BY PAT ROBINSON A story came in an e-mail that George Dubya named a gay and lesbian liaison for his administration. The e-mail contained a reference to a col- umn in The Business Journal, a Silicon Valley business period- ical (March 2, 2001). “Bizz ‘ Buzz” claimed that 22 year old, Tom Beddingfield, had set up office space in" the Old Executive Building. That had been acknowledged as a rumor, but nothing more. Now, I am a little confused here. This strikes me as the opportune time for our new President to “reach across’-’ that aisle and make some friends, and put someone older, more “in touch” people in a leader- ship job. I am not against young peo- ple but, like all who get to be my age, I think I know much more. Cher and I were both pregnant with our daughters till Chastity was born in March of 1969. I delivered my daughter in August. Chastity Bono is not my leader. I guess I watched ,too much‘ of The Sonny and Cher Show. To suggest that a twenty something, who describes him- self as “right of the Log Cabin,” is ever going to lead me anywhere but back to a vot- ing booth, is redundant. Somewhere, somehow, some- one tabulated this: Gay and les- bian voter turnout, nationally, is between 4.5 and 5 percent of total. Where were they? Don’t tell me Florida! So, if President Bush is ready to make a selection of liaison to‘ us queer folk, maybe he could use some suggestions. First, maybe he should con- sider the very popular and gay Mayor of Tempe Arizona (R), Neil Giuliano. Ifa few unhap- py constituents have their way, His Honor will face a re-call vote in spite of carrying 70% of the ‘vote last November. He may be out of a job next September. Perhaps the President could tap him for the job now and save the Tempe taxpayers all that money. Or maybe the very popular Governor of Massachusetts is being tapped for the wrong job. Conservative activists are not happy with this one. Paul Cellucci (R) has been nominat- ed as Ambassador to Canada. The Massachusetts based Parents’ Rights Coalition mailed each United States Senator a tape recording of a March 2000 state-supported workshop for GLBT teens that contained very specific and frank discussions of gay sex. The governor called the work- shops “outrageous,” but he has not been given the far rights blessings. No one expects, however, that Mr. Cellucci will be denied his opportunity to serve the Bush administration. Now, how about crossing the moat and choosing from the Democrats? What about the fonner Rep. from southeastern Mass., Gary Studds? Is he busy with his own life and'no' longer interest- ed in the spotlight of Washington? Probably, and who could blame him? Let’s look at Little Rock, Arkansas too. Seems there was a vote taken by the House Aging, Children and Youth, Military and Legislative Affairs Committee that killed House Bill 1026. This bill attempted to ban state place- ments of adoptive and foster children with gay parents. Rep. Randy Minton (R) thought he had the votes need- ed that would carry it to victo- ry. In order for the bill to get to the House floor, it needed 11 votes. Rep. Wilma Walker (D), who voted in favor of the bill the first time, left the room, and the bill lost 10 to 9, not getting the needed 11. Maybe Reps. Minton or Walker would be interested in the Washington job? Maybe not. In sunny southern Georgia, they have their first openly gay ‘ legislator, R'ep.' Karla Drenner. It has been reported that, at a recent Christian Coalition event in Atlanta, two pro-gay documentaries were screened, and the event was sponsored by 24 Georgia state representa- tives. Ms. Drenner (D) specu- lated that the meeting was meant to serve as a rallying point for legislation regarding gay adoption. Funny thing though, gay activists out-num- bered the anti-gay organizers and, in the end, the event did more for helping gays and les- . bians than against. Additionally, Rep. Karla Drenner caused some conster- nation among the conservative legislators by listing her part- ner Suzette LaRoche as her spouse in a booklet of personal information for members of the General Assembly. This book- let is produced by the office of the Georgia House Speaker. Speaker Tom Murphy (D) p april 2001 OITN ° 11 WANTED: One Good Leader, Answer to President, Apply@0valoffiee.gov had this to say, “I don’t look at how everybody wants their wife listed; I don’t have time for that foolishness.” Kudos, Mr. Murphy. North Carolina Sen. Ellie Kinnaird introduced a bill to the state senate that would exempt consenting adults from prosecution for “crimes against nature.” North Carolina is one of the 12 remaining states that bars sodomy for both hetero- sexuals and homosexuals alike. Do we really care about that cigar? Did we ever? No. And when I think of the money spent to define sex and that cigar, it really riles me. Not far away in West Virginia, Sen. Herb Snyder (D) has sponsored SB 23. He called this bill his reaction to a _ jump in the number of hate crimes being reported on West Virginia’s college and universi- ty campuses. The state has a 19 year old hate crime law, but it does not address the still vul- nerable - specifically, gay and I This bill is ' lesbian residents. still in committee and is expected to make it to the full House for vote soon. Nice job Sen. Synder,'would you con- sider going up to the big city to help out? State Rep. Larry McKeon ‘(D) Chicago, has proposed House Bill 101, legislation that has failed before. The measure would change the Human Rights Act to prohibit employ- ment and housing related dis- crimination based on sexual orientation. I am sure that Mr. Lincoln would be pleased to -see his state make freedom true for all residents of the state of Illinois. Wasn’t Mr. Lincoln a Republican? Now, instead of someone serious, Mr. President - how about someone funny? Of course we all know how much fun those fellows Leno, Letterman and the gang at SNL. had during the campaign. It was funny, huh? But it’s unlikely that any of those peo- ple will give up all that money and airtime for this little job. So maybe you should be look- ing at the funny gay people out there. . Kate Clinton is funny, attractive and Catholic; oops, wrong church and name. Just can’t get away from that can you? Ellen! She’s blonde, tall and single. Did you. catch her on The Tonite Show singing? Different, but she shouldn’t give up comedy. Maggie Casselas is a riot and a lawyer. Was it really necessary to change careers Maggie? The fact that Maggie is Canadian is not relevant! We are only the gay community after all. ' And last, my personal favorite: Nathan Lane. Does it get better than him? Go rent The Birdcage if you haven’t seen _it already. Not too much butter and salt on the popcorn Laura. We. don’t want Mr. Cheney to have another heart attack. New Ipswich, N.H. isn't really exciting, so a‘ Mardi Gras party complete with masks, beads, and my fiftieth birthday all helped to make the end of winter semi-palatable. Bring on spring and mud sea- son! I can ’t wait. ‘ Sure we have all the latest in Apple computers and computer peripherals you’ll need, but we also offer some of the best customer service and » technical support in the business. Hey, what are friends for! Small not A sma business owners’ best friend. Electronics ©2000 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. The Apple logo is a registered trademark and iMac and movie are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. 1673 Main‘Stieet' » Waitsfield, VT 05673 USA Phone: 802-496-7171 Online: smu||dog.¢om Applespedalist _ I