The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“QUESTION OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4922-H4925 on May 14, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
QUESTION OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE
Mr. GUNDERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of personal privilege.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair is aware of the insertion into the Congressional Record and believes the gentleman raises a question of personal privilege.
The gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Gunderson] is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. GUNDERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. GUNDERSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. GUNDERSON. Mr. Speaker, last week, in a ``Dear Colleague'' communication with the Members of Congress and in an extension of remarks printed in the Congressional Record and, again, in remarks included in a special order at the end of congressional business, Congressman Bob Dornan raised questions about me and my sponsorship of an event in a Federal Government building.
The gentleman from California has every right to dislike me if he so chooses. But he has no right to misrepresent the facts, nor the motives of others in this, his latest, attempt to smear the gay community. Today, I take this time to set the record straight. I apologize to my colleagues for using valuable floor time in a busy legislative week, but in this circumstance, I have no choice. This is a much bigger issue than a personal or ideological dispute. This is a question of whether individuals in American society should be able to intentionally misrepresent the facts, question others' motives, and intentionally falsify information in an attempt to discredit other elements of society. If there is to remain any element of mutual respect in a diverse society, we must reject intentional efforts to personally destroy those with whom we might disagree.
Mr. Dornan uses an article by a free-lance journalist Marc Marano and a video tape produced by the Family Research Council to portray a recent series of events held in this town, in government buildings, as a party of numerous illegal activities. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here is the entire story, with the facts.
Early this year, four young professional men from the Washington-
Baltimore area decided they wanted to ``do something to make a difference.'' These gentlemen, in their twenties, are Kenny Eggerl, a producer and owner of KSE Productions--a sales meetings, special events, and fashion show company; David Parham, a director of public policy and education for the Urban Land Institute; Ryan Peal, an account executive with Hill & Knowlton; and Bill Pullen, a manager of rehab services at Mid Atlantic medical Services, Inc. They felt the younger generation was not yet doing its part, especially in the fight against AIDS. Their generation is unable financially to support most large fund raising dinners in this town. So they decided to create a weekend of low-dollar events which many could afford. Because of the popularity of dance events, they chose this avenue for the focus of their activities. Because the availability of buildings centered around the weekend of April 12-14, they called the event Cherry Jubilee in honor of the cherry blossoms decorating this town at the time.
Tickets for the events met these financial concerns. Individual tickets were $20 for the Friday night dance; $35 for the Saturday night dance; and $25 for the Sunday morning brunch. In the end approximately
$130,000 was raised. Expenses, I am told, will finalize at between
$70,000 and $80,000. The net proceeds then will be $50,000 to $60,000 raised for two AIDS service organizations: Whitman-Walker Health Clinic, and Food and Friends. Most citizens should be very proud of these efforts and the services they will provide. This was a gift of love, not a weekend of illegal activity. It was a human response of charity, not a call for more Federal funds. It should be an undertaking that both Democrats and Republicans are proud of. I dare say if more such events were held across the country, we could find ways to meet the needs of our fellow man while still balancing the Federal budget!
Friday night, April 12 kicked off the weekend with a dance at a club called Diversite'. Approximately 800 attended. There were no reports of violence or illegal activity.
Saturday night--April 13; the main event was held at the Mellon Auditorium part of the Department of Commerce. This place had been recommended to the sponsors by a mutual friend. All of the proper paper work required by the Department was completed and the arrangements were finalized. A liability contract was signed for the evening. A total of nine security personnel were obtained. Security was primarily contracted through a security agency approved by the Commerce Department. The final security detail included nine individuals; two Federal security personnel, six security officers approved by the Department through private contract, and an off-duty policeman. The auditorium was rented by the hour, for a total cost of $7,500 plus
$1,600 for cleaning afterward. In addition, a building engineer and a building representative were on duty during the entire time.
