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Due to some unforseen error the introduction to the ]im Iejffords interview [OITM, Inly/August] was left out, along with Paul Olsen's name as the interoeiwer. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. As well as an apology to Mr Olsen. Below is the interview in its entirelty.) BY PAUL OLSEN At first glance, Vermont Senator James Jeffords would appear to be an unlikely cham- pion of gay rights in the United States Congress. His party's national platform ”oppose(s) discrimination based on sex, race, age, creed, or national ori- gin . . . [and] reject(s) the dis- tortion of those laws to cover sexual preference.” He often appears awkward discussing issues of concern to gay, les- bian, bisexual, and transgendered Americans. In 1996 he voted in favor of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). A closer examination of his record, however, demonstrates his support for gay rights and confirms his reputation as a ”maverick” in the U.S. Con- . gress. Jim Ieffords, 63, has served as Vermont's junior senator since 1989. Prior to his election to the Senate, Ieffords, an attorney, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975-1988, as Vermont's Attor- ney General from 1969-1973, and as a Rutland County State Senator from 1967-1968. Ieffords, a Republican, cur- rently serves on the Appropria- tions, Energy and Natural Re- sources Committees, and is Chair of the Labor and Human Resources Committee which has jurisdiction over the Em- ployment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA). Iim Ieffords’ votes on many issues often place him at odds with' many Republicans (and conservative Democrats). Jeffords supported President Clinton in his attempt to lift the ban on gays serving in the mili- tary. ”The time has come when we must make the transition to a military that does not dis- criminate against gay and les- bian Americans” Ieffords wrote in a 1993 letter to Clinton. In 1994 Jeffords be- came an original cosponsor of the Employment Nondiscrimi- nation Act (ENDA) which, if passed, would prohibit em- ployment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation nationwide. As a result of his favor- able voting record, the Human Rights Campaign (a national gay lobbying group) gave Ieffords a 100% rating for the 101st Congress, a 91% rating for the 102nd Congress, a 100% rating for the 103rd Congress and, most recently, an 89% rat- ing for the 104th Congress. Ieffords has also been praised as the lead sponsor of ENDA. ”It’s enormously im- -_ Iim Jeffords. He's in the major- ity and he's chair of the Labor and Human Resources Com- mittee,” said Human Rights Campaign Spokeswoman Kim Mills. ”We definitely need bi- partisan cooperation in order to get ENDA passed in Con- gress.” Ieffords’ support has not gone unrecognized by the gay community. As a result of his work in . the 104th Congress, the gay Log Cabin Republicans of Washington, D.C. awarded Ieffords its 1997 Walt Whitman Award. ”He’s a very reliable friend on gay rights and AIDS funding as well” Log Cabin Republican spokesman Kevin Ivers said. "As more and more people came out, there’s more and more alienation and evidence of discrimination which I thought was very unfair." OITM: How do you View the prospects of ENDA passing in the 105th Congress? Jeffordsz It depends on what the scenario is when it comes up. Last time it came up in a way where there would be no filibuster. If we can get it up in a way there’s no filibuster then it will pass in my judgment. Getting sixty votes could be quite difficult. The House is looking more optimistic and it could pass in the House too. The Senate is going to be the tough battleground. OITM: What would the results of a Committee vote on ENDA be if it were held today? Jeffords: I think it would pass out of Committee. OITM: Do you plan to hold hearings on ENDA this ses- sion? Ieffordsz I haven't talked to Senator Kennedy. He and I work in concert on this and We haven't decided yet on hear- ings. I would expect we'll hold one but I'm not sure just when. We did it without a hearing last time . . . so the hearings not a necessity but it's always help- ful. OITM: In 1996 you voted in support of the Defense of Mar- riage Act (DOMA). How did you come to support DOMA? Jeffordsz Because I think that's too much of a change in one time. I think it would be counter productive. Ihave to be candid. I don't know just of a. marriage that's traditional dealing with all the laws and common law that we have all those things, I don't know what happens. OITM: You waited until the last minute to announce your DOMA vote. Was it a difficult vote for you? Ieffordsz Yeah, I had to think a lot about it. I think that any- thing a gay couple wants to do can be done by contract. There- fore the marriage is not as im- portant as it might otherwise be except in areas where we don't know what it means. OITM: Through 1,049 statutes the federal government pro- ’ vides marriage benefits, rights, and privileges. Do you think that gay and lesbian couples should be entitled to the same federal benefits provided to heterosexual couples? Jeffordsz I don't know the an- swer to that. That's a lot of hen- efits. I don't know whether it makes sense in all of them. I ' guess I don't know the answer to that. OITM: Do you think that DOMA is anti gay? Ieffordsz I didn't consider it that. I considered it a statement that we really don't know what it does, we don't know how far it goes, or where it should go. I didn't consider it an anti gay bill. OITM: Since the institution of the military’s ”don’t ask, don't tell” policy, there has been a 42% increase in discharges for homosexuality. What, if any- thing, do you think can be done about this? Ieffordsz The whole sexual deal in the military is such a mess right now. It's hard to say what can be done. You've got the same thing with sexual ha- rassment with men against the women. The whole thing is a mess. So I don't know what can be done. I have to know how those cases came about. I'm troubled by it. I don't know what it means because the pur- pose of the law was to allow people to privately express their sexuality. It bothers me. OITM: What do you believe should be the national strategy to combat AIDS? Jeffordsz The money we are spending trying to prevent it and to try to cure it is certainly the best way to end it. Educa- tion even more so. Enhancing people to have safe sex. All of those things. It's a troublesome one. Education on safe sex is probably the most effective way. OITM: Legislation prohibiting sexual orientation—based dis- crimination has been proposed