Romney Backs Away From Strategy to Disband Gay Youth Commission
by Jim O'Sullivan, State House News Service
5/11/2006
Gov. Mitt Romney abruptly changed course Thursday after considering the abolition of an advisory panel formed in the early 1990s to curb suicide among gay and lesbian youngsters, an abandoned strategy that outraged legislators and gay rights advocates.
Romney, irked by the promotion of a gay pride event with his name attached to it, weighed the abolition of the Governor's Commission of Gay and Lesbian Youth by executive order, but softened his stance after a backlash.
Thursday's series of events were sparked after administration officials took notice of a March 27 press release bearing Romney's name inviting "gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer" youths to a "Youth Pride" event hosted by a drag king. Romney chief of staff Beth Myers called commission chair Kathleen Henry to tell her the group was dissolving, but later settled on toning down its mission.
"We did consider abolishing the commission, but the governor thought that was too harsh and he wanted to take a different approach," said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. He said, "Instead we have directed the commission to refocus their resources."
But even the abandoned gestures toward doing away with what activists called a vital source of advocacy for insecure teens sparked a livid response.
"I honestly believe that if the governor has his way he will be directly causing an increase of suicide attempts in the Commonwealth," said Rep. Carl Sciortino, an openly gay Democrat from Medford.
The press release, which Fehrnstrom called unauthorized, went out under letterhead bearing Romney's name as well as Lt Gov. Kerry Healey's, and touted the event scheduled for the Boston Common on Saturday as "the oldest and largest" such event in the nation.
The event was scheduled to include a rally at the Parkman Bandstand and a parade of "lollipop kids" walking through downtown, at odds with Romney's projected image of a conservative Republican.
"We are directing the commission not to use taxpayer money or official state support for parades and parties. Instead, we want the commission to focus their resources on counseling and the development of strategies for the prevention of violence and suicide," Fehrnstrom said.
Romney has long been at odds with gay activists, peeved at his efforts to prevent Massachusetts from certifying gay marriages.
"I think it's embarrassing that the governor would be using the health and welfare of Massachusetts kids for his own presidential ambitions," Sciortino said.
Suicide rates for gay and lesbian teens had reached an "epidemic" level in the early 1990s, prompting then-Governor Bill Weld to create the group, the commission's web site said.
According to a 1999 survey by state and federal authorities published by the commission on its now-defunct web site, 33 percent of self-described gay, lesbian, and bisexual high school students had attempted suicide in the past year, compared with eight percent of "other students."
"That's the direct result of the social stigma attached with being gay or lesbian or transgender in society, and the governor's only furthering that stigma," Sciortino said.
Inaccessible Thursday afternoon, the commission's web site once stated, "The Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth was created by Governor William F. Weld on February 10th, 1992, in response to an epidemic of suicide among gay and lesbian youth. On October 7th, 1998, Governor A. Paul Cellucci expanded the powers of the Commission and renewed the executive office's commitment to combat suicide and violence affecting gay and lesbian youth.
"Many of the difficulties encountered by gay and lesbian youth are within the jurisdiction of state government and can be corrected by the dissemination of information, training, and the implementation of formal guidelines and state policy.
"The Commission works in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to create school based and community based programs focusing on suicide prevention, violence intervention, and the promotion of zero-tolerance policies regarding harassment and discrimination against gay and lesbian youth."
The commission's fundraiser was scheduled for Thursday evening at the Omni Parker House Hotel, Sciortino said. Organizers said they planned to hold the event without interruption.
Gay advocates painted Romney's move as symptomatic of his national ambitions as he attempts to expand his appeal beyond Massachusetts to a conservative Republican base nationwide.
"I'm sure he consulted with his national political consultants," said Marc Solomon, campaign director for MassEquality, a leading gay rights group. Solomon said, "This is just cynical politics at its worst."