Free trade trumps gay rights – Jim Kolbe, politician – Brief Article
Rep. Jim Kolbe got lots of exposure during the Republican convention–sort of. The openly gay Republican from Arizona addressed the GOP convention, but only on his area of legislative expertise–international trade.
Although off-screen, Kolbe’s presence was trumpeted as a sign of the party’s inclusiveness, Kolbe himself never used the word “gay” during his speech. Despite Kolbe’s silence on the issue, members of the Texas delegation protested Kolbe’s presence on the stage by bowing their heads, apparently in prayer, when Kolbe spoke.
Nevertheless, during an August 6 appearance on ABC’s This Week with Sam Donaldson, Kolbe said his speech “does make a statement to the Republican Party and, I think, to the convention.” Whether the exposure will help is another question. Kolbe faces nominal opposition in the state’s Republican primary September 12, but Democrats hope that he may be vulnerable in November.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Liberation Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group