Mixner Speaks Out for Gay Rights

David B. Mixner, the son of working-class parents, has a self-described hillbilly accent and pairs ties with cowboy boots. He is also openly gay and one of the most powerful activists for gay and lesbian rights in the nation.

Mixner urged the approximately 50 students attending last night's Pizza and Politics discussion, sponsored by the Institute of Politics (IOP), to join him as activists and politicians in the fight for gay and lesbian rights.

Formerly an advisor to President Clinton, Mixner said he understands the importance of timing in promoting political questions. Now, with the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act, Mixner said he feels he can no longer put off the quest for civil liberties for the gay and lesbian community.

"There's no way that any of us can accept this as a way of life," he said. "This is apartheid legislation."

Mixner is critical of the Clinton-endorsed and Supreme Court-upheld "don't ask, don't tell" policy governing gays in the military, saying that 23 percent more people had been discharged under it than under the previous mandate.

"They can't send us to prison for serving our country," Mixner said.

Mixner, who flew in from North Carolina, where he was working in the campaign against GOP Senate incumbent Jesse Helms, said his immediate goal is to get a Democratic majority in Congress.

He cautioned, however, that a Democratic Congress alone would not ensure gay and lesbian rights, noting the mixed history of the Democrats in supporting gay and lesbian rights.

"I have faith in the Democratic party in that it is better than the Republican party," he said. "I have no faith in the Democratic party to protect my freedom."

The former Clinton aide and friend said that the president "panicked" at key moments for gay and lesbian rights and has proven to be a "political coward." He added, however, that he thinks Clinton will "do the right thing when we make him do the right thing."

Mixner said he is optimistic for the future of gay and lesbian rights in the United States, given the defeat of many anti-gay initiatives around the country.

"I really do believe the American people, when confronted with what they see and can identify as bigotry,...oppose it," he said. "It's going to be a tough, angry battle. But I don't have any doubt we'll win.

"I really do believe the American people, when confronted with what they see and can identify as bigotry,...oppose it," he said. "It's going to be a tough, angry battle. But I don't have any doubt we'll win.