Former Republican nominee for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Bryan Tate from York, reported yesterday that he had been subject to homophobic remarks by Democratic campaign volunteers, who told constituents to not vote for Tate due to his sexual orientation. Tate is openly gay, and would have been the third openly gay member of the Pennsylvania Legislature if he was elected. Democrat Kevin Schreiber, a proponent of LGBTQ rights and marriage equality, won the race.
Former city council member, Genevieve Ray, said that she heard someone wearing a Schreiber campaign shirt use an anti-gay slur in reference to Tate at the Democratic headquarters on the night of the primary elections.
York City Council President Carol Hill-Evans was told by her supporters that a volunteer for the Schreiber campaign came to her office and said to not vote for Tate, because he is gay. Hill-Evans reported the incident to the York County Democratic Party Chair, Bob Kefauver.
“They [the remarks] are ugly and bigoted and they have no place in political discourse…They are completely inappropriate and not acceptable,” Kefauver said to the York Daily Record. The Democratic Party reported that they are investigating the incident.
Kevin Schreiber said that he was unaware of any homophobic remarks being made against Tate by his volunteers. He called the incidents “disturbing and unfortunate.”
“”It flies in the face of my track record. It isn’t something that I would have endorsed…If someone did make a statement, that was absolutely wrong. But it was not reflective of myself, the campaign or my own personal beliefs.”
Tate said that he has not heard back from anyone within the Democratic Party about the investigation, as of May 24. “Nobody feels the need to apologize or stand up against bigotry,” Tate said. He told the York Daily Record that he has attempted to set up a meeting with Democratic leaders, but has not received a response. Kefauver said that he has not heard from Tate.
Tate’s candidacy has been an uphill battle from the beginning. Tate is the first openly gay Republican to run for a legislative position in Pennsylvania while being out. While he is openly gay, his Democratic opponent was endorsed by LGBTQ groups. Schreiber has strong union support, as do some major LGBTQ groups. The 95th district has been represented by a Democrat for the past twenty years.