Approximately 2,000 attended the dance. In addition to the security detail mentioned above, approximately 30 event volunteers assisted the sponsors in managing the event. Food and Friends provided eight individuals to assist with tickets and such at the entrance. Whitman-
Walker, who served as the fiscal agent, provided three individuals to collect and handle the money throughout the night.
Sunday morning, a brunch was held in the Rayburn Courtyard. I had been asked if I would obtain a space that might be used as a part of the weekend's activities to benefit Whitman-Walker and Food and Friends. Because these events were in Washington, and some of the attendees would be from out of town, the sponsors desired a place which helped to portray our Nation's Capitol. I was happy to be of assistance. The event was held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 14th in the Courtyard of the Rayburn Office Building. Approximately 500 attended the event. Capitol Hill uniformed police frequently walked through the event. Absolutely no trouble occurred or was reported by anyone. The sponsors made sure everyone understood they were in the offices of the U.S. Congress. Proper dress and decorum were maintained at all times.
Mr. Dornan refers to an article written by Marc Marano as the basis for his allegations. Some things should be understood. Mr. Marano is a free lance journalist who often works as a material source for so-
called conservative journalists. To our knowledge, no mainstream press ran Mr. Marano's story. He never once tried to interview me or any of the event's sponsors. Nor did he talk to any of the security personnel, nor the responsible authorities at the Department of Commerce. Throughout his entire story, not one source is ever identified or quoted. The only knowledge we have of the story being published is in Human Events, and as a basis for a column by columnist Armstrong Williams. According to that column, Mr. Marano was hired by the Family Research Council to do the investigation. The Family Research Council produced a video tape regarding the event.
There is no record that Mr. Marano purchased tickets for any of the events. He clearly did not use his own name and address at any time. Nor did he seek to obtain any press credentials for the events. Rather he chose to go undercover, unaccounted for, and free to discover his own story. Personally, I am disappointed that he chose to misrepresent himself, and his profession in an attempt to find material to use against others in society. I wish he had the courage, honesty, and decency to simply buy the tickets under his own name, or pursue the story through legitimate journalistic procedures.
Mr. Marano says in his story, he ``proceeded on assignment into the gay world for an undercover investigation.'' I also wish the Family Research Council had been willing to honestly ask for press credentials and cover the weekend. Honesty is something this town and this debate both need.
But fact is not the basis for the story. Rather hate and prejudice are the motives by which Mr. Marano and Mr. Williams sought to totally misrepresent the fund raising events and their purpose. Allow me to respond to specific allegations in Mr. Marano's article published and circulated by Mr. Dornan.
Allegation: ``The dance party featured public nudity, illegal sexual activity, and evidence of illegal drugs.''
The facts: Absolutely no one other than Mr. Marano makes such allegations. Not one complaint was filed by a security officer, nor were any complaints lodged with them. Security personnel had been given full authority to remove anyone for misconduct; not one person was asked to leave. There is no evidence of even a fight among the 2,000 dance attendees.
The sponsors intentionally took steps to prevent even the atmosphere conducive to illegal activity. The security personnel and volunteers were strategically placed throughout the entire room to make sure nothing happened. Three foot by four foot posters were placed throughout the auditorium and the restrooms with the message: The possession or use of illegal substances is strictly prohibited. A
$14,000 lighting system was purchased to make sure the room was both decorative and well-lit. I would point out to those who watched parts of the Family Research video that the filming occurred without any camera lighting. This should make clear there was no place dark enough for the alleged illegal activity to occur. Nor does the video show any illegal activity. If the video was produced undercover, without lights, is there any doubt such illegal activity would have been filmed if it actually occurred? I don't think so.
Allegation: ``A Federal building, the Andrew Mellon Auditorium played host to the dance and was the backdrop for the illegal activity.''
The facts: Again, there is no evidence by anyone, including all security personnel and authorities at the Department of Commerce, of any illegal activity.
Allegation: ``The sponsors included Gay Republican Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin.''
