|| Politics ||
After five years
of raising eyebrows on the Web, Boi From Troy blogger --
and gay Republican -- Scott Schmidt is signing off.
January 6, 2009
By Ross von Metzke
Stung by the
Warren decision, GLAAD's former executive director Joan
Garry offers the Obama transition team some sage advice.
December 30, 2008
By Joan Garry
In April, The
Advocate's Kerry Eleveld sat down for an exclusive
interview with now-president-elect Barack Obama. Now,
on the eve of his inauguration, Advocate.com takes a look
back at what he said then on all things LGBT.
December 23, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
In the wake of
the decision by President-elect Barack Obama to
select Reverend Rick Warren to give the invocation at his
inauguration, Equality California executive director
Geoff Kors calls on Obama to live up to his promise of
"One America" and prove he is the ardent supporter of
LGBT equality he claims to be.
December 19, 2008
By Geoff Kors
The temptation
exists in our culture to relate current events to famous
past historical moments via some clichéd shorthand.
Every scandal is a something-gate. Every trend du jour
is the new black. And in this digital era, every new
version of something that happened before is a 2.0 -- like
the overly simplistic effort to brand the protests that
followed the passing of Prop. 8 as Stonewall 2.0.
December 17, 2008
By Steve Friess
Since the passage
of Prop. 8, many gays and lesbians have been
searching for clarity on why we suffered a close loss at the
ballot box. With emotions high, suggestions,
criticism, and questions somehow seem out of bounds.
Meanwhile, we continue to wait for insight from those who
are perhaps most able to offer it: the executive committee
of Equality for All.
December 15, 2008
By Lane Hudson
Disheartened by
writer James Kirchick's recent commentary 'A Friend to
Gays and Antigay Dictators Alike,' Cleve Jones writes a
letter to the editor in support of his friend Sean
Penn, a man he says is a "tireless champion of human
rights both in the U.S. and around the world."
December 13, 2008
By Cleve Jones
National Black
Justice Coalition CEO H. Alexander Robinson discusses
the U.S. government policy that "requires all federal
agencies to recognize only opposite-sex marriages for
the purposes of administering federal programs."
December 12, 2008
By H. Alexander Robinson
The concept was
simple and straightforward: Much like the Day Without an
Immigrant march and strike of 2006, Wednesday, December 10,
was supposed to be a Day Without a Gay -- a strike in
response to the passing of California’s Prop.
8. Despite dedicated volunteer work and a
well-intentioned mission statement, by most accounts, it
failed.
December 11, 2008
By Michelle Garcia and Neal Broverman
On the heels of
nationwide rallies and protests, response to the passing
of antigay legislation in four states on Election Day kicks
into high gear Wednesday, December 10, with Day
Without a Gay. As tempting as it may be to spend the
day catching up on TiVo, organizers are urging gays
and lesbians to spend the day volunteering and putting
a human face on the "people that this equal rights
battle is about."
December 10, 2008
By Ross von Metzke
Mormons poured
millions of dollars into a successful effort to pass
California’s anti–gay marriage Proposition 8.
And ever since the election, there’s been talk
among gay people about a ban on all things Utah,
including the Park City–based Sundance Film Festival.
But now two prominent gay groups -- the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and Outfest --
have announced that they will participate in the
prestigious film showcase.
December 6, 2008
Ross von Metzke
Keith Olbermann
has long been a reliable ally of LGBT people, but the
host of MSNBC’s Countdown became a
full-fledged hero with his November 10 Special Comment
passionately denouncing California voters’
passage of Prop. 8. Olbermann sat down for an extended
interview with The Advocate to talk about his
commitment to equal rights, working with Rachel Maddow, and
that impersonation by Ben Affleck.
December 5, 2008
By Trudy Ring
After Prop. 8
passed, Hairspray composer Marc Shaiman made
headlines when he took a Sacramento theater director to task
for staging a production of his musical -- and
donating money to Prop. 8. The director ultimately
resigned, but Shaiman, still fired up, sunk his energy
into a new project -- Prop. 8: The Musical.
Shaiman talked to Advocate.com about FunnyOrDie.com's latest
Web sensation.
December 4, 2008
By Ross von Metzke
California’s Proposition 8 got all the attention, but
successful antigay measures in Arkansas, Arizona, and
Florida could have further reaching implications for
those states’ residents -- gay or straight.
