'This is only a small window into Harriet Miers' thinking 15 years ago, but it raises the possibility that she is more fair-minded than our opponents are hoping,' said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

WASHINGTON - Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese made the following statement about Harriet Miers' completion of a 1989 survey on gay and lesbian rights issues.

"This is only a small window into Harriet Miers' thinking 15 years ago, but it raises the possibility that she is more fair-minded than our opponents are hoping," said Solmonese. "We will be closely watching how the White House responds to this news and it will be a good test of whether the extreme right wing has hijacked the process on nominating a Supreme Court justice.

"She wrote she supports 'civil rights' for gay Americans but that she would not support repealing a law that criminalized consensual sex between same-sex couples. That is a contradiction that the Senate should investigate. Still, in 1989 she supported AIDS funding, and recognized the importance of AIDS to the whole community," added Solmonese. "There are more questions than answers when it comes to her stance on civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. But what we do know is that right-wing extremists are unhappy with the mere possibility that Miers is fair."

Read the survey. [PDF]

Read more about Harriet Miers' background.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.