Primary concerns :: GLBT groups gear for New Hampshire election

Primary concerns :: GLBT groups gear for New Hampshire election
by Scott Kearnan
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Jan 3, 2008

As the state chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Raymond Buckley is familiar with the concerns of Granite State residents on a wide variety of subjects.

As an openly gay politician, he’s attentive to the unique issues confronted by the GLBT community and has long supported New Hampshire policies that reflect fairness and equality for all its citizens.

So, when he first read a recent EDGE article ("Barstool Politico"), one that detailed the critical political perspective of an "ordinary," gay New Hampshire resident, Buckley was shocked and disappointed that his state’s progressive policies went unnoticed.

"Apparently, we live in highly different states," says Buckley, strongly disagreeing with the previous subject’s negative assertions that apathy, fearfulness and disorganization characterize New Hampshire’s GLBT political landscape.

After serving for 18 years in the New Hampshire State House of Representatives (1986-2004), he has seen substantial progress on myriad issues relevant to GLBT life. They range from the introduction of a groundbreaking hate-crime law in 1990 (one of the first in the nation) to the state’s 2008 enactment of Civil Unions for same-sex couples.

"We are an extraordinarily progressive state for gay and lesbian rights," says Buckley. "I was astonished to read that individual’s perspective and I feel sorry for him. I don’t think he understood the depth and breadth of involvement and leadership that we have."

Fortunately, several organizations have entered the New Year with longstanding resolutions to maintain and develop support for the GLBT community in New Hampshire politics.

With only a few days remaining before the New Hampshire primary (January 8), which was long considered the first stepping stone in a successful bid for the White House, both Republican and Democratic candidates are being inundated with the concerns of their constituents. There’s more brunching, handshaking and baby holding than you can speak softly and shake a big stick at.

But the GLBT political community is maintaining a high profile and working to ensure that their collective voice is heard amidst the flash bulbs and soapbox speeches.

"We want to ensure that civil rights issues and GLBT issues are part of the dialogue, and to show presidential candidates that New Hampshire voters care about equality," says Heather Gibson, regional field organizer for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) of the organization’s goals throughout primary season. Gibson has led the HRC’s first New Hampshire field office since it opened in September 2007.

Its prominent location, a storefront on a bustling main street in Concord, is indicative of the HRC’s aim to foster a lasting sense of community amongst the local GLBT population and its allies. "We want to raise visibility," says Gibson. She has substantial experience in public policy and has worked extensively with former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen on issues of early childhood education.

With the HRC, "we’ve tried to bring foundation to the GLBT community," continues Gibson. "Here’s a place downtown to get together and share stories, not just for organizing purposes, but for [community] cohesiveness."

Indeed, sharing personal stories, triumphs, tribulations and concerns has been a large part of the HRC’s efforts to connect with presidential hopefuls throughout the primary season. Gibson is confident that the perspectives of "ordinary citizens" have resonated with candidates they have met on the campaign trail: at large rallies, small house parties or during an impromptu visit to the HRC office.

"We needed to personalize things, and put a face with a name," says Gibson. "When they’re going around at a meet and greet, we needed to have a candidate meet a couple that has certain struggles. [When that happens] it resonates differently than a simple policy position. It’s not necessarily about changing minds overnight, it’s about sharing our stories and changing things as they go along."

Given the sheer number of candidates, Gibson admits that it’s been a challenge to send volunteers to every political event to announce their presence--and reinforce the attention of the GLBT community--in those bright yellow HRC T-shirts. But even in this final week leading up to the primaries, the HRC will make efforts to keep GLBT concerns at the forefront of the political dialogue.

"It will be a big week," says Gibson. "We’ll be reinforcing our message of equality right up until the very last day... we will have visibility at the last debate on January 5, and on election day we’ll be doing visibility at key polling locations."

Gibson continues, "By now, many of our volunteers are volunteering for specific candidate campaigns, but they are still wearing our T-shirts and sharing our stories. They are a reminder to the candidates and their campaigns that they care about these issues."

Judging by the photographs on the HRC Web site, snapshots of Clinton, Obama, Biden and Richardson proudly displaying HRC T-shirts and stickers, the New Hampshire office has indeed made great strides in connecting with the Democratic candidates.

