| Libertarian Party of NY -- Following the News -- Libertarians Campaign At Gay Pridefest |
The Libertarian Party has called for the repeal of laws against voluntary homosexual and heterosexual behavior since its very first platform in 1974. The current platform (see http://www.lp.org/issues/platform/sexurigh.html) states, "We believe that adults have the right to private choice in consensual sexual activity. We oppose any government attempt to dictate, prohibit, control, or encourage any private lifestyle, living arrangement or contractual relationship. We support repeal of existing laws and policies which are intended to condemn, affirm, encourage, or deny sexual lifestyles or any set of attitudes about such lifestyles." Libertarians also condemn restraints on adult sexual entertainment, including broadcasting, the Internet and Giuliani's zoning laws.
When the bi-partisan majority in Congress passed the "Defense of Marriage Act" and Democrat Bill Clinton endorsed and signed it, the Libertarians spoke out. Their then National Chairman Steve Dasbach declared "The government should get out of the business of deciding who can fall in love and get married--and should eliminate all laws that prohibit same-sex marriage." Both D'Amato and Schumer voted for it.
Richard Cooper, the State Chair of the Libertarian Party, notes that his cousin Jonathan Cooper is an openly gay county legislator in Suffolk. Jonathan Cooper and his partner Robert have been profiled with their children frequently in gay and mainstream media. Richard Cooper and the Libertarian Party calls for separating marriage and state. He laments that his cousin is not a supporter of the Libertarian Party. Richard Cooper credits his late friend, the Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas who committed suicide while dying from AIDS, with educating him about the tremendous oppression gays suffer in Castro's Cuba.
John Clifton, the Libertarian Party candidate for US Senate, plans to appear at the LPNY table at Pridefest . Clifton is a Navy veteran now a social work administrator and drug counselor working primarily with mentally ill clients in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He has HIV+ people amongst his caseload. Clifton calls for freedom and toleration of everybody with regard to gay issues. "The state should not be in the business of forcibly legitimizing or delegitimizing disputed behaviors, at the expense of millions of people with differing views. As always, the state should be using force only to defend individual rights, not initiating force to foster group privileges. It is my hope that both sides of this debate come to terms with permitting each o er's freedom to ring, without use of government force to merely benefit either the social left or right's agendas." Clifton condemns the "Defense of Marriage Act" as unconstitutional. By contrast, Rick Lazio and Hillary Clinton supported the Defense of Marriage Act.
A new Libertarian organization of gays and lesbians has been formed
recently, Outright Libertarians, 2354 Shallowford Road NE Atlanta, Georgia
30345-1364 Phone: 678-478-4896
Website: http://www.mindspring.com/~outright.
Email: outright@mindspring.com.
The Libertarian State Chair Richard Cooper invites everyone to visit the Libertarian Party of New York table at Pridefest. The Libertarians will have to gather 15,000 signatures to put their candidates for President and Vice-president as well as US Senate e candidate John Clifton on the ballot. Signing does not commit anyone to vote Libertarian but merely gives the Libertarians a chance to contest the election. Contact: The Libertarian Party of New York PO Box 728, Bellport, NY 11713. Richard Cooper offers this advice to gays and lesbians "Come out as Libertarians too!"
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