Anti-Gay News Making Fl Lawmaker Confronted with Dem.District
Nearly two decades ago, former Republican state lawmaker Bob Brooks made headlines for his attacks on abortion and condemning Walt Disney World for offering its gay employees' benefits.
But in his current state House campaign, his Democratic opponent Linda Stewart says Brooks is avoiding that record because it would show he is too conservative for a competitive district that's trending Democratic.
"He can't run away from that," Stewart said.
The newly drawn state House District 47 seat in east Orlando includes parts of downtown, College and Baldwin parks to the north, and the Conway area in its southern tier.
Brooks, who went on to be secretary of the Florida Health Department, said he has held onto his principles but prefers discussing jobs and health care. However, some of his views might have softened over time, said Brooks, a physician.
For instance, in a 1995 letter to Disney, Brooks chided the company for giving benefits to gay workers, saying it endorsed "a lifestyle that is unhealthy, unnatural and unworthy of special treatment."
But this week Brooks said that "over time, I'm more comfortable with a [domestic partner] registry," such as the one Orlando and Orange County recently passed, and which Stewart lobbied for strongly.
Brooks said he still opposes same-sex marriage. And since it's illegal in Florida, many gay couples count on domestic partner registries to secure certain end-of-life and emergency-notification rights.
Brooks distanced himself from the recent remarks of Missouri U.S. Rep. Todd Akin and the GOP's platform to outlaw abortion.
Akin said "legitimate rape" victims were unlikely to become pregnant and has since apologized. Brooks said Akin's remarks were "clearly incorrect."
In the ensuing uproar over the Akin comments, added attention fell on the official Republican Party platform, which would outlaw abortion, even in cases of rape and incest.
Brooks said he opposes abortion in most instances but said he's "not in sync" with the party's platform in cases of rape and incest. "The decision on what to do should be up to the woman," he said.
State Democrats said they plan to continue to point to Brooks' socially conservative record, but Brooks said it's not something he will be bringing up often.
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