I'm running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It's wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.

Continue reading "Open Letter from Barack Obama to the LGBT community..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has a special place in LGBT history when he allowed same-sex couples to get married in his city until the courts stopped him. For the first time in my life, I saw all these images of what could be and those are images that can never be erased no matter what opponents of our equal rights say and do.
Honestly, I don't know what kind of job he's done as mayor of that fabulous city. I know he admitted to a drinking problem and had an affair with the wife of his campaign manager. Not good. But he was easily re-elected to office on Tuesday and I felt happy for him.
"To my critics, this is an opportunity, and in some ways a reconciliation," he said in a victory speech. "I commit to working with you for the next four years, and I commit to resolving those areas where you still believe we can do better."
A few summers ago, I interviewed Newsom at an Outfest screening of a documentary on that period of same-sex marriages and, once you get past him being one of the best looking men on the planet, you could see that his heart was in the right place on the issue.
I'll always be grateful for the courage he had - something none of our leading candidates for president have.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had sold myself a bil of goods thinking that Hillary Clinton has not come out in favor of gay marriage because she thinks it would torpedo her presidential aspirations. Apparently not. New York magazine has published some of Clinton's new interview with The Advocate. She tells interviewer Sean Kennedy that her political stance is not a mask for her true feelings: "I would tell you [if it was]," she said to Kennedy. "This is an issue that I’ve had very few years of my life to think about when you really look at it, when you compare it to a whole life span. I am where I am right now, and it is a position that I come to authentically."
I see.
I was at The Abbey a few months ago, so excited to see her and caught up in the hoopla. But my feeling is that if you don't support gay marriage in your heart, you don't really believe in equal rights for all. So, the Clinton campaign sign I hung on my refrigerator at home is coming down.
I think she's the smartest person running for president and has the best grasp of all the important issues. I think she wants to make the country better and would - just as her husband did. And if she wins the Democratic nomination, I will likely vote for her, I'm sure.
But I'm not supporting her or any other candidate in the primaries unless they support gay marriage. Now I sorta resent her visit to The Abbey. I don't feel that it was "authentic."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's not easy not living like the First Lady of New Jersey.
Dina Matos McGreevey, whose hubby resigned as governor as he told the world that he's "a gay American" then took up with a rich Aussie, wants a judge to increase her monthly support nearly fourfold to $4,000 so she can live a lifestyle closer to that of New Jersey's first lady.
Poor Dina and the former couple's 5-year-old daughter live in a modest 3-bedroom house. Meanwhile, the former gay guv and his male partner live in a lavish 17-room mansion.
''In total, I need $11,162 per month to meet my expenses,'' she told the court in papers filed Monday. ''This lifestyle by no means approximates the lifestyle which plaintiff enjoys, much less the lifestyle we enjoyed while plaintiff was governor.''
She makes McGreevey sound like McGreedy saying that his assertion that ''he is only obligated to pay $1,129 per month in support for Jacqueline given his income and lifestyle is outrageous.'' She accuses the louse of intentionally keeping his 2005 earnings to $165,000 ''to limit his support obligations.''
''He expected that by the time he had to reveal his 2006 income, our case would have been settled, and so in one year he more than doubled his income,'' she stated.
Citing 2006 federal income tax returns, she says his adjusted gross income was $428,833, including $17,400 from Kean University for adjunct teaching and $60,000 in consulting fees from a law firm. She grossed $82,000 in 2006 from her position with Columbus Hospital in Newark. She also got a $275,000 book advance, of which she netted $195,000 after expenses.
Poor thing. She barely has two nickels to rub together...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This saga isn't gonna end!
The attorney for Sen. Larry Craig said Monday that his client should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea in a sex sting because he was under extreme stress after being hounded by journalists asking questions about his sexuality, according to the Associated Press.
The poor man. I don't see why a man who "has never been gay" would be stressed out by questions about his sexuality. Do you?
Attorney William Martin said he would file court documents today trying to undo the guilty plea so Craig can fight the charge. He said Craig did not "knowingly and intelligently enter a guilty plea."
Seems like a U.S. senator should proceed "knowingly and intelligently" in all that he does. In my opinion, Craig is a desperate man who was living a double life and is now trying to save face and salvage his reputation as an alleged "heterosexual" Republican politician.
Good luck with that Larry.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This saga isn't gonna end!
The attorney for Sen. Larry Craig said Monday that his client should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea in a sex sting because he was under extreme stress after being hounded by journalists asking questions about his sexuality, according to the Associated Press.
The poor man. I don't see why a man who "has never been gay" would be stressed out by questions about his sexuality. Do you?
Attorney William Martin said he would file court documents today trying to undo the guilty plea so Craig can fight the charge. He said Craig did not "knowingly and intelligently enter a guilty plea."
Seems like a U.S. senator should proceed "knowingly and intelligently" in all that he does. In my opinion, Craig is a desperate man who was living a double life and is now trying to save face and salvage his reputation as an alleged "heterosexual" Republican politician.
Good luck with that Larry.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

