by Jeff Newman
GayIndy.Org News
Indianapolis, September 7, 2004-- It was a morning of mixed messages followed by mixed reactions as Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels met with a small group of GLBT community activists and leaders.
About 30 people were in attendance at the meeting, which took place today at Jesus Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis.
"I'm here to learn and grow" stated Daniels at the outset of the meeting, and at times he demonstrated that he did have some learning to do, such as the use of the phrase "sexual preference" rather than "sexual orientation."
When asked about it late in the meeting, Daniels stated he was unaware, but said that he understood the difference in meaning and had no objection to using the more acceptable phrase.
While the candidate restated his well-known opposition to same-sex marriage, and stated he would support an amendment to the state constitution "if necessary," he was less clear on whether he would support the Indiana Equality civil rights initiative, which seeks to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state's civil rights law.
Daniels stated that he believed that people have "a right to a job based on merit only, a right to housing, and a right to live with whomever they choose," and also expressed a willingness to "explore defects in the current law so that people are not discriminated against regarding sexual preference or gender identity."
However, he stopped short of saying he would endorse the proposed legislation, promising only to "explore amendments to the statutes," and to establish a state policy that would eliminate discrimination in its employment practices.
The Mitch Daniels for Governor Campaign has a written non-discrimination policy that covers sexual orientation and gender identity.
The candidate was not at all ambiguous in his opposition to same-sex marriage. "I support the traditional definition of marriage, and I support the law that is on the books," he stated, adding that he believes "decision making by Judges wrenches these matters out of the hands of the governed."
Despite his clear opposition to same-sex marriage, Daniels did reiterate a statement made earlier in the campaign that he felt that same-sex relationships should "perhaps be accommodated in some way," although he did not elaborate on what he thought these accommodations should be.
While the tone of the meeting was cordial and polite, most of the attendees, in particular the parents in the group, were offended and stated such when Daniels made a statement regarding marriage being "in the best interest of the children."
Many also took offense to a comment about a hypothetical "flamboyant" clerk possibly disrupting a business, a comment that seemed to contradict his previous statements regarding support for employment rights. A meeting attendee reminded the candidate that this was the same argument used to deny employment to blacks prior to the civil rights movement.
The meeting was preceded by controversy when the private invitation to the gathering was re-worded and sent anonymously to reporters and right wing activists without the Daniels' campaign knowledge or consent.
The anonymous email was traced through its header by GayIndy.Org list member Jerame Davis, and was found to have been sent from a computer at the Indiana Democratic Party.
The incident was denounced and labeled a dirty trick by several GayIndy list members as well as Mitch Daniels, who called the incident "sophomoric." The Indiana Democratic Party denied that the email was sent by a member of its staff despite the electronic "stamp" that positively identified it as being sent from their computer system.
None of the far-right activists showed for the meeting after receiving the fraudulent emails. Local activist Chris Douglas, who has lobbied Daniels on behalf of the community, called the alleged dirty trick "unacceptable," adding that "in the end, it didn't serve anybody."
While in general the GLBT people in attendance were somewhat encouraged and pleased by the fact that Daniels made the effort to reach out to the community, most expressed at least some disappointment with the candidate, in particular his unwillingness to commit to support for the civil rights initiative.
The Reverend Jeff Miner, pastor of Jesus MCC stated "I think his goal was to show an openness to dialogue, but what does that mean? He really left us guessing as to what to believe--the best or the worst."