McAuliffe to Bush: Renounce Texas's antigay, antidisabilty GOP platform

Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday called on President Bush to renounce antigay language in the Texas Republican Party platform, which supports "unnecessary and discriminatory changes in the Americans With Disabilities Act." The Texas platform calls for the immediate removal of persons with "homosexual practices" from protection under the ADA. Since its passage in 1990, the ADA has clearly stated that sexual orientation is not a disability and as such is not covered under the law, according to the Texas Republicans. "The Texas Republican Party is changing facts in a blatantly homophobic attack against gay and lesbian Americans," said McAuliffe. "Republicans are abusing the ADA, which has guaranteed equal opportunity and access for millions of Americans, for their own political games. This platform does not represent the values of Texans, just as it does not represent the values of the American people. George W. Bush must take a stand and renounce the discriminatory and divisive rhetoric coming from his own party in his own state." The platform also calls for "the traditional definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal, and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman," and it supports state legislation that would make it a felony to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.