Featured in a revealing interview in the Winter 2009 edition of Equality magazine, a publication of the Human Rights Campaign, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) discussed his new position as vice chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and his caucus's agenda for the upcoming session.
Grijalva stressed that the new balance of power in Congress and the White House will make possible passage of anti-discrimination legislation like the Employment Non-discrimination Act, which would outlaw discrimination in hiring and promotion federally.
"[With an administration and a Congress that is less afraid of the issue or less exploitative of the issue, I think you have an opportunity here to look at some comprehensive strategies and remedies," Grijalva stated. "[A]nd that extends to the military, federal service in terms of expanding and making available domestic partner benefits and legal protections for same-sex couples."
Grijalva also talked about the passage in November 2008 in his home state of Arizona of a measure to ban same-sex marriage. Arizonans had narrowly blocked the same measure in 2006, but massive resources from right-wing and conservative religious groups forced the issue back on the ballot. Grijalva suggested that the Arizona Democrats could have worked harder to defeat the ballot initiative in 2008.
Despite the passage of the ban in Arizona and the now infamous Proposition 8 in California, Grijalva did see positive signs coming out of the 2008 elections. "If you look at the overall election," he noted, "there's a break from that mean-spirited 'value' kind of palette or wedge politics so prominent in the last 15 to 20 years in this country.
"I think there's going to be a backlash to this mean-spirited, punitive kind of legislation by referendum," he added.
Grijalva told Equality magazine that his support for LGBT issues arose from his experience with a gay family member who died of AIDS. "I never grew up with any stereotypes or weird beliefs about a person's sexuality," he recalled.
This personal experience easily translated into participation in the civil rights movement in high school and college, Grijalva continued. "[S]o for me, it's just the course of growing up and how I believe about the issue of rights. It is inalienable. It applies to everybody. Not just some," he said.
Grijalva is also vice chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