The facts: The four individuals mentioned earlier, were the sponsors through a nonprofit organization called Friends being Friends. Numerous corporations sponsored part of the financial costs of the weekend. My sole role was to serve as the congressional host for the Sunday Brunch by requesting a space in my name. Publicity for the event gave special thanks to me, and to 17 others, for their assistance.
On Friday and Saturday, I was actually in Wisconsin. I returned to Washington Saturday night, but did not attend the dance. On Sunday morning, if you want to know, I attended church. In the afternoon, Rob Morris and I attended the brunch. We brought a close friend, and former Capitol Hill staffer, who now has AIDS. We purchased our tickets for this event.
Allegation: ``The homosexual community's credo seems to be `Die young and leave a pretty corpse'.''
The facts: This is the journalism of bigotry and prejudice. It has no place in American society in the 1990's. It has nothing to do with an event organized to raise private funds for AIDS Care Organizations, or a story of the event. People with AIDS don't die pretty--they suffer the worst possible pain and illness, as their bodies wither away to nothing. One would hope that 15 years and over 300,000 deaths into this epidemic, we would all have a better understanding of the disease. I invite Mr. Marano, and Mr. Dornan, to come visit the victims of this disease. In so doing, they will learn these are not some faceless pretty corpses. Rather, they are the sons, and brothers, and uncles, and lovers, and friends of the greater American family. Tragically, in increasing numbers they are also the mothers, and sisters, and daughters of America, as well.
Allegation: ``At about 4 a.m., two men proceeded to engage in illicit sexual behavior in the main auditorium.''
The facts: Absolutely no one but Mr. Marano claims to have seen this incident. But one must wonder why he did not film it. One must wonder why he did not report it to security. Sexual acts are not instantaneous occurrences. Why is no one willing to come forth as witness to this event other than Mr. Marano, who admits to being on an assignment? According to the organizers, security and the volunteers were placed at every possible place in the auditorium to prevent even the remote possibility of this type of incident from happening.
Allegation: ``A battle between security and partygoers erupted over the restroom lights.''
The facts: The main restrooms for the event were in the basement. Because of this, security personnel were placed there from the beginning of the event and throughout the evening to prevent any kind of occurrence. Security reported no fights, no harassment, no drugs, no smoking, nor any sexual activity. Security made no reports of illegal activity or trouble. At my request, the organizers of the event contacted the responsible authority at the Department of Commerce just yesterday to confirm this information.
Second, the security system for the evening included person-to-person communication through headsets so that each security guard might know anything that was happening. At no time during the entire event, did a complaint come over the headsets indicating a problem between partygoers and security.
Allegation: ``Despite the flaunting of public nudity, illicit sexual activity, illegal drug use, and pornography * * * law enforcement never intervened.''
The facts: Conveniently, only Mr. Marano claims to have seen this illegal activity. He feels compelled to discuss a S/M conference that apparently occurred in 1993 in the same building. He then links that unconnected event to the dance and concludes that the same activities occurred during both events. According to those who attended, the allegation of pornography at the dance is without basis. Given the purpose of the dance event, discussion of S/M or pornography has no place in an article summarizing the weekend's activities.
As mentioned numerous times before, law enforcement never intervened because there was no basis for intervention.
Allegation: ``Every conceivable isolated spot became a dilemma for security. Security officers had to dilegently watch the outside courtyard stairwell in the smoking area. The steps led to a dark alley on the side of the building where many of the men were congregating. *
* * Orange cones were erected to close the area off, as a security officer was assigned to stand watch.''
