That’s right, the GOP senator from Dallas who says she’ll vote against the standalone bill to repeal “don’t ask don’t tell” actually opposed the policy when it was enacted 17 years ago.
That’s because she supported the outright ban on gays in the military — open or not — that was in place before DADT.
In fact, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison sparked controversy when her opposition to DADT was featured in a letter promoting a campaign fundraiser in October 1993, according to Dallas Morning News archives. Hutchison was first elected to the Senate in 1992.
“We are well-aware of the tremendous benefits of the Clinton presidency,” the fundraising letter from the Hutchison campaign said. “We get to enjoy such benefits as socialized medicine, gays in the military (not to mention every other government post available), a weakened defense, and if you are a member of the ‘rich’ or the dead, fantastic retroactive tax increases.”
The letter was roundly critcized by LGBT groups, according to a DMN article dated Oct. 28, 1993:
“If she’s sanctioning that kind of tripe, then there are a lot of Texans that can find a lot of reasons not to support her,” said Paul von Wupperfield of Austin, state president of Log Cabin Republicans of Texas.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean going out and supporting a liberal Democrat. But there are a lot of options, including sitting on your hands,” he said.
Deb Elder, president of the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, said Ms. Hutchison’s fund-raisers should be working to recruit supporters, not alienate them.
“It’s really sad that neither the political office nor the people heading up her fund-raising campaign are astute enough or respectful enough of the American public to understand that it’s not wise to say some people are equal and some aren’t,” she said.
As the above flier indicates, a protest is planned outside Hutchison’s Dallas office next week in response to her opposition to DADT repeal.
Just to be clear, I’m no longer involved with the Log Cabin Republicans or the Republican Party. I quit Log Cabin over their willingness to support candidates and officeholders who favored discrimination against LGBT people.
Under our leadership, Log Cabin didn’t support any Republican candidates who didn’t favor an end to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. We reserved the right to advise Republicans who agreed with our goals to withhold their votes from any candidates who favored of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Finally, our Log Cabin had no qualms about endorsing the opponent of a Republican bigot, as did the Republican National Committee when dealing with the David Duke scenario. Based on her statements and voting record, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison doesn’t deserve the support of anyone who seriously cares about LGBT equal rights.