During his appearance on "Larry King Live" yesterday, former President Bill Clinton showed the kind of compassion for disgraced Sen. Larry Craig that Craig and his zealous Republican co-horts did not have back in 1998 when they pushed for impeachment after Clinton lied about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
Here is a partial transcript of what Clinton said, via Queerty:

CLINTON: …think we ought to recognize that this is a very traumatic time for him and his family. And whatever happens or doesn’t, most of his political career was behind him. So whatever your party, we should be hoping that he and his family can work through this in a way that leaves them as whole as possible.
…
KING: Did you get any sense of satisfaction, since he was such a critic of yours during the impeachment thing, and using terms very demeaning about you?

CLINTON: No.

KING: No?

CLINTON: No. Because when it was going on, I knew that, you know, a lot of them were outed for hypocrisy long before this. And everybody knew that — every serious student of the Constitution knew that the whole thing was bogus and that they were just jumping on a terrible personal mistake I made.
…
KING: And one other thing in that area. What do you make, just as a student of life, of people who rail against things they do themselves?

CLINTON: I think maybe it is a little — I don’t know, subconscious self-hatred. Maybe it is a desire to avoid being caught, maybe it is just a desire to deal with what they can perceive to be the social and political realities that they found themselves in.

He came from a very conservative culture in Idaho. I think it has the smallest number of Democrats in the state legislature in the country. I don’t know. But I just know right now he and his family have got to be hurting.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a good thing I'm not a Republican in search of an electable canddiate. Last night, I caught Fred Thompson's announcement on "The Tonight Show" was was left completely...sleepy. This dude looked bored and he himself was booooooooooooooooooring. What a waste of money and time. He's got very little to offer from what I can see and his record on equal rights for gays and lesbian's is abysmal.
He shoulda kept the "Law & Order" gig...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim "I am a gay American" McGreevey had supportive words in the Washington Post for Sen. Larry "I am not gay" Craig over the weekend in an article he wrote called "A Prayer for Larry Craig.”
Egads.
Here is part of what the creepy McGreevey had to day: "Like Sen. Craig, I resigned for the perceived good of my family, state and political party. And in so doing, I at long last accepted a fundamental truth, namely, that I am a gay American. In my soul, I found peace. In my heart, I found love. In my psyche, I disassembled the twisted separate strands of my life to create a healthy integrated person. And with my God, I found purpose.
I can only pray that Larry Craig and his loving family come to peace with his truth, whatever that may be. To those who judge him harshly, I ask that they fill their hearts with compassion and equanimity. The senator did not have a lover on the payroll, as I did; nor did he engage in sexual relations for money or use his office for unethical professional or personal gain."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sorry for the delay in getting part two of this posted. I promised it yesterday but got a little busy. This political panel took place on Saturday morning as part of the National Gay and Lesbian Gay Journalists Assn. conference. It was organized by IN Los Angeles political reporter Karen Ocamb who moderated the following panelists: Steve Elmendorf, representing the Hillary Clinton campaign; Jeremy Bernard from the Barak Obama campaign; Jason Mida of Victory Fund; Daily Variety Managing Editor Ted Johnson, who does the Wilshire & Washington blog; and conservative blogger Scott Schmidt of the BoiFromTroy site.
Gay marriage was the hottest topic of the session with Elmendorf, who worked on the Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004, makiing a point of saying "Bill Clinton NEVER called [John] Kerry to tell him to support the anti-marriage federal bill." He said such assertions are "completely and totally untrue."
As far as Sen. Clinton goes, he re-iterated her stance of being in favor of civil unions but leaving marriage up to the states.
Added Bernard: "The front tier candidates are not for marriage. I don't think Edwards is against marriage nor is Hillary. But they're not going to do it politically."
Schmidt, a gay Republican, defended Rudy Guliani's record on the issue noting that the former NYC mayor, thrice-married, acknowledges civil unions at the city and state level, but not federal: "Rudy Guliani actually created civil unions in New York - the only one to accomplish something substantive while he was mayor."
Wondered Mida: "Why does Rudy Guliani have the right to talk to anyone about marriage? He has no place to be talking about the sanctity of marriage."
Bernard lamented that gay marriage is being used as a wedge issue because "it effects lives and it ruins lives. It's horrible for young people coming out and hearing their parents say, 'We have to vote against gay marriage.'"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Karen Ocamb, the news editor for IN Los Angeles Magazine and one of the best political reporters around, put together one of the more interesting events of the NLGJA Convention on Saturday morning. I was so impressed with her as a moderator and organizer that I told NLGJA President Eric Hegedus tonight that she should be put in charge of one of the main plenary sessions next year - especially since the 2008 convention will be held in Washington D.C. just a few months before the election.
Karen's panel took place less than an hour after scandal-plagued Sen. Larry Craig resigned from office so that was the hot topic out of the gate.
"We as gay Republicans see that it's actually a good thing that he stepped down. Regardless of his record on gay issues, what he did was wrong and illegal," said Scott Olin Schmidt, best known for his Boi From Troy blog.
My good friend Ted Johnson, managing editor of Variety and author of the blog Wilshire and Washington said: "Had he been an openly gay Democrat, or Republican even, I think he might have survived this. After all, what he was charged with and pled guilty to is a lesser offense than getting a DUI and lots of members of congress have gotten DUIs. It would have hurt his image, but he would have survived."
Political and corporate consultant Jeremy Bernard said: "I have mixed feelings. I'm not crazy about the entrapment. I was amazed at how quickly he went down...there is a homophobia in the powers that be in the Republican party. It's so strong."

