Governor: Same-Sex Unions Possible

By JEFF JONES Journal Politics Writer

Gov. Bill Richardson told the nation’s gay community Thursday evening that he believes same-sex civil unions are "achievable" but said he — along with the majority of the country — isn’t ready to embrace gay marriage.

"I’m not there yet, and the country isn’t there yet. New Mexico isn’t there yet," Richardson said during what was billed as the first televised mainstream presidential forum devoted to gay issues, which took place in Los Angeles.

"That doesn’t mean that I’m closed on this issue," added Richardson, a backer of civil unions who — along with most of the other Democratic candidates — stopped short of supporting gay marriage. "It means that you do what is achievable."

Richardson also said he would resurrect a failed domestic partners measure in New Mexico’s 2008 state legislative session. And he found himself answering another touchy question — this one concerning his 2006 use of the Spanish word "maricn," which many consider to be a derogatory term for gays akin to the word "faggot."

Richardson again apologized for using that term in an impromptu exchange on the now-canceled Don Imus radio show and added that the gay community should instead focus on his actions as a former congressman and current governor.

"I meant no harm when I said that. It was one of those exchanges that I was caught off guard," Richardson said. "I am not backing off — I apologize. But I think you should look at my actions, and not words."

Richardson was one of six candidates — including frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — who took part in the forum. It was sponsored by Logo, a gay-oriented cable channel, and the Human Rights Campaign, which calls itself the country’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy group.

Gay marriage was the main focus during the forum, in which each of the candidates appeared separately on stage with a moderator and three panelists.

But only two Democratic candidates, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, have endorsed nationwide recognition of samesex marriage.

Richardson was the fifth candidate to sit down in an overstuffed chair and face the moderators, coming after Gravel and before Clinton.

"The nation, I believe, is on a path to full inclusion. A president must lead that effort," he said, adding that, in his view, civil unions with full marriage rights are achievable.

Richardson, who has courted the gay community throughout his presidential campaign, again blasted the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy concerning gays in the military, saying that for those willing to fight and die for their country, "the last thing you need to do is give them a lecture on sexual orientation."

He said he was wrong to have voted for the federal Defense of Marriage Act as a congressman representing New Mexico in the 1990s.

Richardson earlier this year called a special legislative session in part to deal with a domestic partners bill that did not pass.

"We will get it done in this next one," Richardson said.

Richardson’s standing with some in the gay community took a hit early last month when news broke that he had used "maricn" in a 2006 interview on the Imus show.

The banter during that interview went something like this: Imus said one of his staffers, Bernard, didn’t believe Richardson was Hispanic and asked Richardson if he would agree that Bernard was a maricn.

Richardson, who is Hispanic and is fluent in Spanish, said in Spanish that he believed Bernard was a maricn if Bernard didn’t think Richardson was Hispanic.

Richardson has apologized but has maintained that in the Spanish he grew up speaking, the term meant simply "gay" and was not a positive or negative word.

At one point during Thursday’s forum, panelist and rock musician Melissa Etheridge asked Richardson whether he believed homosexuality was a choice or whether it was biological.

"It’s a choice," Richardson said, though it appeared he did not understand the question: when asked again, he said, "I don’t see this as an issue of science or definition. I see gays and lesbians as people."

The Richardson camp immediately after the forum issued a written clarification in which Richardson said he had misunderstood.

"Let me be clear — I do not believe that sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice," Richardson said in the written clarification. "But I’m not a scientist, and the point I was trying to make is that no matter how it happens, we are all equal and should be treated that way under the law."

Obama called the event historic for America and said he also favors "a strong version" of civil unions.

Obama argued that civil unions wouldn’t be a "lesser thing" than marriage.

"Semantics may be important to some. From my perspective, what I’m interested (in) is making sure that those legal rights are available to people," he said.

Clinton echoed support for civil unions.

But she also said she made a mistake in March when she steered around a question on whether homosexuality was immoral. She was asked about it at the time after Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said he considered homosexual acts immoral and similar to adultery. He later said he should have not expressed his personal views. Clinton later issued a statement saying she did not think being gay was immoral.

"I should have put it in a broader context," she said.

Kucinich was clearly the darling of the event: Etheridge told him, "They told me not to fawn over you, but it’s kind of hard not to. I hope you always run for president until they elect you."

The Associated Press contributed to

this report

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.