The president of the national Log Cabin Republicans predicted the gay rights movement will suffer heavy losses in the next few years in states where constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage are expected to be voted on.

But the fact that the country is now talking about civil unions and gay marriage, with 60 percent of the nation supporting some kind of legal recognition for gay couples, shows gay men and lesbians have made enormous strides toward equality, said Patrick Guerriero, president of the gay Republican group since January 2003.

“Four years ago, there was no talk about civil unions. A year ago, nobody talked about gay marriage. We have made amazing progress,” Guerriero said Feb. 17 while in Atlanta to address the Atlanta Executive Network, a gay business group.

LCR did not endorse President George W. Bush for re-election over his support of a federal amendment to ban gay marriage, marking the first time in the organization’s history it did not endorse the Republican nominee for president. But Guerriero said LCR expects to play a vital role with the Bush administration in securing gay rights.

“It would be a mistake for the LGB community to chain itself to the White House fence and just protest for four years. We need to move beyond election cycles and really do the groundwork that is sustainable — becoming smarter, more strategic, more bipartisan,” he said.

Guerriero said the Bush administration’s focus on Social Security reform opens the doors for gay citizens to tell their personal stories of seeking the right to name their partners as beneficiaries. “This is an opening to make a case as individual citizens who pay taxes about how we’re treated differently,” he said.

The war in Iraq is another way to inform the public about gay men and women serving in the armed forces, Guerriero said. “The most powerful message we can tell is that we are interwoven into the American family. We are a community of families,” he said.
Dyana Bagby

Victory Fund seeks gay candidates for local races
Gay Georgians eyeing a future in politics can learn from two of the state’s openly gay elected officials at BREAKthrough, a weekend event hosted March 5-6 by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund & Leadership Institute. Prospective candidates should not be deterred by the state’s current political climate, according to Cindy Abel, board co-chair for the group that works to elect gay candidates around the country. “History shows that equality for any group is never achieved without direct participation in the process, so we must have a strong voice in the debate and a consistent vote in government,” said Abel, who owns a public relations firm in Atlanta.

On March 5, prospective candidates and campaign workers can participate in three seminars about the electoral process, including a panel featuring gay state Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates), Decatur City Commissioner Kecia Cunningham and former state House candidate Alex Wan discussing “What I Learned on the Campaign Trail.” Presentations on upcoming races “especially suited” for gay candidates and planning campaign strategy are also scheduled for the session, set for 1-4 p.m.

On March 6, the Victory Fund hosts a champagne brunch at Piedmont Park’s Magnolia Hall featuring two other openly gay elected officials, North Carolina state Sen. Julia Boseman and Massachusetts state Sen. Jarrett Barrios. Registration for the BREAKthrough events is required by March 3; Saturday’s session is free, while tickets to the Sunday brunch are $30 for session attendees and $50 for the general public.
Laura Douglas-Brown