TOMORROW: Part 2 of what was discussed at the "Will Gays Matter in 08?" panel...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is no surprise but wanted to get it on the blog before I head out to some NLGJA conference sessions. Watched Larry Craig's press conference where he said that "with sadness and deep regret" he intends to resign from the Senate effective September 30.
I hope he finds some kind of peace in his post-Senate, not gay life...
I wonder if he's gonna remain a Republican or ever go to the bathroom at an airport again?

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

With public and private pressure increasing by the day, Idaho Sen. Larry "I'm not gay" Craig is considering resigning from office, Craig is not at all a sympathetic figure in all of this but it is stunning how the Republican Party can't get rid of him fast enough. A New York Times editorial, which I came by via Queerty.com, calls the GOP out on its real motive:

Underlying their hurry to disown the senator, of course, is the party’s brutal agenda of trumpeting the gay-marriage issue. To the extent Senator Craig, a stalwart in the family values caucus, might morph into a blatant hypocrite before the voters’ eyes, he reflects on the party’s record in demonizing homosexuality. The rush to cast him out betrays the party’s intolerance, which is on display for the public in all of its ugliness. But it also betrays their political uneasiness as the next election approaches.

Sounds about right.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The latest issue of In Magazine Los Angeles has a special report written by the hard-working Karen Ocamb who spoke with Melissa Etheridge about the historic LGBT presidential forum that she participated in earlier this month.
Etheridge, whose new album "Awakening" is out Sept. 25, tells Ocamb that she has not yet chosen a candidate to support but she says she had "an epiphany" when listening to Rep. Dennis Kucinich who is far more supportive of equal rights for gays than any of the leading candidates. She also seemed mighty disappointed with Hillary Clinton.
"...I belonged to the class of folks who were like, 'Oh yeah, Dennis Kucinich and [former Rep. Mike] Gravel - they're saying all the right things, but they can't be elected...I'm sitting on the talk show couch listening to [Kucinich] and I'm going 'Holy crap! This man speaks exactly what I feel is possible in the future. He is speaking exactly the world I wish to live in, the world I wish to create, the world I wake up every day and go my world can be tis way, help me see that the world can be this way and work toward it. I promise you - I was not a Dennis Kucinich fan before I got up there on that couch."

Continue reading "Melissa Etheridge looks back at LGBT forum..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Merv Griffin was sent off with a star-studded memorial service in Beverly Hills Friday with the likes of Nancy Reagan and Gov. Arnold paying tribute. Suzanne Somers showed up looking like dynamite!
I'm quite sure everyone in the church was well aware that Griffin was gay but a column by the Hollywood Reporter's Ray Richmond that morning making that pronouncement has led to all kinds of attempted censorship including legal threats from one of Griffin's companies and pressure from some top Hollywood players:
Here's timeline, via Editor & Publisher, of what has gone down:

