On April 12th, The Human Rights Campaign decried a push by extreme right
wing religious political organizations to pressure the Bush administration
into dropping Scott H. Evertz as their selection for the director of the
Office of National AIDS Policy. These attacks reveal the true agenda of
these groups promoting discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans,
says HRC.
“These far right religious political groups have sent a clear
message that a person’s sexual orientation ought to be a disqualifying
factor in employment,” said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. “A
person ought to be judged, not for who they are, but for their ability to
honorably serve this country.”
Several religious political extremist groups reportedly are meeting
at the Family Research Council’s Washington headquarters today to strategize
on ways to thwart the selection of Evertz. The leaders of several
conservative groups have expressed outrage at the administration for hiring
a qualified individual – simply because he is gay.
“President Bush may think the Log Cabin Republicans delivered him
the election,” American Renewal President Richard Lessner told the
Washington Post. “If that is the case, he is sorely deluded.”
“Evertz’s whole approach is homosexuality is a viable life
alternative…that it’s part of God’s design in humanity,” said Lou Sheldon,
chairman, Traditional Values Coalition, in the newspaper. “Bible-believing
Christians don’t believe that for one second.”
“It is interesting that Sheldon is opposing Evertz for his religious
beliefs,” said Stachelberg. “During the Ashcroft hearings, Sheldon said that
to oppose a person based on religious beliefs is ‘insulting and dangerous to
religious freedom.'”
Evertz, who was selected on Wednesday to head ONAP, is the Wisconsin
president of the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation’s largest lesbian and gay
Republican group. During the presidential campaign he was one of a dozen
openly gay Republicans to meet with Bush in Austin.
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