John Distaso | September 17, 2020
HRC BACKS KUSTER. The Human Rights Campaign, a nationwide advocacy and political group promoting the rights of the LGBTQ community, has endorsed U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster in her bid for a fifth term representing the state’s 2nd Congressional District.
The group cited the Democrat’s support for the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in a wide range of areas, including public accommodations, education, federal funding, housing and credit. The bill passed the House last year but has stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“This November, we must reelect our allies, like Congresswoman Kuster, to ensure we maintain a pro-equality majority in the U.S. House and establish one in the U.S. Senate,” said HRC President Alphonso David.
“Now more than ever, it's important that we reaffirm our commitment to upholding LGBTQ rights and ensuring equality under the law for all,” Kuster said. “I've been a proud LGBTQ ally in Congress, working to advance pro-equality legislation and advocating for LGBTQ inclusion. This work is far from over, and I look forward to continuing to partner with the Human Rights Campaign and advancing equality for the LGBTQ community, in the Granite State and beyond."
Kuster is being challenged in a rematch of the 2018 election by Republican former state Rep. Steve Negron.
Negron was endorsed in July the conservative Family Research Council, which states on its website that “homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large. It is by definition unnatural, and as such is associated with negative physical and psychological health effects.”
Questioned about the endorsement at a WMUR Granite State Debate ahead of the primary election, Negron said he agreed with the council’s “pillars” regarding family and its pro-life position. But Negron said that regarding the LGBT community, “I believe that everybody is important, everybody has a right – this is who I am.”
“You have to dive pretty deep into their web page to find that,” he added.
Earlier this year, the Human Rights Campaign endorsed 1st Congressional District U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.