Daschle's appearance at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund in Washington, DC,
is troublesome to TVC and to other pro-family groups in the nation's Capital.
This fund helps promote the election of homosexual legislators-in spite of the
fact that 16 states still have laws on the books criminalizing sodomy.
"Daschle has cultivated a down-home image when he's back in South Dakota,"
said Lafferty, "but he pursues a radical homosexual agenda as a legislator.
His loyalty to the Sodomy Lobby is becoming more and more obvious to those of
us on the Hill." Lafferty notes that Daschle has supported pro-homosexual
hate crime legislation; domestic partners or "fake" marriages for
homosexuals; and even needle giveaways for drug addicts-another homosexual goal
promoted by organizations like Human Rights Campaign.
"While Tom Daschle promotes sodomy through federal legislation, South
Dakota legislators are doing everything possible to fight against the normalization
of homosexuality in their state," said Lafferty. TVC researched the current
state of the law regarding homosexuality in South Dakota and found the following
facts:
· In 1996, the South Dakota legislature passed House Bill 1143, which
defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
· In 2000, the South Dakota House passed HB 1163, which says that South
Dakota will recognize marriages from other states, but not same-sex unions.
· South Dakota has wisely refused to pass any laws promoting fake marriages
between people of the same sex. Nor has any city passed a domestic partner ordinance
to normalize sodomy.
· South Dakota has also refrained from passing special rights legislation
giving homosexuals extra legal protections under the law simply because of how
they engage in sex.
"The people of South Dakota obviously still have a sense of morality,
yet their Senator hobnobs with homosexual activists in Washington, DC to encourage
homosexuals to run for public office," said Lafferty. "Senator Daschle
obviously does not share the same values as his constituents. He appears to
value the goals of the Sodomy Lobby more than the wishes of South Dakotans."