CAMPAIGN ’88 : Gay Rights Splits Parties

All of the Democratic presidential hopefuls would support and sign federal legislation banning discrimination against homosexuals, while none of the Republican candidates favor such protections, according to a survey released Thursday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

The gay rights group, which questioned all of the candidates on issues of interest to gays and lesbians, said all the Democrats promised to seek openly gay people to serve in their administrations and said they would welcome gay delegates to their primary election slates. Of the candidates, however, only the Rev. Jesse Jackson was comfortable with a proposal that government programs recognize homosexual relationships, it said.

The task force received partial responses from Republican candidates, and none was “willing to go on record in favor of civil rights protections of any kind,” said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of the task force.

All the candidates demonstrate “a level of awareness about AIDS that matches the seriousness of the crisis, even if we do not always agree with their positions,” he said.

Democrats were unanimous in supporting increased funding for AIDS research and prevention and anti-discrimination protections for those ill or infected, and in opposing most forms of mandatory testing for infection. “The Republicans have been less willing to commit to specific levels of funding or policies,” Levi said.

He said the group would not endorse any candidates.