--Hollywood Reporter publishes story "Merv Griffin was Gay"
--Reporter pulls the story, republishes it titled "Griffin never revealed man behind the curtain."
--Reuters picks up story in its news feed, syndicates it internationally.
--Reuters pulls story, with this explanation: "This was a story from The Hollywood Reporter that ran as part of a Reuters news feed. We have dropped the story from our entertainment news feed as it did not meet our standards for news. GBU Editor."
John Aravosis at AmericaBlog sums the situation up this way: "You'd think the matter of an obit about or reminiscence of a public figure wouldn't generate all this brouhaha, but that's what happens when the world outside of the closet is so frightening to people in Hollywood that all sorts of insane measures are taken to reinforce the message is that there is something inherently wrong with being gay."
Since I gotta run out and do an interview (you will really like this one), I'm glad Towleroad.com gives a great rundown of the happenings which I suggest you check out.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When I was leaving the Hillary Clinton party last night, I overhead a guy say to his friend, "Richardson REALLY blew it."
I'll say.
I've just watched the YouTube clip where he says "It's a choice" when asked if homosexuality is biological or a choice. Can you BELIEVE this dude?
Panelist Melissa Etheridge certainly could not believe her ears and tried to give the New Mexico Governor another crack at righting himself: "I don't think you understood the question. Do you think I -- a homosexual is born that way, or do you think that around seventh grade we go, 'Oh, I want to be gay?'"
Richardson just kept on digging: "I'm not a scientist. I don't see this as an issue of science or definition. I see gays and lesbians as people, as a matter of human decency."
I'm sure his campaign folks were just going apesh*t at this point. After the debate, the following attempted damage control statement was released by Richardson: "Let me be clear -- I do not believe that sexual orientation or gender identity happen by choice. But I'm not a scientist, and the point I was trying to make is that no matter how it happens, we are all equal and should be treated that way under the law. That is what I believe, that is what I have spent my career fighting for. I ask that people look at my record and my actions and they will see I have been a true supporter of the LGBT community."

Whatever. Talk to the hand.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

What. A. Night.
When Hillary Clinton took the stage last night at The Abbey, it was like being at a rock concert and she was our rock star. I hope she never forgets this incredible night and the raucous reception she got because I don't think any of us ever will. I was near the stage, probably about 10 feet away, and made a lot of friends because we were crammed in tight!
She greeted a giddy crowd that was just beyond itself with excitement.
"I think I just might have found one of the answers to the energy crisis," Sen. Clinton joked after one too many persons called out and interrupted her flow. "I am excited to see this level of intensity and involvement. But, it's a long way to the election."
The front-runner for the Democratic nomination had come straight to The Abbey in West Hollywood after participating in a presidential forum on LGBT issues - the first of its kind - sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and Logo.
"I thought it was so significant and historic that such an event was held tonight," she said. "Part of the job of the next president - namely, me - will be to bring our country back from the disastrous policies of the last six years...I know America can do better. I want us to believe we can make progress together....If we don't change course, we will not recognize our country."
She had the room in the palm of her hand pretty much before she even got there but what was so impressive was how well she did with the crowd, reacting and being in the moment.
Here is a YouTube video of her remarks last night:

I don't think it's overstating things to say that it felt like we were part of history, being there on that night where our issues were front-and-center and being with the candidate who could very well be the first female president of the United States.
We had watched the televised presidential forum on LGBT issues earlier in the evening on screens The Abbey had installed for the occasion. It was only during Clinton's portion that the room was really quiet and people were 100 percent paying attention. Barack Obama was first on but we were being let into the venue then and missed part of it. Not sure why they did not begin letting people in until 6 p.m. since the forum started right then. John Edwards was impressive, according to most of the people I was standing with but Bill Richardson did not seem to go over too well and commited the major gaffe of the night when he said he thought homosexuality was a choice.
Not. A. Good. Answer.
People liked what Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel had to say but I must say, it only seemed to matter what the big three - Clinton, Edwards and Obama - had to say.
And, as expected, none came out in favor of gay marriage. Some came close but they were so careful. So careful that it seemed less clear after they answered why they opposed it except for the unstated obvious: too politically risky. Still, some of us thought it would have been a great opportunity to make that leap but it was not to be, not last night.
I chatted up former California Gov. Gray Davis later on (Sen. Clinton acknowledged him from the stage) and he told me this: "I thought she was terrific tonight. She was very human, very real, very connected to the audience." Then I asked the 60-something Davis how he manages to look so young and he joked: "Because Arnold's got all the problems!"
I'll share my photos of the event later today...gotta get some sleep now!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

...but not on Out In Hollywood. I want to experience this event as a citizen, watching it at The Abbey, feel my own reaction and gauge those of others. Then, Hilary Clinton will arrive and I do hope to at least get a handshake! I will be posting my impressions and experiences late tonight and early tomorrow.
Fortunately, there will be some terrific live blogging going on so here are some options for ya if you want to have your laptop on as you watch:

- AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen and writer Brent Hartinger will be blogging on the AfterElton.com site.
- The Advocate will provide comprehensive coverage of the HRC/Logo Forum at www.advocateinsider.com with live blogging throughout the event as well as from the fund-raisers following the forum where candidates are scheduled to appear.

