Some
2008
presidential
contenders
are
shifting
their
stances
on
gay
issues
after
lawmakers
in
Iowa
and
New
Hampshire,
two
key
primary
states,
passed
measures
granting
new
rights.
Former
New
York
Mayor
Rudy
Giuliani,
the
Republican
frontrunner
and
a
longtime
gay
rights
supporter,
last
week
spoke
out
against
New
Hampshire’s
plans
to
enact
civil
unions.
“In
this
specific
case,
the
law
states
same-sex
civil
unions
are
the
equivalent
of
marriage
and
recognizes
same-sex
unions
from
outside
states,”
his
campaign
told
the
New
York
Sun.
“This
goes
too
far
and
Mayor
Giuliani
does
not
support
it.”
Meanwhile,
Jessica
Brackett
of
One
Iowa,
pro-gay
group,
said
Sen.
Barack
Obama
(D-Ill.)
carefully
formulated
a
response
when
asked
last
week
about
rights
associated
with
marriage.
“I
asked
him
what
his
feelings
were
for
marriage
equality
and
civil
unions,”
she
said,
“and
his
response
was
that
his
heart
was
with
us,
but
he
cannot
support
full
marriage
equality,
although
he
supports
the
same
rights.”
Observers
said
the
developments
illustrate
how
some
of
the
campaign’s
leading
candidates
—
now
nine
months
away
from
primary
season
—
are
still
refining
their
messages
on
gay
issues.
Clyde
Wilcox,
a
Georgetown
University
government
professor,
said
Democrats
like
Obama
are
struggling
to
send
inclusive
messages
while
avoiding
divisive
debates.
“The
trick
is
that
most
Democrats
don’t
want
this
election
to
be
about
marriage,”
he
said.
“They
want
it
to
be
about
Iraq.”
Wilcox
said
Giuliani,
meanwhile,
is
attempting
to
recast
himself
as
a
social
conservative
to
secure
broader
support
among
Republican
primary
voters.
“But
if
he
backpedals
on
all
he
believes
in,
he
just
looks
like
everyone
else,”
Wilcox
said.
“It
seems
to
me
in
his
case
that’s
a
mistake.”
Human
Rights
Campaign
President
Joe
Solmonese
agreed.
He
said
Giuliani’s
increasingly
conservative
stances
could
backfire.
“In
stepping
back
from
some
of
his
previously
held
positions
to
appease
a
conservative
Republican
electorate,
I
suspect
he
has
not
learned
the
lessons
of
his
predecessors,”
he
said,
“which
is:
you
trade
that
in
for
being
seen
as
a
flip-flopper
and
not
really
holding
true
to
any
conviction.”
Wilcox
noted
that
Giuliani’s
latest
shift
could
lead
to
some
awkward
questions
on
the
campaign
trail.
“You
used
to
say
civil
unions
—
now
you
say
domestic
partnerships,”
Wilcox
said.
“Tell
me,
which
rights
should
they
not
have?”
Giuliani’s
campaign
offices
did
not
respond
to
interview
requests.
Activists
in
Iowa,
where
the
nation’s
first
presidential
caucus
is
scheduled
for
Jan.
14,
said
they’re
ready
to
question
Giuliani
and
all
other
contenders.
“Questions
from
the
LGBT
community
are
going
to
come
up
everywhere
and
anywhere
in
the
state
of
Iowa,”
said
Sandy
Vopalka
of
Equality
Iowa.
She
said
Equality
Iowa
and
One
Iowa
are
planning
to
work
together
to
query
candidates
at
every
turn.
“We
track
whether
somebody
is
wavering
on
issues,”
Vopalka
said.
“If
they’re
saying
something
one
day
and
the
next
they’re
sitting
with
another
group
of
individuals
and
say
something
completely
different,
we’re
aware
of
that.”
Brackett
said
Iowa
—
which
last
month
passed
a
bill
outlawing
discrimination
on
the
basis
of
sexual
orientation
and
gender
identity
in
employment,
public
accommodations,
housing,
education
and
credit
practices
—
is
primed
to
hear
what
each
candidate
has
to
say
about
gay
issues.
“What
I’ve
seen
is
the
candidates
are
a
lot
less
nervous
when
they
say
the
words
gay
and
lesbian
and
bisexual
and
transgender,”
she
said.
“And
the
fact
that
they’re
even
saying
the
word
transgender
is
amazing
to
me.”
Solmonese
said
questions
posed
to
most
primary
candidates
are
unlikely
to
provide
significant
revelations.
“In
Iowa,
are
we
clear
that
the
entire
Democratic
field
supports
this
non-discrimination
bill?
Sure,”
he
said.
“The
same
thing
is
true
in
New
Hampshire.
We
know
the
entire
Democratic
field
supports
civil
unions.”
The
New
Hampshire
legislature
approved
a
civil
unions
bill
last
week
and
Gov.
John
Lynch
(D)
has
said
he
will
sign
it.
Solmonese
said
questions
directed
toward
Giuliani
could
yield
some
much-needed
clarification.
“I
think
it
also
presents
an
opportunity
for
voters
to
get
a
look
at
the
degree
to
which
these
candidates
are
true
to
their
convictions,”
Solmonese
said,
“and
the
degree
to
which
they’ve
been
consistent
in
their
convictions.”
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