Stevens: Gorbachy A 'Dear Friend,' Not Homophobic

Gay congressman says opponent doesn't hate gays

HEYDWORTH, MON--Conservative Congressman Rylee "Rill" Stevens says his opponent during the 2008 senate, incumbent Sen. Hanna Gorbachy (NAT), is not homophobic, even though an aid to the senator made anti-gay remarks and sent hate-filled e-mails to co-workers during the campaign.

The controversy started back in October 2008, when just weeks before the election, Derrick Shaffey, an aid to Sen. Gorbachy, sent e-mails using his work computer to his co-workers containing demeaning and explicit comments. The e-mails were leaked to the media, and then published in The Oaksdale Press newspaper. The scandal instantly became the defining issue in the campaign between the two-term Gorbachy and the veteran Stevens, who has won 16 terms in the National Assembly.

Gorbachy and Shaffey jointly made a highly-publicized apology to Stevens. But instead of asking him to resign immediately, the senator suspended Mr. Shaffey indefinitely. Tensions worsened when the senator failed to immediately remove Mr. Shaffey from her campaign. Three days later, he was asked to leave the senator's staff altogether. The Stevens campaign questioned why Gorbachy did not immediately fire Shaffey when the e-mails became public, and raised doubts about her support for the gay/lesbian community. The Gorbachy campaign defended its course of action, saying Mr. Shaffey was not immediately removed because of personnel issues.

Mrs. Gorbachy went on to win re-election, but the issue has followed her, and many have questioned her support for the gay/lesbian community. Some critics have called her a "gay hater" and accused her of being "homophobic." But in an interview with local GNN affiliate WHEY-TV in Heydworth, Rep. Stevens told news reporter Angie Franco he doesn't believe Gorbachy is homophobic.

"I don't think she's homophobic or that she hates gay people. I've never believed that, and this incident that happened during the campaign never made me question her commitment to gay and lesbian people," Stevens told Franco. "I have worked with Hanna Gorbachy for the last 12 years, and I consider her a dear friend. We may disagree on a lot of issues, but I would never accuse her of hating gay people, and if you look at her record, you'll find that's just not true. She has stood up for gays and lesbians at every opportunity. And I think it's unfair to take this one person who worked for her campaign and made a foolish decision and somehow tag that to Senator Gorbachy and say that she agrees with him."

For Stevens, Gorbachy should be faulted only for a leadership failure.

"It wasn't bigotry that was the problem for Hanna Gorbachy. It was leadership. She failed to show leadership in this particular situation. I don't hold her responsible in the slightest bit for what her campaign worker did. That was his choice and his own doing. But I do believe she should have shown more decisive leadership, and she should have fired Mr. Shaffey immediately, on-the-spot. His actions were so reprehensible and repulsive, there should have never been an 'indefinite suspension.' It should have just been 'you're out, good-bye, see you later.' It should have been the end of his involvement and employment with the campaign right at that very moment."

Despite Gorbachy's failure of leadership, Stevens says, she is still a good leader for the state of Monomi.

"Did she make a mistake by letting Mr. Shaffey stay on staff as long as she did? Absolutely. But we all make mistakes, and that doesn't make her a homophobe or hateful person. And, I think, when you really look at what she's done and what she's doing for the state of Monomi, she really has been a terrific leader, and I think she'll do a great job as senator for the next six years."

The full interview with Stevens is set to air Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. on WHEY-TV channel 9, cable channel 37. You can also find the full interview on www.gnnnews.com.