And if you don't get Logo, watch the debate online. Click HERE for more information.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 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.
Ultimately, 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.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CYNDI LAUPER:"What is at stake here, is our country. We have allowed a minority who are allowed to believe and live how they choose, to take away our freedom to be able to believe and live how we choose. I believe it is time for the LGBT community–and and all of its friends and family–to raise our voices and let it be known loud and clear that it is not acceptable to take away or deny basic civil liberties. Period. We should all have the right to live with the same dignity, opportunities and safety. It simply shouldn’t matter what anyone’s sexual orientation is."

WILSON CRUZ: "I am hopeful that we can enter a new chapter in American history in which we can mend the rifts of the last six-and-a-half years. These have been divisive and polarizing years in almost every way. It’s as if this administration has gone out of its way to pit us against each other: Divide and conquer! It’s laughable to think back to Mr. Bush’s statement in his first presidential bid, that he was a “uniter not a divider.” Not only was he a divider, but he split this country in every conceivable way, and then managed to divide us from the rest of the world. From stem cell research to the environment, from terrorism to LGBT rights, this administration has, with its arrogance and myopic world view, done nothing but keep us apart. So, for me, the most important issue in this election, not just as a gay man, but as a citizen of this country and of the world, is reconciliation. I am in search of a candidate who can bring us back to the table in a meaningful way."
KATE CLINTON: In America, that sound you have been hearing is the wall between church and state tumbling down. Apparently we were short on walls and needed one at the border. The willful brick by brick dismantling of that fragile separation is not good for the state or for the church. It has been especially harmful for tax-paying, America-loving LGBT Americans.For seven long years the country has been run by people who believe that they will be taken up into heaven on the rapture. For some of us, that can’t come soon enough. After listening to their anti-gay, get-out-the-vote rhetoric, I would gladly host a rapture going-away party. They believe in the afterlife because they don’t have the courage to live in this life.LGBT people have that courage. LGBT Americans are profoundly people of faith. Every time we come out of the closet we are saying that we have faith in ourselves, faith in our family and friends and that we have faith in Justice. We understand justice is simply doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
MELISSA ETHERIDGE: (one of the three panelists tonight): "The fact that these candidates have even agreed to show up to a televised forum on LGBT issues means that we have come a long way. We will be able to hold them up to their promises come 2009. And maybe more people can watch and see that LGBT issues are civil rights issues and not special rights....I am going to ask each candidate different questions. Each candidate is quite varied on LGBT issues, so I’m going to confront each of them individually. Getting America back on track is the issue I think is most important. I think LGBT issues will fall in line, then."

AMANDA BEARSE: "I am ashamed of our government. I no longer trust in it to tell us the truth of what is really happening on the other side of the world, much less at home here in our United States. I’ve just wanted to leave, to go to another land where, hopefully, peoples’ mindsets would be more open to world peace. Instead, I’m settled in a country of invalid presidential elections and our leader’s constant condescension. This coming election year, I will cast my vote to get the Republicans out of office, and I demand that my vote be counted accurately. However, I would ask the Democratic or Libertarian candidates what measures they would take to keep us safe here in America. Assuming the role as President of the United States is embracing the charge of the people of this country who are hungry for change, yet hopeful that the help we need to restore our faith in government is on its way."

To read these statements in their entirety and find other forum-related news, go to Logo's VisibleVote08 site.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Billie Jean King is one of my great inspirations and heroes in life. I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to tell her that. She is a positive person who believes that change can occur and she has led the way time and time again in changing the world in her decades-long fight for equality.
Here is some of what the great BJK wrote for logoonline about tonight's historic presidential forum:

"The 2008 Presidential election is perhaps one of the most important elections in recent history. From the environment to women’s rights to health care to America’s role internationally, the next President will have a significant impact on the direction of our country and the future of our world. Just as important to me personally is how the next President will address issues important to the LGBT community. The decisions we make during the primary and caucus process as well as in November 2008 will be pivotal to the advances that must be made in the campaign for equality in this country...
...A new President also means we can finally have a fair chance to stop the marginalization of gay and lesbian couples and work to ensure that all Americans in committed relationships have the same rights and responsibilities. We need to figure out a way to make sure gay and lesbian couples have access to the over 1,000 rights that married couples currently have at the federal level. It is important that we look for candidates who not only share our ideals and dreams for a better, stronger future, but believe in, and are willing to fight for equality.

