Dearest Rachel Maddow: 90s Bill Clinton actually did “have [your] back”

• Fought For Hate Crimes and Anti-Bullying Legislation in schools, including G/Ls, and as part of the 1994 Crime Act, President Clinton signed the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act, providing for longer sentences where the offense was determined to be based on sexual orientation. 
• Appointed the first-ever openly gay United States Ambassador. In 1997 and 1999, the President nominated James C. Hormel to be US Ambassador to Luxembourg. A handful of conservative Senators blocked the nomination. So, on June 4, 1999, President Clinton announced the recess appointment of James Hormel. 
• Ended Discrimination Against Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Civilian Workforce. 
• Endorsed and fought for passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). 
• Issued the First-Ever G/L Pride Month Proclamation and continued to do so every year of his administration. 
• Stood Up for Basic Fairness, Protecting Adoption Rights. Blocked Republican efforts to pass legislation prohibiting unmarried couples from jointly adopting children in the District of Columbia and deny Federal funds to localities with domestic partnership laws. 
• Worked to Stop Discrimination Against People With AIDS. President Clinton supports the Supreme Court’ s decision in Bragdon v. Abbott, which reinforces the protections offered by the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act for Americans living with HIV and AIDS. 
• Opposed Anti-Gay Ballot Initiatives. President Clinton strongly opposed anti-gay ballot initiatives in Colorado and Oregon. His two nominees to the Supreme Court voted to overturn Colorado’ s anti-G/L Amendment 2 (1993), declaring such initiatives unconstitutional violations of the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution. 
• Fought Discrimination Against People with AIDS in the Military. President Clinton successfully fought for the repeal of the Dornan amendment, which required the expulsion of all HIV-positive military service members regardless of their ability to do their jobs. 
• Helped Those Fleeing Persecution Because of Their Sexual Orientation. President Clinton’ s Administration is the first ever to grant asylum for gays and lesbians facing persecution in other countries. 
• Banned Insurance Discrimination. President Clinton fought for and signed the Kennedy-Kassebaum Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which bans insurance discrimination against people with pre-existing medical conditions including HIV/AIDS. In addition, President Clinton issued a directive that ensures that all providers of Federal health insurance abide by non-discrimination rules including sexual orientation. 
• Fought Harassment of Students Based on Sexual Orientation. President Clinton’ s Department of Education issued landmark guidance that explained Federal standards that prohibited sexual harassment of all students regardless of their sexual orientation. 
• Clinton’s Administration was the Most Inclusive in History. Creating the most diverse Administration in history, the President appointed openly G/Ls to all levels government, including judicial appointments and top Executive Branch positions requiring Senate confirmation. In fact, President Clinton is the first President to appoint an openly gay or lesbian person to an Administration post.

• Appointed the first Presidential Liaison to the G/L community, Marsha Scott. Later, he named the first openly gay senior policy adviser on civil rights issues, Richard Socarides. 
• Clinton and Gore were the First President and Vice President to Speak before G/L organizations. 
• Protected Medicaid and Social Security Coverage. The President fought for and won the preservation of the Medicaid guarantee of coverage which serves more than 50% of people living with AIDS — and 92%of children with AIDS — who rely on Medicaid for health coverage. He also revised eligibility rules for Social Security Disability Insurance to increase the number of HIV+ persons who qualify for benefits. 
• Fought to Pass a Strong, Enforceable Patients’ Bill of Rights, including access to specialists; emergency room protections; continuity of care; independent appeals process for patient grievances; and enforcement provisions for these rights. 
• Focused National Efforts on an AIDS Vaccine. Announced a number of initiatives to help fulfill this goal. All undone by Bush Jr’s “abstinence only” policies. 
• Increased AIDS Drug Assistance and Accelerating AIDS Drug Approvals. Funding for AIDS drug assistance increased from $52 million/year to $461 million/year during the Clinton Administration. 
• Addressed HIV/AIDS in Communities of Color, which made up the fastest growing portion of HIV/AIDS cases — more than 50% of all new HIV cases. As part of the FY99 budget, the Clinton Administration fought for and won a comprehensive new initiative that invested $156 million. 
• Made Research a Priority. In one of his first acts in office, President Clinton signed the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993, placing full responsibility for planning, budgeting and evaluation of the AIDS research program at NIH in the Office of AIDS Research. The Administration has increased NIH AIDS research funds by 50 percent in six years. 
• Promoted Lesbian Health Issues. NIH and CDC commissioned scientific panels to study lesbian health issues and to suggest research methods for scientists who want to study specific lesbian health issues. This is the first time a U.S. Government agency has commissioned an examination into this subject. 
• On January 14, 1999, the Institute of Medicine, an independent research organization commissioned by the Administration, released Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future. 
• Focused on Prevention: Supported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Administration has increased funds for HIV prevention at the CDC by 32%. Under the leadership of the Clinton Administration, the CDC reorganized its AIDS prevention efforts to foster greater overall coordination and enhance efforts to reduce sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. 
• Educated Young People about the Dangers of AIDS. The Clinton Administration launched the Prevention Marketing Initiative, focusing on the risk to young adults (18-25) with frank public service announcements. 
• Required the Federal Workforce to Understand AIDS. The Administration issued a directive on September 30, 1993, that required every Federal employee to receive comprehensive education on HIV/AIDS. 
• Established a White House AIDS Office and Created a Presidential Advisory Council. Dr. R. Scott Hitt, an openly gay California physician, chaired the panel. 
• Convened the First Ever White House Conference on HIV and AIDS in 1995.

So when Rachel Maddow — again, whom I adore — says she didn’t feel supported under President Clinton and his consorting Democrats, I have to wonder if she was paying close enough attention.