The force of Gerry Studds
GERRY E. STUDDS, the blazingly articulate, acerbic former congressman representing some of the most beautiful coastline in the country, left a legacy of accomplishment for everyone, but particularly for those of us who are gay. In an age where even rehab for alcoholism is misused by those seeking to avoid responsibility, Studds faced the most personal of charges in an unforgiving spotlight, and he did it in a direct, unflinching way.
When Studds was censured by the House of Representatives in 1983 for having a consensual affair with a 17-year-old page some 10 years earlier, he did it according to the decorum of the House: facing the speaker as he read the resolution of censure charges. In his speech to the House, he became the first openly gay member of Congress.
After the censure, Studds returned to his district to meet voters and take every question they hurled. When he prepared to walk in the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament Parade in New Bedford, Studds chose his worse suit thinking he might literally be pelted with eggs. But as he approached the crowd of 10,000 lining the streets, cheers erupted and it took him a minute to realize the thunderous applause was for him.
You see, this wasn't an unfamiliar walk. He took pride in holding open meetings in every municipality from Quincy to the tip of Cape Cod. And because of the large Portuguese population, he learned the native language of the New Bedford fishermen who looked to him to save their industry and Georges Bank, and he did just that.
At those meetings when someone would inevitably rise to quote Leviticus about a man lying with a man, Studds would respectfully ask whether the inquisitor also obeyed the part about not eating shellfish because that would be a problem, putting many in the room out of business. When Studds evoked Leviticus, it was neither mean nor harsh, just a point of reference that relaxed the audience and returned the questions to the larger challenges of the day.
Pundits predicted a landslide loss with Studds facing challenges in both the 1984 primary and general elections, but he won the general election with 56 percent of the vote and went on to be resoundingly reelected five more times before he retired from Congress.
What neither pundits nor most reporters understood was how beloved Studds was by his constituents. When complimented once for helping to save the striped bass through his landmark Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act, Studds quipped that actually he made a greater contribution by failing to catch any, ever. He championed the Coast Guard, fought to limit oil drilling on Georges Bank, a prime fishing area, and passed legislation making it illegal to hunt or kill whales, dolphins or porpoises.
Long after the battle of the 1984 election, Studds was presented with the opportunity to head a foreign affairs committee. Chairing it would have brought much greater national attention and a wider audience. But Studds chose instead to chair a fisheries subcommittee saying it was much more relevant for his district.
Studds was incredibly forceful about the AIDS epidemic that was killing a generation of gay men. He accused the Reagan administration of being ``criminally negligent" for its failure to respond and, in 1987, he used his congressional franking privileges to mail the surgeon general's report on AIDS to the 268,000 households in his district, urging his colleagues to do the same.
He was also an early advocate of gay and lesbian armed service members, often serving as their sole advocate and he publicly distained the so-called Don't Ask, Don't Tell compromise, calling for the ban to be lifted.
Studds did have the good fortune of serving when bipartisanship was as real and genuine as collegial interplay and exchange. Widely respected by members of both parties, he understood the art of negotiation and compromise and used both skillfully to secure legislation and promote change.
Those of us who were gay took great pride in Studds because we knew we were witness to someone performing at his prime, for the better good and doing it as an openly gay man. To watch him on television interrogate high-level Cabinet members about President Reagan's illegal war in Nica ragua was a sight to behold.
Gerry Studds may not have come out in the way he would have chosen. But when he did, he made us all aware that by leading an authentic life, we made a broader and deeper contribution. He showed us that by doing good work, you not only gained acceptance, you could even win elections and pass important legislation. Finally, he demonstrated that the greatest step toward broader civil and equal rights was to be openly gay. It is a lesson we now have an obligation to share with a younger generation who never knew or saw this remarkable force in action.
Mary Breslauer served as press secretary in Representative Gerry Studds's 1984 reelection. 