I urge you to truly investigate each of the candidates and make an informed decision at the polls. For me, that choice is clear. Hillary Clinton has been a longtime friend of the LGBT community. She has fought for policies that promote equality, while taking a strong stand against forces that have tried to marginalize the LGBT community...
...It’s up to us now. We hold the power in our hands and next November, we need to make sure what is in our hearts and in our minds is heard loud and clear.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm really looking forward to tonight's Democratic candidate forum! If you don't get Logo through your cable providor, you can watch the event live online. As it draws nearer and I rush to get my work done, I can feel such tremendous excitement building over this historic event. Every Democratic candidate except Joe Biden and Chris Dodd plans to participate and whatever "scheduling conflicts" they cite, seems like a ba idea to skip this even i you don't have a hope in heck of getting the nomination.
Sure, we can all hope the candidates, especially top three Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, show unabashed support for gay marriage and for the demise of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. But my expectations are low and I fear they will play it safe.
But I'm willing to be surprised!

Continue reading "Is tonight's debate a milestone for gay rights movement?" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VisibleVote08 asked tennis great and LGBT activist Martina Navratilova to comment on what she expected from the candidates hoping to gain the Democratic nomination. I'm happy to share some excerpts of her answers and want to say how important I think Martina's opinion is. She is someone who really appreciates being an American, someone who fled her home and family in what is now the Czech Republic in 1975 to escape communist rule. She became an American ciitizen in 1981. Ten years later, in her last U.S. Open singles final, Martina had lost to Monica Seles but the crowd gave her an ovation for the ages. She said that day: "I'm so damned proud to be an American."
Here are some of Martina's words on democracy:

"...When asked “What issue is most important to LGBT people?” is the same to me—lack of and even erosion of equality, and therefore erosion of freedom. What is at stake in this next election for us is America’s future and its standing in the world. We cannot be the world’s leader when what we say and what we do are two different things. We cannot shout about democracy and freedom while running roughshod over same here at home.
By singling out a group of people (the LGBT community) and making sure equal rights don’t apply, you are nibbling away at the core of what this fabulous country stands for—as in “the pursuit of happiness” for all.

“Should a candidate’s stance on gay issues trump other important issues?” Well, if you don’t think gays should have the same rights straight people have, you are saying “no” to me on what is important to me, and you are saying “no” to our LGBT community on issues that are important to us all—young, old and all the ages in between; black, white and all the colors in between. Who else would you like to exclude? Where exactly do you stop?

Continue reading "Martina Navratilova: "What Democracy Is All About"" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It sure looks like the days when presidential candidates wanted to talk about anything but gay issues (unless it was a Republican trashing gay marriage in order to get elected) are finally over, thank God. Tomorrow night is the first-ever Presidential Forum specifically surrounding issues to the LGBT community. The forum, taking place in Los Angeles, is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and airing live on LOGO beginning at 6 p.m.
I passed on an opportunity to be on-site since press is relegated to a room with monitors and so access to the candidates face-to-face. So I'll be watching it from The Abbey to be with my peeps and hopefully get to meet Hilary Clinton who is stopping by after.
In addition to Sen. Clinton, others confirmed for the forum are Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Christopher Dodd, former Sen. John Edwards, N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson, former Sen. Mike Gravel; and Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
The moderator will be Margaret Carlson, the first female columnist at Time Magazine who is currently with Bloomberg News. Aon the panel are Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post, HRC President Joe Solmonese, and Oscar-winning songwriter Melissa Etheridge.
Of course, you can't have a debate in L.A. without some star power. Reportedly T.R. Knight and Neil Patrick Harris - two of the highest-profile out actors on television and current Emmy nominees - are among those who will sitting in the live audience. It's so good to have them out, and interested.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A little over a year ago, Martina Navratilova wrote a letter to People Magazine applauding their recent cover boy Lance Bass for coming out publicly. At the time, Bass sais he didn't see himself becoming an activist and Martina let him know that it just might happen anyway.
And it seems as it is has.
Lance has written a guest commentary for the Human Rights Campaign called "Now Is the Time" offering his take on why our next President must make gay marriage and gay rights a priority.
Here are some excerpts::

