It is too early to start dancing on his political grave, but the Aug. 22 announcement by North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms that he would not run for reelection sure lifted the spirits of gay and lesbian politicos. Helms will continue to serve out his current term, which continues into January 2003, leaving him plenty of time to continue to cause mischief.
Helms was elected to the Senate five times, taking up residence there in 1973. He will soon turn 80 and has had a series of health problems. Most apparent is a nerve condition known as peripheral neuropathy that has limited his mobility and led to his use of a motorized scooter to get around the Capitol.
He may not be the most homophobic member of the Senate, but he certainly has been the most vocal in publicly expressing those opinions and in proposing legislative measures with antigay intent. His greatest strength is that he seldom cared what other people thought of him and so was able to vent his prejudices without social restraint. He was not afraid to stand up and say "no" on those issues that he cared about.
Helms' antigay activities really took off in his 1984 reelection effort when he gay-baited his Democratic opponent. It was a tactic he would continue in the next two campaigns.
In 1995 Helms fought reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act that funds AIDS services. He was incensed that "a great bunch of ( the money ) goes to homosexual organizations" and vowed to fight "the homosexual lobby" that was "exploiting" the name of "little Ryan White." He conveniently ignored the fact that White's mother was working closely with those same gay groups to pass the bill.
Helms proposed a number of amendments, all but one of which were defeated. His "no-promo-homo" amendment, banning money to any organization that portrayed homosexuality in a positive manner, did pass by a vote of 54 to 45. But a subsequent bipartisan amendment gutted the attempt, leaving little practical effect. In the end, Helms was one of only three Senators to vote against reauthorization.
He feverishly opposed "that damn lesbian," San Francisco Superintendent Roberta Achtenberg, President Clinton's 1993 nomination to be an assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"She's not your garden-variety lesbian. She's a militant-activist-mean lesbian," Helms explained. Still, Achtenberg was confirmed and became one of the first openly gay or lesbian Americans to serve in that high of a politically appointed office.
As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Helms exercised a more thoughtful approach than most had anticipated. While he did not support the nomination of the openly gay James Hormel to be Ambassador to Luxembourg, he did see to it that hearings were held and the committee did vote its approval to the nominee, even while Helms voted no.
Other Senators later placed a hold on Hormel's nomination and it never came to a vote on the floor of the Senate. Later President Clinton named Hormel ambassador in a recess appointment, bypassing the confirmation process.
Helms' latest swipe at gays came in May when he proposed an amendment to an education bill that would ban federal funds to any local school district that "denies equal access" to the Boy Scouts or other groups because of their policy on homosexuals.
He tore into the "more than 800 Gay-Straight Alliance clubs" in schools across the nation that have been formed with assistance from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network [ GLSEN ] . He called GLSEN "a radical group committed to promoting immoral lifestyles in the schools systems of America." The measure passed in a gutted form with only symbolic effect.
"It is our sincere hope that the retirement of Sen. Helms marks the end of an era of antigay activism in the Senate," said Winnie Stachelberg, political director of the Human Rights Campaign. "He has done great harm to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans."
What will this mean for liberal fundraisers in general and gay ones in particular who have used the fanged specter of Helms to pry open checkbooks? Surely the task will become more difficult.
HRC has used the collective of "Republican leadership" in Congress, often personified by Trent Lott in the Senate. But the shift to Democratic control in that body has reduced the power of that threat. While in the House, much of the power is in setting the rules, a hidden process that often is difficult to convey to the public.
Meanwhile in North Carolina, potential candidates are scurrying to run for the seat. Those on the Republican side include Elizabeth Dole, wife to the former Senate Majority Leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole, who has held cabinet posts and herself ran for the Republican presidential nomination; former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot; and Rep. Richard Burr. On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall has announced her candidacy, though it is unclear if she will have a clear shot or face a primary fight.
