How has he done so far on exercising that moral conscience on issues?
KV: I’ll give you one solid example. I lobbied him on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign, [an organization that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, of which Vertolli is a member, donor, and volunteer]. I passionately support their drive to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Mark voted against the Murphy amendment [to repeal DADT, named for Pennsylvania Democrat Patrick Murphy, passed by the House this past May]. Therefore, he voted in favor of maintaining a discriminatory policy against gays and lesbians who are serving us in the military. I privately withdrew my support because to me that’s a basic human right. I will not support a candidate who upholds a policy that discriminates against gays and lesbians. CF: That’s where you are now? KV: No. He assured me that when the issue came up again, he’s going to do the right thing and support overturning that policy. He has a very good rating with the Human Rights Campaign. He’s one of the most pro-gay rights Republica
