CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," easily the biggest legislative victory in the history of gay rights, is a tough act to follow. But plenty of work on Capitol Hill remains: Federal law still fails to protect gays and lesbians from being fired from their jobs and still discriminates against government employees with same-sex spouses.
"And it's still hard to believe," says Rhode Island representative David Cicilline (pronounced Sis-uh-LEE-nee), a member of the 112th Congress's freshman crop and one of a record number of victors among LGBT candidates nationwide. "I'm not sure what the problem is" with equality legislation, he says. "What I do know is that the more representation we have in Congress, [the better] to put a face on this discrimination."
Cicilline, the 49-year-old former mayor of Providence, and before that a Rhode Island state lawmaker, is now the fourth openly gay member of the House of Representatives, joining Tammy Baldwin, Jared Polis, and Barney Frank. (The tally of openly gay senators holds firm at zero.)
As far as representation goes, he's right: Whether it's Baldwin with her clinical delivery or Frank with his bombastic oratory, having gay people in a room where laws affecting gay people are decided matters. "I think [the Federal Marriage Amendment] is motivated frankly by a dislike of those of us who are gay and lesbian," Frank said on the House floor in 2006 during debate on the proposed antigay amendment. "We're told, 'Don't take things personally,' but I take this personally. I take it personally when people decide to take political batting practice with my life."
The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which supported Cicilline's campaign, still raves about his November electoral victory. "If there's a need for a defensive stance of the community, having those colleagues speak with authenticity is crucial," says the group's vice president and spokesman, Denis Dison.
Though circumspect about the prospects for gay legislation with the speaker's gavel in Republican hands, Cicilline nevertheless believes the GOP landslide in November had little to do with any rallying cry for a return to "traditional" social values. But what does this mean for civil rights bills -- namely the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and an immigration bill that would allow gays to sponsor foreign partners for citizenship, both of which have been kicked around in one form or another since the 1990s? "There's no question that coming into the House as a freshman and in the minority will be challenging when it comes to moving some of the items that are important," Cicilline says.
As the first openly gay congresswoman, Baldwin remembers a similar challenge when she came to Washington in 1999. What's changed, the Wisconsin Democrat says, "is that there have been Republicans who have become more vocal and embraced equality. I would love for them to be the dominant voices. But my sad expectation is that we will not move landmark [LGBT] legislation forward. I hope I'm wrong."
Greener pastures may lie in Cicilline's own state. Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who took office in January, has said he would sign marriage equality into law; Rhode Island advocates expect both the house and senate to introduce legislation by this month. "I'll do whatever I can," says Cicilline, an initial cosponsor of a state marriage bill, "to make it a reality."
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Iraq postpones vote on bill punishing gay sex with death
April 20 2024 1:31 PM
Russian poetry contest bans entries from transgender poets
April 20 2024 1:25 PM
Here's who won 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 16
April 20 2024 1:01 PM
The Tip Off: A beginners guide to the WNBA
April 20 2024 11:06 AM
John Fetterman challenges Pa. school board’s cancellation of talk by gay actor
April 19 2024 2:39 PM
New study finds inadequate response to mpox outbreak
April 19 2024 2:06 PM
Fighting back against MAGA’s attacks on equality
April 19 2024 1:00 PM
Just one Christian Nationalist group is behind Idaho's bans on trans care and abortion
April 19 2024 11:57 AM
Linda Perry opens up in new documentary, premiering in June at Tribeca Festival
April 19 2024 11:43 AM
Trans woman loses lower legs in NYC subway attack. Now, friends rally to help her
April 19 2024 10:06 AM
Black trans woman África Parrilla García shot to death in Puerto Rico
April 18 2024 4:55 PM
Marjorie Taylor Greene has sunk so low even Fox News can't stand her anymore
April 18 2024 4:04 PM
Single lesbians are avoided by straight women, but not straight men. Here's why.
April 18 2024 3:18 PM
The LGBTQ+ movie fan's guide to the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival
April 18 2024 2:44 PM
The federal government failed on mpox. Ritchie Torres's new bill addresses that (exclusive)
April 18 2024 1:21 PM
True
In the face of tweets and turmoil, why I left the South as a medical student
April 18 2024 7:30 AM