lesbians shouldn't have to adhere to a political orthodoxy. Bedrock conservative principles of fiscal conservatism and personal responsibility are not in conflict with homosexuality, he said.
Kaplan said it is just the "theocratic" wing of the Republican Party that opposes homosexuality, and "I don't think most conservatives care one way or the other."
"I get more crap from the gay community because I'm a Republican and gay than I get from Republicans because I'm gay," he said.
Spokane Mayor Jim West's votes on gay-rights and human-rights issues:Yeah, I can see how someone might misinterpret his record....HUH?
On Christmas Eve 1985, Gov. Booth Gardner signed an executive order banning discrimination in state hiring based on sexual orientation. West and 14 other Republicans responded by introducing a bill in January 1986 that would have barred gay men and lesbians from working in schools, day-care centers and some state agencies. The bill called for screening prospective employees for sexual orientation and firing state workers whose sexual identities became known. The bill failed.
Also in 1986, West voted to bar the state from distributing pamphlets telling people how to protect themselves from AIDS during sex.
West opposed gay rights bills introduced in 1985 and 1987.
In 1989, West opposed a proposal to expand a needle exchange program to protect people from AIDS from Pierce County to the entire state.
In 1990, as part of a bill on AIDS education, West proposed that teen sex be criminalized. The bill, written by the abstinence group Teen Aid, would have made sexual contact a misdemeanor for unmarried teenagers under 18. Sexual contact was defined as "any touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person" for sexual gratification.
West voted in 1998 for the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. Gov. Gary Locke vetoed the bill, but the Legislature overrode his veto.
As Senate majority leader, West and other Republicans in 2003 bottled up the gay-rights bill in committee and it died.
As Spokane's incoming mayor in November 2003, West said he's opposed to extending City Hall benefits to domestic partners, citing the cost. In April 2005, the City Council approved domestic partner benefits in a 5-2 vote, enough to withstand a mayoral veto.
West was a leading homophobe in the state legislature. Maybe the Log Cabin guy should read some of Mayor Jim's comments since then. He doesn't think of himself as gay. (I wouldn't characterize me as 'gay')...that's dirty....because He HATES us. Read some of the chats which the Spokesman-Review has on line.
And here's a newsflash: The GOP is a theocratic party...the radical right wing runs the show. You think those judges the right-wing wants appointed for life are going to be gay-friendly? You think Bill Frist and Tom DeLay are kowtowing to the religious fanatics because you all share the same conservative values...and those values somehow include respect for gays? WRONG. You, Mr. Log Cabin, and the rest of us, are right at the top of their hit list.