"There are so many important issues at stake in this election, it’s difficult to pinpoint just one that’s the most important to me. I am very concerned about the environment, the ongoing war in Iraq, health care (especially the future of stem cell research) and many other domestic issues.
However, since the upcoming Democratic debate will focus on LGBT issues, I’d like to discuss my feelings on why gay marriage is an important issue to me and why I think it should be supported by all the Democratic candidates.
My main fear is for the LGBT youth in America and around the world who, for one reason or another aren’t able to cope or can’t escape their prejudice cities, towns and communities. I often wonder how many teens have committed suicide because they’re struggling with their sexuality and feel the incredible weight of the shame their community puts on homosexuality? I am hoping in this election we have Democratic candidates who feel as passionately about this issue as I do.
By not supporting gay marriage we are teaching our youth that gays aren’t equal to straight people. We are teaching them that what they feel is wrong. What a terrible message to send to impressionable children and potentially devastating message to all the LGBT youth who may be living in an isolated environment struggling with being gay and feeling they have no hope and no one to turn to."

Earlier post: Martina's Supportive Words for Lance...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton isn't just participating in an LGBT issues debate next Thursday, she is using the occasion to launch a national effort encouraging LGBT supporters to organize forum viewing parties nationwide on August 9. , The presidential forum is being sponsored by gay cable channel Logo and the Human Rights Campaign.
States Clinton's campaign Web site: "We are encouraging Hillary's LGBT supporters from across the country, and their families and friends to host an 'LGBT Americans for Hillary Forum Watch Party'. This is a great way for you to get involved and to help us grow our LGBT Americans for Hillary network."
The largest of the watch parties is expected to be The Abbey in West Hollywood which will provide a live telecast of the forum. Afterward, Clinton is scheduled to stop by the Abbey to address the crowd.
She said in a press release Tuesday:“I look forward to sharing my views on issues important to LGBT Americans at the Logo/HRC presidential forum. I hope people take this opportunity to gather at forum watch parties and learn how we can work together to move our nation closer to the promise of fairness and equality that all Americans deserve.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hadn't been to The Abbey in what seems like at least a month, maybe more, but hit it tonight with my friend Michael who is here from the East Coast for awhile. It was a pretty low-key Monday night at this WeHo hotspot. But that won't be the case next Thursday when Sen. Hillary Clinton shows up after a televised debate on LGBT issues earlier that evening. It should be quite a night with John Edwards and Barack Obama set to join Clinton and other candidates in the debate that will be televised live on MTV's LOGO channel.
More news on this as it becomes available...I'm hoping to be at the debate or The Abbey, or both!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In an interview with Salon.com, Elizabeth Edwards was asked why she called in to Chris Matthews' "Hardball" show to confront the vile Ann Coulter who had refered to her husband, Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards, as a "f****t" and had also found fault in Edwards' talking about the death of his teenaged son during the last presidential campaign."
"Ignoring the fact that she exists doesn't make her go away," Edwards said. "If it did, you wouldn't hear me utter her name. So I think maybe the better thing to do is simply confront people like her. Are you going to stop them? Under no circumstances will you stop them. But maybe you empower other people to stand up, and maybe that has an effect. When I travel, so many older people thank me for what I did. Because the vile kind of way Ann Coulter thinks and talks, that was not ever part of the public discourse until recently."

