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Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008
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Lesbian Notions by Libby Post |
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| Mr. President, meet my Lesbian partner | ||
| by Libby Post -
SGN Contributing Writer The chances of a Lesbian couple celebrating their 10th anniversary at the White House are pretty slim - but Tammy Baldwin and Lauren Azar did. Baldwin, the country's first out Lesbian to hold a seat in the House of Representatives, and Azar were at the 2006 Congressional Christmas party at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. When they met up with President Bush, Baldwin introduced Azar as her partner, and told the president, "'It's our anniversary.' He asked how many years. I told him, 'Ten years, Mr. President.'" Bush congratulated them and, according to Baldwin, was gracious. Never a word I'd use to describe Bush, it is one I'd use over and over for Baldwin. I've met lots of elected officials in my day - I've even been instrumental in getting some of them elected - but I've never interacted with one who was as open and friendly as Baldwin. She really conveys that Midwestern "nice factor," and it's genuine. Hailing from and representing Madison, Wis., Baldwin is not only the first out Lesbian elected to Congress, she is also the first woman from her state to hold that office. And it all happened in 1998. "I know my election was meaningful to young women and young LGBT individuals across the country," Baldwin told me in a recent interview. "It was a message of hope. It said to them, 'I don't have to limit my aspirations because of who I am.'" Baldwin's political resume lives true to those words as well. Only 45, she has spent over two decades in local, state, or national elected office; the 2008 Congressional session will be her 10th. "When I first ran for public office, there were so few role models, especially among those who actually sought and won office," Baldwin explained. "That is changing, and I am proud to be one among many up-and-coming Lesbian leaders." But don't try to define Baldwin's politics solely by her sexual orientation. The issue that brought her to politics was her commitment to universal health care. "We should have health care for everyone. The fact that 46 million people are uninsured is outrageous." Baldwin is also a champion of family farmers and veterans, and a proponent of energy independence and renewable fuels. She has been a leader in the effort to reverse Bush's restrictions on stem-cell research. But let's be clear - when it comes to our issues, Baldwin doesn't take a back seat. She's an articulate advocate for marriage equality; she helped get the Hate Crimes Bill passed this year in the House; and she is in the forefront of trying to get the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed. "When I ran, even if people were trying to stereotype me as a single-issue candidate, it didn't ring true, because folks saw me working so hard on so many other issues," she said. Baldwin has been very skilled in getting the media who cover her to also understand that she's not a one-issue candidate. "When I ran for State Assembly in '92 and Congress in '98, everyone in the media wanted to write the article, 'Can a Lesbian get elected?' - which is fair. But you can't write it again and again - they only got one shot at it. After that, the reporters had to start covering all the candidates equitably, including what candidates are doing to bring their messages to the voters." I was curious how her opponents have dealt with her over the years. It seems that most of the negative attacks have come from independent political action committees. Baldwin credited both the integrity of her opponents and their recognition that a strong attack based on her sexual orientation would probably backfire. She explained that some of the candidates were "more subtle" in their homophobia. There was one candidate who kept saying he wouldn't make the fact that Baldwin was a Lesbian an issue. "Of course, every time he spoke, he said he wouldn't make it an issue." Not surprisingly, he didn't win. While working for her own re-election in 2008, she's also committed, like so many of us are, to changing parties in the White House. Baldwin considers Hillary Clinton the best bet for doing that. "I'm very excited to work to elect a president who would actually support the Hate Crimes Prevention Act," said Baldwin. "I've been disappointed by the veto threat [of that bill] by this president, despite a sizable majority vote in the House, where I think we'll see a similar strong vote for ENDA." Baldwin credits Clinton's campaigning for her in 1998 with winning her first election to Congress. "She didn't have to come to Wisconsin and stump for me, but she did, and that's a closer relationship than I have with any of the other candidates." Beyond the personal connection, Baldwin feels it's very important for LGBT activists to be involved in all the campaigns "so that when the next president is inaugurated, we'll have a strong voice. We don't want to be spectators; we want to influence." Seems to me that no matter which of the Democratic candidates wins, Baldwin will be anything but a spectator. Libby Post is the founding chair of the Empire State Pride Agenda and a political commentator on public radio, on the Web, and in print media. She can be reached care of this publication or at LesbianNotions@qsyndicate.com. |
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