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.
A man whose nomination to the New Hampshire Human Rights Commission by Gov. Craig Benson has been challenged by members of the Executive Council says he won't withdraw his name. Gary Daniels, a former state legislator whose views on homosexuality have been questioned by council members, said his views are being misrepresented. The council votes on his nomination Wednesday. "I don't think anybody should be discriminated against, and I don't feel that I discriminated against anybody," Daniels said. "This debate was about policy, not people." While he was a state representative, Daniels, a Republican, opposed a 1997 bill that expanded the state's civil rights law to include gays and lesbians. The bill, which passed the legislature and was signed into law by Democratic governor Jeanne Shaheen, banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment and housing matters and with regard to public accommodations, such as restaurants and hotels. The bill also added a sentence to the law outlining the Human Rights Commission's purpose: "The agencies and councils so created shall exercise their authority to assure that no person be discriminated against on account of sexual orientation." Daniels said he was especially upset by media reports that described him, during that 1997 debate, as calling homosexuality unnatural, immoral, and unhealthy. According to a transcript of his 1997 remarks, which Daniels provided to The [Manchester] Union Leader, he argued that protecting homosexuality along with characteristics such as race would undercut the government's "message" related to stabilizing the traditional family and preventing the spread of AIDS: "This bill seeks to raise the protection of homosexual and bisexual behavior to the same constitutional level as race, color, creed, age, and sex, characteristics over which we have no control. Simply put, it seeks to disrupt the natural order of things. If we are truly to fix the problems that we profess that we are here to resolve, we need to start looking at the actions we take and their impact upon the problems yet to be resolved. The new set of ideas proposed by HB421 creates a new set of problems, disruptions that I don't believe are acceptable or wanted in today's society." "I don't believe in discrimination," Daniels told The Union Leader. "I opposed the bill because I thought the discrimination statutes were sufficient." Daniels also said that he would not deal with any commission business involving sexual orientation, a condition he said would not affect his duties as a commissioner.
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
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
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 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
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
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
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM
George Santos leaves Republican Party, will run for House seat as independent
March 22 2024 4:07 PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces she has cancer
March 22 2024 2:57 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedProhibition Wellness & revolutionizing self-care for all
March 22 2024 1:19 PM
Tennessee bill would permit anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptee parents
March 22 2024 11:54 AM
Plus
Yahoo Feed8 dating tips for gay men from a gay psychotherapist
March 22 2024 11:51 AM
Trans woman assailed during Kanye West's Rolling Loud set beats back 'bullies' (exclusive)
March 22 2024 11:34 AM