Post-Election 2000 - A Different View:
Why Ralph Nader is So Important to the LGBT Community

By Jim Mangia

Now that the hysteria has died down on the presidential election and the nation braces itself for four years of Republican (barely) rule, I think it is important for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to assess what, if any gains we made this election season. The Democratic Party-controlled gay leadership, from the Human Rights Campaign Fund (which endorsed Gore without extracting any pro-gay concessions) to the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force will say that all is lost because Al Gore did. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, in my opinion, the leverage of the LGBT community may in fact be significantly enhanced by the Democratic
Party's failure.

While that may seem like sacrilege to the lesbian and gay establishment, the fact is that Ralph Nader's significant showing in this years presidential race is one of the most important outcomes of the 2000 presidential campaign. For 8 years now, as the founding National Secretary of the Reform Party (America's largest third party until Pat Buchanan destroyed it this year) I have been arguing that the independent movement must include the LGBT community. While I disagreed with the Nader campaign's unwillingness to significantly reach out to the "radical white center" (those Ross Perot and Jesse Ventura voters who are strong social libertarians), the fact is that Ralph Nader did have the guts to "come out" on issues of concern to our community. Within his overarching message of "political reform", Ralph Nader sent a welcoming message that independent politics was open to the LGBT community. That has been the statement I've been conveying for more than a decade, and I feel tremendously gratified that Nader embraced that perspective. But this is just the beginning.

I recently spoke at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force "Creating Change" conference in Atlanta. The workshop on third parties was overflowing with LGBT activists from across the country who voted for Ralph Nader. The White House dispatched its lesbian and gay liaison (Julianne Potter) to launch an attack on Nader, saying that Nader's claims that Bush and Gore were virtually the same was confusing to American (and LGBT voters). Leaving aside the not-so-subtle assumption that lesbian and gay voters are stupid (since the position articulated by the gay leadership is that a simple statement of opinion by one of the candidates can "confuse" us), the fact is no one was confused at all. The reason that most Americans didn't vote, and more than 2.5 million of them voted for Nader is because they agree with Nader's
position that the two parties are becoming increasingly the same and there was no real difference between Bush and Gore. That's why since 1992, more than 30 million people have voted independent in presidential elections.

Americans, (and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voters), want more choices. That's why more than 30% of gay Americans have shunned the major parties and are registered Independent. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are offering concrete solutions to the problems facing our nation. Controlled by corporate big money and corrupt special interests, they have sold out principle for the almighty dollar long ago - perverting any sense of public policy in the process. But the growth of third parties in America, most particularly the Greens and Nader's presidential campaign
this season, are the most important political tool the LGBT community has that can stem the ongoing political losses our community has experienced. From the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to Don't Ask Don't Tell, the last eight years will not go down in history as victory years for our community. We have the Democrats to thank for that. But more importantly, in the next election the Democratic Party establishment (and gay leaders who work for them) will be running very scared. Another Nader run, or perhaps a presidential run by pro-gay Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura may further
erode their stranglehold on gay politics, the gay establishment and most importantly, on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voters.

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Jim Mangia is the founding National Secretary of the Reform Party and America's leading gay independent. He recently led the fight against the hostile takeover of the Reform Party by Pat Buchanan.