“There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends,” says Albus Dumbledore. Nowhere is this more true than in the world of party politics. Stand up to your party on the wrong issue, and life as an elected official can get much harder.
One round of phone calls from party leaders can dry up campaign cash and endorsements. The next round of calls can send those resources to a primary challenger. Unless a candidate has his or her own money or power base, taking a stance against the party, or a fellow member, can be a bit like sky-diving without a parachute.
Maybe that’s why none of San Diego’s high profile LGBT supportive Republicans have taken on Rep. Duncan Hunter, Jr. and his proposed legislation to slow down the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). I can understand it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed. Such leaps are a sign of courageous leadership, the kind that the LGBT community should be looking for in a candidate for mayor.
There is no Republican primary in the non-partisan race for mayor, but you can bet there will be a battle for moderate and conservative LGBT voters and donors. Many of the potential Republican candidates can stake a claim: District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is an out lesbian who supports repeal; Councilman Carl DeMaio is an out gay man who helped pass the city council’s resolution in favor of repeal; Assemblyman and Marine Corps Veteran Nathan Fletcher gave a remarkable speech in support of repeal on the floor of the California State Assembly.
Each also brings votes, endorsements and/or stances that are viewed with skepticism by some in our community.
As so often happens, the decisive question may be, “What have you done for us lately?” With marriage equality in the courts, and ENDA unlikely to move in the U.S. Congress, keeping the repeal of DADT on track may be one of the last chances to show local leadership on a high profile LGBT issue before June 2012.
It is tempting to say that repeal is a done deal, or that it isn’t a local issue. Neither is true.
As it stands now, DADT will be repealed 60 days after President Obama, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all of whom support repeal, certify that the military is ready. Rep. Hunter’s amendment would require that the chiefs of each of the four services also sign off on repeal.
It’s a great “poison pill.” Since the four service chiefs are not all on record against DADT, it could derail repeal, yet it sounds so reasonable that it’s hard to oppose. I wouldn’t put the terror level at red, but Rep. Hunter’s amendment presents a clear and present danger.
There may be places where DADT isn’t a local issue, but San Diego isn’t one of them. There is a reason that the city council chose to have a vote in support of repeal. San Diego is a military town, and DADT affects the lives of LGBT servicemembers every day.
Further, Rep. Hunter is a San Diegan. If a New Yorker were leading the charge against repeal, the opinion of San Diego politicians wouldn’t mean much. Councilman DeMaio and Assemblyman Fletcher, however, are people with whom Rep. Hunter collaborates, and who can likely understand his political challenges. If anyone could convince Rep. Hunter to stop fighting repeal, I like the chances of a fellow veteran he endorsed for state assembly or a gay councilman elected from one of the most conservative districts in San Diego.
There is no lack of courage in this Republican mayoral field. Few things take as much or more courage than being an openly LGBT public official, but one of them is serving in our armed forces. I hope one or more of these candidates, already supportive of repeal, will find the courage to stand up to their friend, Rep. Hunter.
For messaging, they can look to Congressman Bob Filner, another potential mayoral candidate, who thinks, “It’s unconscionable that Rep. Hunter is trying to put up more road blocks to equality in our Armed Services. This is truly a civil rights issue, and I’m unclear what the motive is here other than ignorance and bigotry.”
A statement that strong, or even attenuated, would be risky for a Republican, but could have great benefits. Just ask the last two California mayors who committed “political suicide” by supporting marriage equality. Mayor Jerry Sanders won reelection in a primary. Mayor Gavin Newsom is now Lieutenant Governor. Not a bad track record for tolerance. It’s almost magic.
