From     Stonewall Democratic Club
Contact    Tom Smith
                Aubrey Lees
 

Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC Endorses Howard Dean for President
One of the first Democratic clubs in the U.S. to endorse for President

New York, NY—Last night, the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City endorsed Howard Dean, M.D., former Governor of Vermont, for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, becoming the first gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democratic club in New York City—and one of the first Democratic clubs in the nation—to endorse for president.

A press conference to formally announce the endorsement will occur next week.

Governor Dean said, “I am tremendously proud to receive the endorsement of the Stonewall Democratic Club, which for nearly two decades has been at the forefront of the fight for LGBT rights.  Stonewall is among the very first democratic clubs endorsing my candidacy in New York, and it will always have a special place in my heart.  I am glad to have received a strong vote of
 confidence with an absolute majority of votes at the endorsement meeting, and I very much look forward to working closely with the Stonewall Democratic Club in the challenging months ahead.”

“This was a historic night for Stonewall,” stated the club’s president, Tom Smith. “We endorsed early, and we endorsed with a clear majority of members supporting Dean.”

According to Smith, Stonewall’s support for Dean stems from the Governor’s record, including his call for federal recognition of same-sex civil unions.  Smith added, “Stonewall members love the new energy Dean is bringing to the Democratic Party.  Other Democratic leaders were uninspiring at a time when Dean was already out there opposing the war, leveraging the Internet for fund-raising, and creating a genuinely grassroots movement.”

The endorsement vote followed a two-hour long meeting at The LGBT Center onWest 12th Street.

New York City Councilmember Bill DeBlasio spoke for his endorsed candidate, Senator John Edwards, and State Assemblyman Dick Gottfried spoke on behalf of Governor Dean. Representatives attended from all Democratic presidential campaigns except those of Senator John Kerry, Reverend Al Sharpton, former Senator Carol Mosely-Brown, and former Governor Bob Graham.

Dennis Kucinich for President flew Mari Engelhardt, the campaign’s National GLBT Organizer, all the way from Cleveland to attend the meeting.  Her comments were particularly well-received. Former Stonewall board member Scott Isebrand said, “Kucinich totally has my heart.  But we need to beat Bush, and that means using our heads.  Unfortunately, Kucinich is likely unelectable against Bush.”  He added, “Personally, I find it inexcusable that Kerry’s campaign didn’t see fit to come.  They were invited.  Every campaign was invited.”

LGBT New Yorkers for Clark made a strong showing for former Supreme Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark.  The campaign’s spokesperson, Elise Harris, formerly a writer for Out magazine and a teacher at Harvey Milk High School, argued that Clark was the candidate best suited to defeat President George W. Bush.

The meeting, which drew between 75 and 100 people, was occasionally rambunctious.  Harris faced a forceful question regarding General Clark’s past support for Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.  (In rebuttal, a Stonewall member cited Harvey Milk’s support for Barry Goldwater.)

Late in the meeting, members expressed a concern that Stonewall was endorsing too early, and moved for a postponement.  The motion was defeated in a close vote. “But once that issue was behind us,” Smith summarized, “the club showed real unity behind Dean, which is extremely encouraging.”

The Stonewall Democratic Club is the five-borough gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democratic club of New York City. (www.stonewalldems.com)