By Ed Gold
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, the very longshot Democratic candidate for president, received a rousing reception Sunday in Greenwich Village, appearing at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center on W. 13th St.
His message for civil rights and civil liberties, universal healthcare, “a renewed commitment to peace and against preemptive strikes,” improved working conditions and clean energy resulted in much applause and cheering, and several standing ovations from more than 100 mostly L.G.B.T. audience members in the Center’s jam-packed Lerner Auditorium.
With sponsorship from Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats and Pride at Work and wall signage indicating Kucinich was the “L.G.B.T. choice,” the event took on the appearance of a rally for the Ohio legislator who chairs the Progressive Caucus in Congress.
He further enhanced his popularity by committing himself to marching in a picket line later in the day at the H&M clothing store in Soho, which is fighting against unionization. The Soho effort had joint sponsorship from the UNITE union organization and Queers for Economic Justice.
In his address, Kucinich drew major approval when stressing that people “should not have to shield their essence from the rest of society.” He found it “disheartening” that people in some political quarters look upon the L.G.B.T. community as “political fodder.”
On the issue of marriage, he asserted that “my government has no right to prescribe what people can do.”
He also made clear that if he were elected, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy would be scrapped and sexual orientation would not bar anyone from serving in the armed forces.
One of the strongest responses followed his remarks on what he called “healthcare for all Americans, not health insurance.” He suggested that insurance companies “make money by not providing healthcare,” adding that, in reality, we were already paying for healthcare without getting full delivery. He favored, he said, a single-payer system “that covered everything.”
Another major theme that brought strong audience response was his proposal to create a Department of Peace that would have “nonviolence as its organizing principle” and cover a wide range of subjects including domestic violence against women and children, violent acts against people because of color or sexual orientation and war itself.
“I am against putting people into boxes and insisting they fit into the assigned box,” he said. “We want a society that strives for individual authenticity.” This message touched a responsive chord resulting in another standing ovation.
On foreign affairs, he favored strengthening the U.N., and blamed part of its weakness on America’s failure for years to pay its dues. He also said the U.S. should support the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, biological and chemical weapons conventions, the Kyoto Climate Treaty and participation in the International Criminal Court.
Responding to a question on education policy, he said he felt “there are too many tests and too much teaching to the tests.”
“We seem to be training kids only to be consumers,” he said. “Of course we have to teach the basics, but we are not giving kids a chance to breathe and enjoy their education.”
He argued that his vision for America could be achieved in great part by eliminating tax relief for the wealthy and by cutting back on a “fear-driven” military budget.
Asked if he could be elected, he drew laughter by saying, “Yes, if people vote for me.” He insisted his program was “inevitable” but wondered whether the “timeline could be achieved by next year.”
He noted that he had been elected mayor of Cleveland at age 32, and also elected to the State Senate and to Congress in Ohio, all against incumbent Republicans.
A four-person panel, representing various groups in the community, also participated, introduced by the moderator, Leigh Anne Francis, a student at Rutgers working on a Ph.D. in history.
Michael Saunders, who has been H.I.V. positive for 20 years, said healthcare and “keeping a roof over your head” were more important to him than the hot-button gay marriage issue.
Melissa Sklarz, who is transgender, drew one of the loudest laughs of the afternoon when she told Kucinich they had something in common: “We were both boy wonders when we were younger,” she said. On a more serious note, she charged that the current administration “tells us we can be an American or a human being.”
UNITE’s Maura Keaney stressed coalition building and invited everyone to join the picket line in Soho.
Brendan Fay, recently married in Canada, made the most of a small accident when he fell off the platform. “Thanks for helping pick me up,” he told his colleagues. “Maybe that is a metaphor for our program.”
Villager photo by Paul Schindler
