From: Kristen Gelineau
Some say it’s a challenge to be a voice for gay rights legislation while still
representing all their constituents. «I represent 125,000 people, except, at
some level, I also represent all the gay people,» said New York assembly-
man Daniel O’Donnell, whose sister is comedian Rosie O’Donnell. «So
it becomes a harder line to balance those different interests, because those
interest groups didn’t elect me.»
At the same time, however, openly gay legislators struggle not to be pi-
geonholed as one-issue candidates. «That’s been the most disheartening
thing,» said Karla Drenner, the only openly gay legislator in Georgia and
an advocate of environmental legislation. «I traded in the title of ‘repre-
sentative’ for ‘lesbian legislator.»’ Drenner said it has been a lonely expe-
rience. «I don’t really fit in anywhere. I’m still an outcast,» said Drenner,
adding that some people refuse to ride in the elevator with her. «And I
think it’s especially hard in the South.» Still, advocates say openly gay
lawmakers can put a face on their cause, as Ebbin has done in Virginia.
«He brings a real voice and face for our community to the general as-
sembly, and that is invaluable,» said Dyana Mason, executive director of
Equality Virginia. «I believe it does change the debate for some people.»
The 2005 session, which ended February 27, gave Ebbin plenty to speak
out about. The house of delegates passed measures that would make it
difficult for same-sex couples to adopt children and that would authorize
license plates celebrating «Traditional Marriage.» The adoption bill was
later rejected by a senate committee, and the license plate measure wi-
thdrawn by its sponsor. But the house and senate passed a bill that would
write a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution. «While
Massachusetts and Vermont are entering the 21st century, Virginia is still
struggling,» Ebbin said.
In the socially conservative South, Ebbin, Drenner, and Scorsone are
joined by only one other openly gay lawmaker, Sen. Julia Boseman
in North Carolina, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a
Washington political action committee that supports and tracks the suc-
cess of out gay candidates nationally. Out of roughly 7,400 state legisla-
tors nationwide, 54 are openly gay, according to the group’s latest count.
Times and presidents may have changed since that day, but Ebbin is still
fighting to have his voice heard–no small feat during what some consider
the most antigay legislative session in Virginia’s history. «People say,
‘Isn’t it discouraging?’…and I disagree totally,» said Ebbin, a Democrat
from Alexandria, in suburban Washington, D.C. «I know that any time
that people are going to tell lies about gays and lesbians on the House
floor, that I can grab my mike and speak–and that’s really empowering.»
Ebbin is a rare openly gay legislator in the South and part of a small na-
tional fraternity of lawmakers who have publicly declared that they are
gay or lesbian.
As the debate over same-sex marriage reaches legislatures across the
nation, gay lawmakers are confronting legislation that personally affects
their lives–including adoption by gay couples and other issues. «It’s very
difficult to sit in a legislative body, watching them putting their stamp of
approval on discriminatory laws,» said state senator Ernesto Scorsone,
who came out to his colleagues two years ago after 18 years in the Ken-
tucky legislature. «But as in any other civil rights struggle, it’s a long road,
and we’re going to have some bumps in the road.»