Reid and Masto show support for LGBT community at business group luncheon

Nevada Democrats Sen. Harry Reid and Catherine Cortez Masto reached out to the LGBT community at a monthly networking luncheon Tuesday at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada.

The Lambda Business Association is the valley’s oldest chamber of commerce for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender business owners. The chamber doesn’t explicitly endorse political candidates, but it marked its 25th anniversary with a special appearance by Reid, who is retiring at the end of his term.

Reid spoke to the crowd about his record on LGBT issues, including his vote to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which prevented LGBT people in the military from serving openly, and his vote against the Defense of Marriage Act that for years defined marriage as only between a man and a woman until the law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013.

“I felt so good about having done that,” Reid said, adding afterward that it’s important to support the LGBT community because so much prejudice is leveled against it.

Cortez Masto, campaigning for Reid’s Senate seat, spoke briefly about this year’s election and the need for Democrats to take back a majority in the Senate. She said she would stand up for LGBT rights if elected.

“One of the things we need to do is pass the Equality Act,” she told the crowd. The Equality Act was introduced in Congress last year and proposed to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and include language about discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

While the Lambda Business Association doesn’t normally make endorsements, this year it decided to make an exception and endorse ballot Question 1, which would expand firearm background checks to private-party sales and transfers. The association’s board last month voted to adopt positions in favor of gun control and devoted its monthly luncheon to the ballot question.

“It’s something we all believed in,” association board member Rob Schlegel said. “After the Orlando thing, it just became obvious everyone in our community needs to take a stand on it.”

The chamber also began to support bans on assault-style rifles and for people on terrorist watch lists in response to the June 12 shooting in Orlando, in which 49 people were killed at a gay nightclub.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find @WesJuhl on Twitter.