Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 27, 1994 TAG: 9409270108
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA LENGTH: Medium
Adam Ebbin usually has to beg and plead for volunteers to help put together a mailing for Virginia Partisans, a club for gay and lesbian Democrats.
"We call around, and we're lucky to get five or six people," Ebbin said. "But we called around the other night and got 18."
In a year when many Democrats are drifting in a strong Republican tide, gays and lesbians are energized by the re-election campaign of Democratic U.S. Sen. Charles Robb.
To the homosexual community, Robb is widely viewed as a leader with the courage to condemn discrimination against gays in the military and in the workplace, despite the obvious political risks that such a stand represents in a conservative Southern state.
A Robb victory over Republican nominee Oliver North, who says homosexuals are unfit to serve in the military, could represent a turning point for gay Virginians.
"A Robb victory is essential for me," said Stuart Portnoy, a physician who works for the federal government. "He's bringing my vote to the Senate. He represents my interests."
The Human Rights Campaign Fund, a national gay political-action committee based in Washington, has made the Robb-North contest one of its top priorities this year.
"The radical right views Chuck Robb's convictions on lesbian and gay equality as a weakness, and will attempt to use this against him in their effort to defeat him," executive director Tim McFeeley said in a May 17 letter to members. "We need to prove that Chuck Robb can beat the radical right this year in Virginia."
Robb, a cautious man who has steered clear of controversy for much of his political career, is an unlikely champion of gay rights. In May, he generated headlines by appearing at a Human Rights Campaign Fund conference in Washington and calling efforts to end anti-gay discrimination the "last front of the true civil-rights struggle."
His campaign staff - anticipating a possible North TV assault on gays in the military - has offered Robb's position as evidence that the senator is willing to take a stand on matters of principle.
"He's going to do what he thinks is right, whether or not it's popular," Robb spokesman Bert Rohrer said.
On the campaign trail, Robb never talks directly about gay and lesbian issues, but he occasionally mentions "human rights." His campaign literature makes no mention of gays in the military.
Gay activists say they understand why Robb has not been more outspoken in recent months.
"I don't expect to hear a detailed analysis of his support for us," said Carl Archacki, a member of the Richmond Democratic Committee. "What he has done is admirable."
Robb, a former Marine who was a company commander in Vietnam, has become a leader in the efforts to allow homosexuals to serve in the military. Robb would go beyond the Clinton administration's "don't ask, don't tell" policy to allow gay servicemen and women a way to acknowledge their sexual preference, provided they do not engage in behavior that is disruptive or hurts morale.
Military personnel, Robb has said, should be judged on performance, not race, creed or sexual orientation.
North, a former Marine who also served in Vietnam, has been a strong critic of gays in the military. Before he formally launched his Senate bid, North headed a conservative group that sent out fund-raising appeals that described Clinton as "the point man ... for the radical homosexual lobby."
During the campaign, North has said allowing gays to serve openly would hurt combat readiness and turn the armed forces into "a laboratory for social engineering."
While his stand on gays in the military may hurt Robb among many voters, his position brings the Democrat a nationwide pool of campaign contributions and provides him with a ready cadre of campaign volunteers.
David B. Mixner, a gay-rights leader from California, mailed an appeal to several thousand homosexuals around the country in December soliciting contributions for the Robb campaign. The Human Rights Campaign Fund has kicked in the maximum allowable $10,000, and several fund members have held private fund-raisers for Robb, King said.
Enthusiasm for Robb, however, is not universal among gays and lesbians. A 29-year-old lesbian, who gave her name as Susan, said she agreed with the Democrat on virtually every issue, but that she was troubled by reports of his off-hours socializing at Virginia Beach during his term as governor from 1982-86. Robb has admitted putting himself in situations inappropriate for a married man.
Susan said she probably would vote for Robb, but with misgivings.
"He's very good on the issues," she said, "but these other things detract. If I were committed to a partner, he should be committed to his partner. At some point, politics is personal."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB