WASHINGTON – Nan Hayworth, running to unseat openly gay Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney for New York’s 18th Congressional District, is running a new ad featuring her own gay son—seemingly in an attempt to gloss over her own poor record on marriage equality.  Unfortunately for her campaign, Hayworth’s history speaks for itself.

"Actions, not words, should matter most to voters, and the choice in this district is clear,” said Chad Griffin, President of HRC. “Sean Patrick Maloney has fought tirelessly for LGBT equality, and Nan Hayworth's record doesn't even come close.  I have no doubt she loves her son, but her policy positions put her on the wrong side of history. We need a fighter like Sean Patrick Maloney back in Congress."

In a recent debate hosted by the Poughkeepsie Journal, Hayworth once again refused to voice her support for full, federal marriage equality. That position fails to reflect the values of the district she is seeking to represent, and it stands in marked contrast to Congressman Maloney’s sterling record of comprehensive support for equality.

“Of course Nan Hayworth loves her gay son. That’s not what’s at issue here,” added David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “The problem is her lack of support for legal protections provided by marriage for everyone else who isn’t lucky enough to be related to an elected official.  When Nan Hayworth had the chance to be a true fighter for LGBT issues in Congress, she was AWOL.”

In the 112th Congress, Nan Hayworth failed to support domestic partnership benefits for federal employees, and she failed to support legislation that would have provided same-sex partners of U.S. citizens the same immigration benefits that legal, different-sex spouses receive.  When given the opportunity to sign onto the Respect for Marriage Act in Congress, she failed to. When asked to come out in support of marriage equality by the Human Rights Campaign, she failed again. 

Her opponent on the other hand, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, is a champion of LGBT equality.  New York’s first openly gay member of Congress, Maloney is committed to full equality for LGBT people under the law.  He has supported every measure of LGBT equality in the 113th Congress. From the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to support for marriage equality, Congressman Maloney is a stalwart advocate for the LGBT community with a proven record to back it up.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

###