The facts: If Mr. Marano had interviewed any of the event sponsors before writing his story, he would have discovered the total error of his perceptions. First, the dance event was sold out. Fire code would not allow any more in the auditorium. Accordingly, security monitored the back entrance to prevent people from entering without tickets. Second, the orange cones alluded to were placed there by a construction company to block access to their construction. They had nothing to do with the dance. Finally, security guards were placed in the alley, near the far door for two reasons. First, this was the room where all the money was being handled and stored. Second, this entrance was also used for supplies and garbage. Thus, there was much traffic in and out during the evening. Security was there to make sure only the right people used this entrance, and no one without credentials had access to the money room.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California has sought to question my integrity and that of the sponsors of Cherry Jubilee through misrepresentation of the facts and distortion of the events surrounding that weekend, and their purposes. He has every right in a free society to pursue his opposition to those of us who happen to be gay. He has no right to misrepresent the facts, nor distort information, in a desperate attempt to smear an element of society he dislikes.
While I am proud of the efforts of these four young men to raise private funds for people in need, my personal involvement in this weekend was very limited. I secured the space for the Sunday brunch. My partner and I attended the brunch, first to support the cause, and second to make sure we could refute any ill-founded allegations if they were to come forth. I would point out to my colleagues that the Rayburn Courtyard is consumed in sunlight between the hours of 1 and 4 in the afternoon. I would further point out that the space is created by four walls with oversized windows on six floors. On one side alone, there exist 45 oversized windows. There was certainly no attempt to hide anything, or in anyway misuse Federal property.
I rise today, in a question of privilege, not for myself but for others. First, I rise in defense of the four young men who worked tirelessly throughout the spring to produce this event. They are all professionals, in their own right, who did this out of their concern for, and love for, those suffering from AIDS. They raised $60,000 in new resources that we won't have to finance with Federal funds. Every conservative and every Republican should applaud such efforts.
Their efforts do not deserve to be misrepresented as they have been by Mr. Dornan, Mr. Marano, and Mr. Williams. The facts simply state otherwise.
Second, I rise in defense of those in need of these services. We often talk in this chamber about the declining morals of American society. I would remind my colleagues of those words from the New Testament, ``Thou shalt love thy Lord, they God, with all thy heart, thy soul, and mind. This is the greatest of all commandments. And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. This is the second greatest commandment of all.''
The Greater Washington area, today, unfortunately has the largest concentration of HIV positive people in the country. This is at the same time, a city suffering from financial bankruptcy. Few, if any, have suffered from this financial mismanagement as have the AIDS service organizations. No place in America needs the charity and help of the individual citizens more than in this area, for this cause.
Cherry Jubilee represented the best of the American tradition; it was the classic public private-partnership to help those who cannot help themselves.
Cherry Jubilee represented the best of the American family. If family means ``unconditional love'' then no group has rallied to care for its own, more than the American gay community. When others cast the AIDS victims out of their houses, out of their communities, and out of their churches; the gay community raised unparalleled funds to meet the needs of its victims.
Cherry Jubilee represented the best of America's Judao-Christian ethic. They saw the least of these among us, who needed food, and clothing, and shelter. And through such events as this, they tried to provide it. They became the love of God personified, as they became their brothers' keepers.
And yes, Mr. Dornan, they pursued a Republican solution to a domestic problem. They didn't demonstrate on the steps of the Capitol for more Federal funds. They didn't ask for more Federal mandates upon the local community. Rather, they took it upon themselves to become a part of the solution. They did it on their own. They were one of George Bush's thousand points of light. They were one of Newt Gingrich's shining lights upon a hill. They heard Bob Dole tell them to ``do all they could, and then some.'' And that is what they did.
This country desperately needs its people to stop the yelling, and simply ask, ``How can I help?'' May I suggest that to begin, we stop questioning other people's motives. Second, may I suggest that we seek the facts, all the facts, before we make unfounded accusations. The sponsors of these events are willing to do it again, if there is support. But if all this should reap is misrepresentation, controversy, and lies, they will simply stop. In that case, either we at the Federal level must increase our financial payments, or the victims must suffer even more.
Let us as leaders set the right example by our words, and our conduct. And I hope that in a small way, this time has served to correct the inaccuracies and distortions about this event, its activities, and my role therein.
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