Openly Gay Politicians Remain Rare

Newsday ^ | June 23, 2002 | DAVID CRARY -- AP National Writer

[Willie Green]

NEW YORK -- Tell, even before you're asked. And once you tell, brace for hard questions. That's the advice gay candidates are getting in this election year as activists try to add to the minuscule numbers of openly gay elected officials.

While their ranks have quadrupled in the past decade, out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians represent only 218 of the roughly 511,000 Americans in elective office -- less than 0.05 percent. Three serve in Congress, 47 are state legislators, the rest are local officials, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the largest organization that recruits homosexuals to run for office.

[Spiff]

CONGRESS: The openly gay members of Congress are Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass.; Jim Kolbe, [RINO] -Ariz.; and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. A Maine legislator, Susan Longley, hoped to join Baldwin as the second uncloseted lesbian in Congress, but narrowly lost the Democratic primary June 11.

RINO Kolbe is the congresscritter from my district. We hate him here. He's about as RINO as it gets.

Someone has arisen from the grassroots to challenge RINO Kolbe in the Primary Election in September. His name is Jim Behnke and his views reflect the true, conservative values of the Republican Party.

Any help is appreciated in unseating this incumbent RINO who has a $1.6million campaign warchest at his disposal. There is a thread here where this race is being discussed.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Isn't Barney Frank openly gay?

[Willie Green]

Yes. He was mentioned in the article.

[yendu bwam]

I can take a homosexual candidate for office. But every single one of them promotes and agitates for every single item on the radical gay agenda - teaching about homosexual activity to my kids in school, insisting that homosexual men have the right to take my teenage sons out on overnight camping trips in the scouts, telling me and my kids that we're haters, debasing my religious beliefs, etc .etc. But nothing bothers me more than trying to get close to and prosyletize my kids. I don't think that's going to change. So sorry, no votes from me.

[IronJack]

Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass.; Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz.; and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

Larry, Curly, and Mo-ron.

[Atomic Vomit]

Geez, didn't poor Mrs. O'Donnel have any straight kids?

Wouldn't you love to know what kind of family pathologies produced such a warped litter as the O'donnel kids.

Mr. Atomic Vomit

[respublica1776]

Openly Gay Politicians Remain Rare... Yet openly black politicians continue to rise (e.g. Bill Clinton) whose resigned himself to pimpin' hoes at his crib in Harlem.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I thought the same thing. I wonder how often that happens?

[dix]

I was just thinking the same thing while I was reading the article. What a screwed up family. What would really be a hoot, is if they are twins.