The Human Rights Campaign grieved the death of Sen. Paul
Wellstone, D-Minn., his wife, Sheila, daughter Marcia and five other people
who died in an airplane crash last month in northern Minnesota. Wellstone was a
great friend and a strong ally in the fight for equality and will be greatly
missed, says HRC.
"America has lost a powerfully eloquent and passionate voice for
fairness today," said HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "Paul and
Sheila Wellstone were personal friends. This is a deep personal loss as well
as a devastating loss to our community. Both the Senator and his wife were
strong allies in our quest for equality. Our hearts go out to his family and
staff."
The plane went down in freezing rain and light snow near the
Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport, about 175 miles north of Minneapolis,
according to the Associated Press. Wellstone, 58, was on his way to the
funeral of the father of a state lawmaker. Wellstone had been in a fierce
battle with Republican Norm Coleman, a former mayor of St. Paul, to retain
his Senate seat. Throughout his career, Wellstone fought for equality and
spoke in favor of legislation such as the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
"I really do think that the Employment Nondiscrimination Act is a
matter of simple justice," said Wellstone on the Senate floor during a 1996
ENDA debate. "I really hope that the U.S. Senate will vote for this piece of
legislation. I am very proud to be an original cosponsor, because I believe
if we vote for this piece of legislation, we really will have taken an
enormous step forward toward ending discrimination in our country. It is
just not right that a man or a woman, because of sexual orientation, should
be in a situation where he or she could lose a job or not be able to obtain
employment because of their sexual orientation. This is a basic civil rights
issue."
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