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Loading ...Gay freshman congressman Polis arrives in Washington
11.19.2008 11:24am EST
(Washington) Colorado Democrat Jared Polis arrived in Washington this week for freshman orientation.
Polis became the third openly gay member of Congress when he was elected to represent Colorado’s heavily Democratic 2nd District. He joins returning gay members of Congress Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.).But while he is the third gay who will sit in the House, Polis is the first openly gay man to win a seat in Congress as a non-incumbent. Baldwin, who was open about her sexuality when first elected, is the first lesbian elected as a non-incumbent. Frank came out while in Congress.
Polis is one of about 50 newly elected members of Congress who converged on Washington this week. Orientation for the incoming members includes the minutiae of being a member of Congress - how to hire a staff and set up an office, how to conform to ethics rules and what to do in a security situation. They will also have to find housing in a city not known for bargain real estate.
Polis made millions creating Internet-based businesses. At 33, he is one of the youngest members of Congress.
During the campaign, Polis’ sexuality was a non-issue, but nationwide he was closely watched by LGBT advocates.
“Young gays and lesbians who might want to run for office look to examples and role models,” he told the Associated Press during the campaign.
“I think the people chose me for the ideas I articulated, the war in Iraq, the fight for universal health care, and really challenging the status quo,” he told a cheering throng at his victory rally, standing with his partner Marlon Reis.
Previously, Polis was elected statewide to the Colorado State Board of Education from 2001 - 2007. During that time he served a term as vice-chairman and one as chairman.
In 2000, he founded the Jared Polis Foundation, which works to improve and expand access to education. Its annual Teacher Recognition Awards celebrate the enormous commitment and importance of teachers. Hundreds of teachers and their schools receive micro-grants as part of this program.
Polis came out publicly while serving on the Board of Education.
During his tenure on the Board, he successfully worked to establish new ways to help schools close the learning gap, improved access to online education, helped win increased funding for at-risk students, and worked to improve teacher preparation programs at our colleges and universities.
Polis also co-chaired a successful $300 million bond initiative in the Boulder Valley School District to make repairs and upgrades to learning environments across the district as well as improve energy efficiency.
In Congress, Polis is expected to use his background in education policy to help rewrite the No Child Left Behind law.
He also will become part of the bipartisan LGBT Equality Caucus. The caucus was founded in June by Frank and Baldwin along with over fifty gay allies in Congress to lobby for civil rights.
Four major LGBT rights bills are expected to be taken up by the next Congress.
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act, named for the 21-year-old college student who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998, would add sexuality to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law.
The bill passed the House in 2007 and the White House threatened to veto it. In an effort to get around a veto, the Senate version was tied to the 2008 defense authorization bill. It passed, but then went to conference where it was stripped out.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, also passed the House in 2007 but without protections for the transgendered.
The legislation would make it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in hiring, firing, promoting or paying an employee.
When ENDA returns, it is likely to include gender identity protections.
Legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on gays serving openly in the military was taken up in committee this year for the first time, but did not make it to a vote.
DADT was enacted in 1993. Since then, more than 12,000 servicemembers have been dismissed when it was learned they are gay. According to statistics from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which advocates for gays in the military, an average of two service members are dismissed under the law every day.
It also is widely expected that legislation will be introduced to repeal the so-called federal Defense of Marriage Act, which forbids the federal government from recognizing any form of gay union - marriage, civil union or domestic partnership.
President-elect Barack Obama has said he would sign such a repeal, although no Democrat has so far said such a bill would be advanced.
The more the merrier. It really looks like a movement is taking place. Good thing for education. lets rewrite some more laws while we are at it. Good Luck!
the more gay members in our congress, better yet our government, the better it is for us. I think the election of Obama is a real turning point in the GLBT community. these are all just small building blocks that are going to help give us our rights.
The article’s 3rd paragraph is a bit misleading, however. Polis will be the third SITTING gay of the House, but not the third gay to sit in the House.
Studds, Kolbe, Foley all come to mind.
And don’t forget about all the wonderful gay-but-in-the-closet people in congress. The less people are in the closet, the more impact we have.
I was struck by a comment that an African American friend of mine said. “Your kind can hide, whereas my kind will face discrimination regardless of what we do.” In fact, if we are open about our sexuality in all circumstances, we are far more likely to be discriminated against that are any other currently recognized minority.
We must continue to push people to come out of the closet. Anyone who is in the closet is helping to subserve the rights of all sexually-oriented minorities.
Mr.Polis may you have a long and successful run in the u.s congress and perhaps one day be a u.s. senator fighting for all of us in the LBGT community. congratulations!
We are fortunate to have this very out, talented, and caring gay man in our national legislature. After hopping around the net to learn more about his interests, it’s great to see he’s a leader in education and the environment. That he’s come out against gays being targeted and murdered in Iraq has gotten that buried story the attention it deserves. Thank you Jared Polis. We couldn’t have a better guy represent us.