Gay City Council Candidates Step Out

Attack of the gay city council candidates
Tim Schofield isn't the only openly gay person running a strong campaign for a local city council seat (see "On The Trail," page 1): Grace Ross made an impressive showing in the Sept. 11 preliminary election for an at-large seat on the Worcester City Council, placing sixth - ahead of two incumbents - in a free-for-all race with 18 candidates (not nine candidates as we incorrectly reported last week). Ross, who ran on the Green-Rainbow Party ticket for governor last year, is now well-positioned to become Worcester's first openly gay city councilor in the final election on Nov. 6, where she's competing with 11 other hopefuls for one of six seats. Will Ms. Ross make history (or, herstory, for all you politically correct lesbos out there)? Stay tuned.

Pols for Pride
Speaking of Grace Ross, the candidate was among a handful of political types that turned out for Worcester Pride on Sept. 8, despite the makeup-melting temperatures, which apparently drove the drag queens to cooler climates, as there wasn't a stilletto to be seen on Water Street, the scene of the city's annual LGBT Pride block party.

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray was on hand, however, continuing a tradition of attending the annual celebration that he began while he served as the city's mayor. Addressing the crowd, Murray recalled working collaboratively with block party organizers several years ago to transform the city's annual Pride celebration from a poorly-attended parade to an ever-expanding street fair that has helped revitalize a neglected corner of the city.

"This festival has grown," said Murray. "The GLBT community has staked a claim here in our Canal District that's helped bring a lot of positive energy ... to our city."

This year's event was especially significant, Murray added, because partnerships like the one he's enjoyed with Worcester's LGBT community occurred across the state in the effort to defeat an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment back in June. "We achieved an historic victory in recognizing the validity and sanctity of marriages that have taken place since the Supreme Court's decision a few years ago. And for that we celebrate in a special way today," said Murray, drawing applause from the crowd. "Governor Patrick and I, we're proud of that work, proud of that partnership with you in making Massachusetts a state that recognizes the rights of all of our people."

State Sen. Harriette Chandler, who is beloved by the locals for her long record of support for the LGBT community, echoed Murray's sentiments. Though she's proud of the vote she cast for marriage equality on June 14, said Chandler, "I was also proud of all the votes that preceeded it. Because every single one was a critical one. Now with a little bit of luck we won't have to think about any kind of constitutional amendment maybe for a long, long time."

We also chatted up state Rep. Jim O'Day, a freshman lawmaker who represents the city and the neighboring town of West Boylston, before he delivered remarks to the crowd. O'Day said he was happy to attend the event, as he's done in the past. "Being a Worcester guy, I love coming out for this day," he said. "I think you know how I feel about this community." One of the first votes O'Day cast at the State House after winning his seat in a special election earlier this year was against the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment. He said he heard "mixed reviews" from constituents for the position he took. "I was hoping everybody was going to call me and tell me it was the greatest vote that they'd ever heard in their life," said O'Day. "I felt it was the greatest thing that I've ever done in my 53 years on this planet, but there were some mixed reviews unfortunately."

Sadly, we missed U.S. Representative Jim McGovern and state Sen. Ed Augustus, who were in attendance earlier in the day but left before we arrived.

Senator-elect Galluccio
After a spirited special election that saw four pro-equality candidates duke it out to replace Jarrett Barrios, the openly gay former state senator who was a powerful advocate for the LGBT community, Cambridge City Councilor Anthony Galluccio came out on top. An elated Galluccio, who lost a campaign for the seat to Barrios in 2002 and then bowed out of a second bid in 2004 (after Barrrios dropped his own bid for Middlesex D.A. and decided to seek re-election to the Senate) celebrated his big victory on Sept. 11 with an even bigger crowd at the Silver Fox in Everett. Among the well-wishers were State Sen. Steve Tolman, state Rep. Mike Moran, Revere City Councilor Dan Rizzo and his lovely wife Jane - one of the funniest political spouses you'll ever meet on the campaign trail - and Democratic Party Chair John Walsh. And to the naysayers in the political blogosphere who question Galluccio's progressive cred, we'll note that we witnessed the senator-elect give a great big bear hug to progressive political guru Dan Cohen, who confessed to us that he had actually spent some time door-knocking for Gallluccio, the first and only time he's ever canvassed for a candidate. And he wasn't even on the payroll. So take that.