If the Republicans feel neglected, the Log Cabin Republicans are stepping in this weekend to add a partisan presence to the primary proceedings. Around 20 members of the Washington, DC-based organization will travel to Milford, N.H. for Sunday’s "First in the Nation Presidential Brunch" hosted by the State Republican Party of New Hampshire.

"Every Republican candidate has been invited to speak," explains Scott Tucker, spokesperson for the Log Cabin Republicans. Though Log Cabin is one of many sponsors of the brunch, "We don’t plan on doing an official endorsement during the primaries, or rallying behind any one candidate," says Tucker, though he does detail one recent New Hampshire radio ad that criticized Mitt Romney’s "flip flops" on tax issues.

Regardless of support for any specific candidate, Tucker nonetheless feels it’s important for gay Republicans to "engage in the process" of making their presence felt and their issues addressed. "Our members care about a lot of different issues," says Tucker of the Log Cabin constituency. "Of course, we’re certainly going to be talking about gay and lesbian issues as a Republican organization." Tucker cites the military’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy and hate crime legislation as two particular issues of note.

"It’s an important forum for our voices to be heard and for our presence to be felt," says Tucker of the Presidential Brunch. Indeed, the Log Cabin Republicans are even providing round-trip shuttle service from Logan International Airport in Boston to Milford, NH to facilitate their members’ attendance.

Even as both sides of the aisle work to press forward on various issues of concern, the GLBT political community is also celebrating the progress that is made. With the New Year came a landmark moment for the State of New Hampshire: a law providing same-sex civil unions took effect on January 1.

This made New Hampshire the third state in New England to provide civil unions, the first to do so entirely through legislative process, and the final piece in the local puzzle: every New England state now offers some level of protection for same-sex couples.

"It’s been a very exciting week in New Hampshire," says State Representative Mo Baxley, executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition. The Coalition was vital in making civil unions a reality, and Baxley is joyful in the wake of celebrations all over the State. "We didn’t have a single protester," says Baxley, unaware of any counter-demonstrations.

Even at the steps of the State House in Concord, where celebrants exchanged vows at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, the atmosphere was respectful and exciting.

Baxley believes that civil unions are "a step in the right direction." But she also maintains that the Coalition’s focus will remain squarely on "full marriage equality."

"I told people over the weekend to celebrate this milestone," says Baxley. "But it’s still full force head toward marriage equality, and I think we’ll be getting there in the near future."

Her sentiment is echoed by Buckley. He feels that "while all of the [Democratic] candidates for President have embraced at least civil unions... we believe that as we move forward there will be a time when all of the candidates will be embracing full equality."

Meanwhile, Baxley’s Coalition is making sure that GLBT issues remain a priority in the primary season: providing voter guides on candidate platforms, querying the GLBT community in candidates’ home states for a deeper understanding of their historical support and inviting major candidates to take part in town hall meetings.

That so many groups are asserting GLBT issues in the political discourse might surprise barstool pundits. But it’s no surprise to individuals like Baxley, Buckley and Gibson, who have been involved with these local efforts for years.

"I don’t think he was speaking for the average citizen," says Buckley, returning to the barfly opinions of EDGE’s "man on the street" piece. "I’m not sure what he feels afraid of. He can’t be discriminated against for his job or housing. If he’s attacked, there are hate-crime laws on the books. He’s able to adopt a foster child and now he can essentially get married."

The ability of any gay resident to enjoy these freedoms is due to the hard work of policymakers and average citizens. And even New Hampshire residents outside the GLBT community are appreciative of those efforts.

"I was really pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed by the positive response from the local community," says Gibson of her reaction to opening the HRC office on a busy downtown street. "I got a lot of people in here, [including] folks who haven’t heard of us yet but want to know more and learn about what we’re doing."

And when they find out, the reaction is almost always positive. "Within the first few weeks, I walked in one morning and found a business card someone had left," recalls Gibson fondly.

"Written on the back, it said:

Welcome to Concord. Thank you for your work. Good luck.
Signed,
Mother of a Gay Son"