National
Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Denounces Santorum Comments; Joins Call
for His Ouster
National
Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, April 22, 2003
Media Inquiries:
Justin Nelson
202.661.3326
jnelson@nglcc.org
Washington, DC—The National Gay
& Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the nation’s only national
not-for-profit advocacy organization dedicated to expanding access and
opportunity for the gay & lesbian business community, sent a scathing
letter today to Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and the Senate Republican
Leadership denouncing the comments he made about gays & lesbians. In doing
so, the NGLCC leadership joined the chorus of gay-rights groups calling for
his ouster. “How can we ever get to a point where we can discuss the things
that matter most to all Americans—like jobs, the economy and working
together for a better America, when we have elected officials in leadership
positions that make such reckless and ignorant comments,” wrote Justin
Nelson, co-founder of the NGLCC in a letter responding to an interview
Santorum gave to the Associated Press in which the he compared homosexuality
to bigamy, polygamy, adultery, and incest. “Leaders are meant to be
visionaries and your comments hail from the dark ages,” continued Nelson in
the letter.
“These comments are tantamount to those made by Senator
Lott when he compared homosexuality to alcoholism and kleptomania,” said
Chance Mitchell, NGLCC’s other co-founder. “One can only conclude that
they are a derivative of either a limited education or a blatant disregard for
a key constituency. Such bigoted decisions makers in Washington need to be
educated on the economics of equality,” added Mitchell.
“People like Senator Santorum need to look past the
bedroom and into the boardroom and understand that we are executives and
entrepreneurs, doctors and lawyers, teachers and homemakers, and yes, even the
elected officials that help make this country and its economy what it is,”
concluded Nelson. The letter in its entirety can be viewed on the NGLCC
website at www.nglcc.org.
The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is
committed to forming a broad- based coalition, representative of the various
interests of gay & lesbian owned businesses, gay & lesbian friendly
businesses, professionals, and students of business for the purpose of
promoting economic growth and prosperity, through public and private sector
advocacy, to advance the common business interests and opportunities of its
members.
[Home] [News] [Lawrence
v. Texas] [Santorum] [Spreading
Santorum]
