eva young
Eva Young is President of Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota and lives in Minneapolis with her cat, Kiddleleewink. You can also read her other blog here.
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September 08, 2004

A first hand account of this meeting is available on GayIndy.

The meeting appeared to cover the issues of discrimination and anti-gay marriage constitutional amendments.

About 30 people were in attendance at the meeting, which took place today at Jesus Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis.

"I'm here to learn and grow" stated Daniels at the outset of the meeting, and at times he demonstrated that he did have some learning to do, such as the use of the phrase "sexual preference" rather than "sexual orientation."

When asked about it late in the meeting, Daniels stated he was unaware, but said that he understood the difference in meaning and had no objection to using the more acceptable phrase.

While the candidate restated his well-known opposition to same-sex marriage, and stated he would support an amendment to the state constitution "if necessary," he was less clear on whether he would support the Indiana Equality civil rights initiative, which seeks to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state's civil rights law.

Daniels stated that he believed that people have "a right to a job based on merit only, a right to housing, and a right to live with whomever they choose," and also expressed a willingness to "explore defects in the current law so that people are not discriminated against regarding sexual preference or gender identity."

However, he stopped short of saying he would endorse the proposed legislation, promising only to "explore amendments to the statutes," and to "establish a state policy that would eliminate discrimination" in its employment practices.

The Mitch Daniels for Governor Campaign has a written non-discrimination policy that covers sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Leviticus Crowd in Indiana predictably is furious. From the Indy Star:

Daniels earlier this year received grief from some conservative groups after suggesting possible new legal rights for gay couples.

He dealt carefully with social issues during the GOP primary, urging tolerance while facing an opponent, Eric Miller, who based much of his campaign on rallying religious conservatives and opposing same-sex marriage.

Daniels also opposes same-sex marriage but has downplayed the issue.

Micah Clark, one of the state's leading conservative activists, received the e-mail about Tuesday's meeting and was disappointed with Daniels.

Clark, executive director of the American Family Association of Indiana, said Daniels needs to tread cautiously to make sure the state's most religious voters turn out for him Nov. 2.

"The temptation for me," he said, "was to say, 'Mitch, what in the world are you doing? Why are you meeting with such a small minority that is going to vote Democratic, at the risk of alienating a large portion of your base?' "

Seems like this crowd lost the primary, so Daniels should ignore them. The campaign manager talks about the need to run an inclusive campaign.

Oesterle said Daniels made clear at the beginning of the campaign that "every Hoosier is welcome" and plans to continue with that theme.

Republican state House candidate Brian Jessen, of Indianapolis' Northside, received the e-mail and agreed with Daniels' strategy.

"They are people, too," Jessen said. "They vote, and we need to listen to the opinions of everyone -- even if we disagree with them."

After Tuesday's meeting, Jeff Newman, of Greenwood, who runs the gay indy.org Web site, said most at the meeting were disappointed that Daniels did not endorse new civil rights protections.

But Newman said Daniels received high marks for meeting with the group two months before a statewide election.

"It appears his plans, should he win, are to treat us as a constituency," Newman said, "and not a scourge."

This is in sharp contrast to President Bush who has decided to marginalize gays for political gain.