Primary win seen as
step for gays
By Thomas Fitzgerald,
philly.com from the Web, May 30, 2005
Philadelphia, May 29 -- The
victory of a candidate for Common Pleas Court usually draws little interest
outside the candidate's family, friends and closest backers.
Ann Butchart, however, got noticed.
She eked out a victory among the crowded Democratic field in the May 17 primary
for a nomination to the bench, which practically assures her election because of
Democratic voting strength. A win in November would make her the first
openly gay person to be elected to office in Philadelphia.
Analysts call the breakthrough a sign of the growing political clout of the
city's gay community. Without the party endorsement or much money,
Butchart flew beneath the radar, drawing on the support of a network of gay
activists inspired to elect one of their own.
"This is just one small development in the larger story of a community finding
its voice," said Butcher, 53, a solo-practice lawyer with a specialty in
employee benefits. She said her sexual orientation was nothing special and
declined to discuss her pioneering role in detail.
"I just want to be the best judge I can be," Butchart said, adding that although
she has always lived as an "out" lesbian, she is not comfortable with the
limelight.
Gay political leaders, who have spent a couple of decades slowly building power,
were quick to hail her.
"We couldn't be more proud of Ann -- it's great that she blew the gates open for
the rest of us," said Mike Marsico, cochairman of the Liberty City Democratic
Club.
Butchart is a board member of the group, which was founded in 1994 to galvanize
lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people after the defeat in City
Council of legislation providing domestic-partner benefits to city workers.
Among other things, the group sent pro-Butchart literature to 30,000
Philadelphia voters on its mailing list who are gay or support gay causes,
Marsico said.
"In a race like this with horrendous turnout, we made a push to our
constituency," said Renee Gilinger, an activist who ran Butchart's canvassing
operation. As many as five dozen volunteers distributed 15,000 pieces of
literature for the judicial candidate across Center City -- then rustled up
votes on Election Day, Gilinger said. "Every household in our universe was
hit multiple times," Gilinger said. "It was grassroots footwork at its
best."
Election returns show that Butchart was the leading vote-getter among the 23
Common Pleas candidates in the Fifth Ward in Center City, as well as her home
18th Ward in Fishtown, the 27th Ward in University City, and the 30th Ward just
south of Center City. She came in second in Center City's Eighth Ward, as
well as the 14th Ward in Northern Liberties and the 12th and 17th Wards in
northwest Philadelphia.
Butchart also may have been helped because her name was in the ballot's first
row. Five of the eight Common Pleas candidates who won were listed in that
column.
But Marsico and others believe that Butchart's victory is an outgrowth of
Liberty City's earlier successes, including in 1998, when it helped 33 openly
gay candidates win election as Democratic committee people at the ward level.
"Year after year we build capacity," he said.
Eventually the city did begin providing domestic-partner benefits, and Mayor
Street has appointed several openly gay people to senior government positions.
"We are as much a part of the infrastructure of the city as any other group,"
said Doug Shaps, executive director of OutFront, a bipartisan political action
committee that raised money for Butchart. "We don't necessarily point
ourselves out; we just go about doing our jobs."
In 1991, gay and lesbian activists notched their first political victories when
an earlier group, the Pride of Philadelphia Election Committee, was credited
with helping defeat City Council incumbent Francis Rafferty and elect Ed Rendell
mayor. Rafferty had opposed a gay-pride resolution in Council, blasting
gay men, saying they spread AIDS by "abnormal and deviant sex acts."
As the years have gone by, Philadelphia politicians of all stripes have
increasingly courted gay activists, seeking valuable endorsements and campaign
funds. The reason is simple, analysts say: Several detailed studies
of voting patterns show that gays strongly identify with the Democratic Party
and go to the polls at high rates.
Still, some wonder why Philadelphia has not had an openly gay candidate succeed
until now. After all, a gay woman sits on the Allentown City Council;
Kevin Lee, a gay man, serves on the Lansdowne Borough Council; and Dan Miller, a
gay man, just won the Democratic nomination to be on Harrisburg's City Council.
"It's unusual -- most large cities around the country have openly gay members on
their city councils," said Malcolm Lazin, the executive director of the Equality
Forum. He argued it's time for city Democrats to recruit gay candidates in
order to "embrace diversity" and send a message.
"They haven't been dismissive, but on the other hand they haven't been
proactive," Lazin said. "The time has come."
Stacey Sobel, executive director of the Center for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights,
said she thinks an openly gay candidate for higher office is inevitable.
"As people are more open in their lives, we're going to see more of them running
for office," Sobel said. "LGBT people are part of the fabric of our
communities and are interested in the welfare of our city and state."
Contact staff writer Thomas Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or
tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
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