Mrs. Edwards also spoke about her commitment to equal rights for gays after making a second visit to San Francisco this summer at a gay rights event: "I remember hearing [former GOP Sen. Rick] Santorum ranting about how homosexual marriage threatens heterosexual marriage. I could be wrong, but I think heterosexual marriage is threatened more by heterosexuals. I don't know why gay marriage challenges my marriage in any way."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ran into ace political reporter Karen Ocamb last night at Outfest and we chatted about her story on Gov. Bill Richardson using the Spanish word ''maricon' on Don Imus' now-defunct radio show.' The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says the word means ''faggot'' in Spanish.
So Richardson talked to the AP about the whole thing and now says he meant to be playful but apologized to anyone who was offended.
''My record is the strongest among the presidential candidates on gay rights issues and I'm puzzled by the timing of this. When it happened a year ago, nobody seemed to think it was terribly important. Now it surfaces,'' he told The Associated Press in an interview. ''It's probably a sign from other campaigns that they are little worried about me."
Richardson said that in the Spanish he grew up speaking, ''the term means simply 'gay,' not positive or negative.''
Uh sure.
Go Hillary!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are minutes away from my recap of the opening night festivities for Outfest. But just spotted this on Queerty.com and wanted to share: Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Gravel, who had been snubbed from a Human Rights Campaign debate next month, has now been invited after raising quite a fuss. Here is the HRC statement: "The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Logo…today made additional announcements about the presidential candidate forum on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues to take place in Los Angeles on August 9. After enthusiastic community response, former Senator Mike Gravel has been invited to participate."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's kinda cool to see a presidential candidate (even one with no chance in hell) ticked off that he was not asked to participate in the upcoming debate among Democratic candidates on LGBT issues. Mike Gravel wonders if he is just too opinionated for the Human Rights Campaign which is co-sponsoring the August debate. This is a comment I picked up from the Queerty blog:
"…I think the real reason why HRC didn’t invite me is that I’m too vocal in my advocacy of gay rights. None of the top tier candidates would have been comfortable facing an opponent who consistently points out their refusal to embrace true equality for gays and lesbians. HRC simply bowed to the star factor. It’s just a shame that this travesty was perpetrated in the name of the LGBT community."

Can you imagine one of the Republican candidates being so upset? Heck no. None of them even have the guts to participate in one so nothing is planned for the pathetic GOP side which includes John McCain who is blaming his downward spiral on "gay sweaters" he was advised to wear.

Gimme a break.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leading Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama irked me and many others when they were a bit slow to condemn Gen. Peter Pace for saying that homosexuals are immoral. So maybe they can make it up with some good answers at a televised debate on gay issues next month presented by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and MTV Networks' Logo channel.
Clinton and Obama were the first to commit to the one-hour event followed by John Edwards, Christopher Dodd will be held on August 9th at 6:00PM PT / 9:00 PM ET in Los Angeles before a studio audience. It will broadcast live without commercial interruption on Logo's 24/7 cable television channel as well as through live streaming video at LOGOonline.com.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a pro-marriage equality candidate, has not confirmed his attendance yet, and neither has New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson who has been courting the gay vote. Sen. Joe Biden has declined the invitation based on scheduling conflicts. Former senator Mike Gravel, was not invited to the debate because he didn't meet the fundraising threshold for participants and his campaign is furious.
HRC spokesperson Brad Luna said HRC and Logo initially set out to sponsor two different forums, one for Republican candidates and one for Democratic candidates.
“The precondition we set before those forums could be confirmed was that two out of the three leading candidates would have to confirm their attendance,” Luna told The Advocate. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney declined the invitation, and Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain never responded, so the GOP forum never got off the ground."

Continue reading "Clinton, Obama set to participate in forum on gay issues...[Updated]" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson may be aggressively courting the gay vote in his run for The White House, but he may have done some damage to that effort by using the word, maricón - Spanish for “faggot” while on the radio with Don Imus last year.
Richardson appeared on the since-canceled Imus radio program last March. Imus, of “nappy-headed hos” infamy, had the following exchange with the governor of New Mexico:
“Bernard on the staff here has been claiming you’re not really Hispanic so– that you’re just claiming that for some sort of advantage or something,” Imus said to Richardson, tongue clearly in cheek. “You can just answer this yes or no and this will answer that question. Would you agree that Bernard is a maricón?”
Without missing a beat, Richardson replied in Spanish, “Yo creo que Bernardo, sí — es un maricón si él piensa que yo no soy hispano. [General laughter] Was that good enough or what? [General laughter]”
Translated to English, Richardson said, “I believe that Bernard, yes – he’s a faggot if he thinks that I am not Hispanic.”
According to the Queerty site, gay activist Christopher Hubble heard and notified GLAAD who consulted with They, Equality New Mexico which received a call from Richardson apologizing for the slur. The matter did not go any further until some recent reports in a gay newspaper and Richardson recently released a statement apologizing:
"I would never knowingly say or do anything to hurt the GLBT community — a community that I have worked hard for and supported my entire career. In the Spanish I grew up speaking, the term means simply ‘gay,’ not positive or negative. It has been brought to my attention that the word also has a hurtful or derogatory connotation, which was never my intent. If I offended anybody, I’m sorry."
"My record on GLBT issues speaks for itself. I have certainly done more to help and support the GLBT community than any other presidential candidate, and more than most other politicians. The timing of this smacks of politics — it comes as I am gaining momentum and moving up in the polls."

I'm glad to have a candidate who is supportive of gay issues, but, he should have known better.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)