THE NEW YORK TIMES

NATIONAL

Saturday, May 10, 2003


White House Aides Confer
With 200 Gay Republicans

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

WASHINGTON, May 9 —
At a time of intense debate over the relationship between
gays and Republicans, 200 members of the Log Cabin Republicans,
a gay group, met today with senior White House officials.
The name of Senator Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvania Republican whose
impolitic remarks about gays prompted the current debate,
did not come up.

Instead, participants said, the session was devoted to education,
judicial nominees and AIDS.

"They were substantive and really terrific policy discussions,
" Patrick Guerriero, the group's executive director,
said, adding that no discussion of Mr. Santorum was necessary.
"The core of the Republican Party, from the White House to Congress,
understands that we're an important part of the American family."

The afternoon briefing, which took place at the Old Executive Office
Building, across the street from the White House, was part of the Log
Cabin Republicans' annual convention, a three-day event that this year
includes talks on gays in the military, a tour of the Capitol and a
reception for members of Congress.

At the reception tonight, the attendees included Representative Jim
Kolbe of Arizona, the only openly gay Republican member of the House.

Conflict between gays and Republicans is hardly new. But Mr. Santorum
inflamed long-simmering tensions when, in an interview with
The Associated Press, he likened homosexuality to incest and bigamy.
The Log Cabin Republicans have been on the defensive ever since.

Today, Mr. Guerriero said the group was trying to get past the flap,
and described the senator's remarks as "a terrible disappointment."

In a speech to the group this morning, Rich Galen, a Republican strategist,
drew a contrast between Senator Trent Lott, who lost his job as
majority leader over remarks he made about segregation, and Mr. Santorum,
who remains third in line in the Republican Senate leadership.

"In America in 2003, you can't say bad things about African-Americans,
but you can still say bad things about gays," Mr. Galen said, adding,
"That's where we are." That must change, several members of the
Log Cabin Republicans said. Yet many said it already was
changing. A number of those in attendance dismissed the Santorum
controversy, saying the Pennsylvania senator does not represent the
Republican Party they know. "I think the Santorum thing was
way overblown," said William Thibault, 59, of Donaldsonville, La.
"Certainly, the Democratic side will always exploit a situation like this
when a Republican missteps."

Sheri Clemons, a social worker from Brooklyn, agreed. "What Rick
Santorum said was stupid," Ms. Clemons said. "It's not really
representative of what the Republican Party is moving toward.
I think we are the future of the Republican Party, people like us."

Among the White House officials briefing the Log Cabin Republicans
today was Dr. Joe O'Neill, the administration's AIDS czar, who is openly
gay. Bobby Bottoms, a Log Cabin Republican from San Diego, said he
was struck by photographs in Dr. O'Neill's office, taken during the
White House Christmas party, of Dr. O'Neill and his partner with the
president and Laura Bush.

Mr. Bottoms said Dr. O'Neill told the group that the White House was
"the most wonderful working environment that he had ever worked in."

"He spoke from the heart and you could tell in his tone, and in his
words," Mr. Bottoms said, "he was very passionate that there was
absolutely no issue with him and his sexuality."


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