In a brief interview after the big hug, Galluccio, who bested Cambridge defense attorney Tim Flaherty, Chelsea City Councilor Paul Nowicki and openly gay Cambridge human rights lawyer Jeff Ross to win the seat, pledged to follow in Barrios's footsteps to the best of his ability on LGBT issues. "I think we made that message really loud and clear during the campaign, how strongly I feel about discrimination of any kind," said Galluccio, citing his long record of support for LGBT rights in Cambridge, a city he carried in the election, likely to the surprise of some who viewed Flaherty as the more progressive choice in the race. "I think the vote in Cambridge shows that people understand how passionate I am about fighting for people of all races and all sexual orientations. Everyone is part of my advocacy and a part of my life and we're going to keep it that way," he added. "We have battles to fight and we have to fight them together."

Potty talk from Congressman Shays
Unfortunately, it's not often anymore that we get to chat with a truly LGBT-supportive Republican, especially one who's actually still in office. So we jumped at the chance for a short chat with Connecticut Congressman Chris Shays, who was in town for a Mass. GOP fundraiser at the Copley Marriott Hotel on Sept. 7. Shays is an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community and a cosponsor of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) and bills to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and provide hate crimes protections for LGBT people. In fact, he observes in reference to ENDA, which received a committee hearing on Sept. 5, "One of the advantages of the Democrats being in charge of Congress is that this kind of legislation will have its day in court. I think the committee will vote on it and I think it will be sent to the floor of the House, as it should be."

Shays, who was first elected to Congress in 1987, said he welcomes the opportunities floor debates create to educate others on the issue. "We're talking about people having to overcome their, frankly, ignorant views of the issue, the stereotypes - all those things that kind of stand in the way of good judgement," he said.

Though he acknowledges that his positions on LGBT issues puts him at odds with the Republican leadership in Washington, he's quick to point out that Democrats don't march in lockstep on all issues either. "What you need to decide is that you're going to try to stand out as a Republican with a view different than the mainstream, which is what I do." But Shays also notes the irony that his party was once the party of individual rights, one that believed "that what people did privately in their own lives was their business and nobody else's." Now, said Shays, "We kind of got hijacked by, really, a group of people that want to impose their own religious beliefs on others and their own lifestyle on others. The gay community isn't asking me to be gay. It's asking that they be able to live their life without being threatened."

Naturally, such talk turns to the topic of Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican and gay rights opponent whose his arrest in a gay-sex sting in a Minnesota airport bathroom has scandalized the already scandal-ridden GOP. Does Shays have thoughts on the brouhaha? "First off it bothers me that someone can be arrested ... when there's not something even more obvious, there isn't a proposal, and I felt that it was a 'got you' kind of thing. And particularly when you're a public official you're dead. I felt there was a frenzy that was inappropriate." On the other hand, Shays also stated, "I understand if the senator, if he is in fact gay, has voted in ways that would suggest he isn't, and finds it offensive. That's something that obviously he's wrestling with." Nonetheless, said Shays, "I felt it was a lynching."

Might Craig, who is expected to vacate his seat on Sept. 30, have survived the scandal had he not voted against pro-gay legislation, thus neutralizing criticism that he's a hypocrite? Probably not, said the congressman. "Well, in the Republican Party it's a little more difficult," Shays acknowledged.

"It's hard for me just in general, thinking of having sex in a bathroom whether it's male or female, so you know, that's how I reacted," Shays added, which prompted a burst of nervous laughter from yours truly and a confession that that very issue was a topic of discussion in the Bay Windows newsroom earlier in the day "You know, I mean, you know," he continued, chuckling sheepishly and attempting to end the conversation. "Anyway, I don't want to go through that," he laughed again. "You take care."