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Head of HRC on tonight's forum...

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaajoe.jpgThe terrific Queerty.com site posted an interview with Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese who discussed forum taking place tonight in LA of Democratic candidates seeking the presidential nomination.
The HRC head says he's "feeling nervous" about it all:
"With the press - at least the gay press - the expectation is really high. You could talk to a hundred people and there are a hundred strong opinions of what should be asked and what should be answered. It’s only nervous making in that I feel like we want - at least on my part - to deliver what we can to the community and we can only take it so far. It’s really up to the candidates."

On what he hopes the forum accomplishes tonight: " I hope that we get to put a broader set of issues on the table. I hope we get to hear from these candidates that if they’re for something, what it is that motivates them to be for it personally or in their public service world. If they’re not for something, why not? Maybe if we getter a better sense of why [someone] is not for it, it would help us figure out how to get you to be for it.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadems.jpgUltimately, one of the most important things, is I look forward to is “What are you going to do?” You say you’re going to overturn DADT? How are you going to do that? You say that same sex couples should have the same federal benefits, what would three be? That’s a worthwhile question. Are these candidates thoughtful enough to come up with three?

Queerty asks if he thinks the candidates are all sincere about really care about gay people: "Yes. I think they’re really sincere about caring about gay people. I think if you really got into some of the hearts and souls of some of these people and where they are on marriage… We all sit back and say, “They all support marriage.” I think it was David Mixer who had an op-ed piece that said something like, “They all support marriage, they just can’t figure out how to do it that would be viable”. I don’t think that’s true. I think that could be true for some of them, but if we zap them all with the truth serum, some of them may be, “I have many different audiences to answer to and I’m trying to get elected.” You might find people with that whole deeply held religious conviction about honoring the religious sacrament of marriage - I say, “We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about the civil institution of marriage,” but I think that you might find that in their souls."

To read the complete interview, which is quite substantive, click onto Queerty.com.

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Greg Hernandez

Greg Hernandez has covered the entertainment industry for the Daily News since 2001. He's considered a bit odd by some for his obsession with box office numbers, has been known to camp out near the kitchen at premieres for first crack at the hors d'oeurves, and Greg's never seen a red carpet he didn't want to stroll down.
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