December 3, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
As America
continues to rejoice in election of Barack Obama -- while
gay Californians lament the passing of Prop. 8 --
overseas, political activists look on from a distance.
Zachery Scott has watched the drama following Election
Day unfold as he serves in the Peace Corps in
Mozambique.
November 28, 2008
By Zachery Scott
COMMENTARY:
Thirty years after the death of Harvey Milk, Americans can
still learn from his inspiring and profound work as an
activist, politician and friend. With the story of his
life opening in theatres this week, Lane Hudson takes
a look back at how Milk's legacy lives on -- and what
we can to do pay tribute to the legend.
November 27, 2008
By Lane Hudson
In the December
16 edition of The Advocate, writer Ben
Ehrenreich analyzed the differing opinions of why Prop. 8
passed at the polls in his article, "Anatomy of a Failed
Campaign." Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center chief public
affairs officer Jim Key responds to the criticisms
raised by that article.
November 26, 2008
By Jim Key
Three weeks ago,
like many LGBT Americans, I woke up with, to say the
least, mixed feelings. The euphoria of Barack Obama’s
election and the expansion of the pro-LGBT majority in
Congress was tempered by sadness and anger at our
devastating losses in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, and,
of course, California. The silver lining of these defeats
has been a renewed focus nationwide on the issue of
marriage equality.
November 24, 2008
By Joe Solmonese
The 2008 election
may already be one for the record books, but triumphant
Democrats are still vying for an elusive political prize --
the 60-seat supermajority required to overcome
Republican filibuster attempts and advance their
legislative agenda swiftly beginning in January. But what
are the odds of actually getting 60 seats -- and will it
really push gay rights to the front of the line?
November 21, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
As the
Obama-Biden transition ensues, insights are
surfacing into the new administration's agenda
for gay Americans. While many of the policy
pronouncements read like a list of old favorites, some
lesser-known initiatives will likely gain momentum
early on.
November 21, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
The old saying
goes that every cloud has a silver lining. And on November
5, the day after California voters stripped same-sex
couples of the right to marry, so many around the
country were searching for one. Although thousands of
individuals, organizations, and
businesses donated to the Yes on 8 campaign, not one
Fortune 500 company is among those names. But on the
opposite side, the side of fairness and basic rights,
you’ll find some of the nation’s most
successful and powerful corporate players.
November 21, 2008
By Daryl Herschaft
Advocate.com gets
an early peek at a very heated episode of Dr.
Phil. Gavin Newsom, HRC's Joe Solmonese, and L.A.
attorney Gloria Allred face off against Prop. 8
supporters to talk same-sex marriage. In what may well
be a first, Dr. Phil told the audience he would be keeping
his opinions to himself.
November 20, 2008
By Christopher Lisotta
The injection of
race into the analysis of Proposition 8's
passage is extremely disappointing. A battle for equal
rights has now turned into an issue of whites versus
blacks. But while some black gays think marriage
shouldn't be a priority and that outreach to
African-Americans should have been stronger, journalist Clay
Cane says he has a vested interest in inequalities
related to both race and sexual orientation ...
and he doesn't need someone to hold his hand to
believe that marriage equality is important.
November 20, 2008
By Clay Cane
The high number
of African-Americans who voted to pass Proposition 8 may
have surprised some people, but not the folks at the
National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights
organization dedicated to empowering black LGBT
Americans. NBJC's CEO offers some insights about the
black-white divide and how to mend it going forward.
November 19, 2008
By H. Alexander Robinson
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
17 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Letters from 26
gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
17 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
Open letters from
26 gay men and lesbians.
November 19, 2008
COMMENTARY: Prior
to the election of Barack Obama, the gay rights agenda
risked becoming nothing more than a wish list. But after
nearly 30 years during which no major piece of gay
rights legislation has been passed by both houses of
Congress and signed by the president, it is time to make a
a real push for true equality. Our time at the back of the
bus must end. Now.
November 19, 2008
By Lane Hudson
In the wake of
finger-pointing following California's passing of Prop. 8,
television writer and producer Tajamika Paxton suggests the
time has come to build a bridge between the LGBT and
African-American communities -- to engage in
discussion rather than looking for somewhere to place blame.
November 18, 2008
By Tajamika Paxton
In the wake of
California’s passage of Proposition 8, protests are
popping up around the country -- and so are comparisons
between gays’ and African-Americans’
fights for equality. Is gay the new black? Michael
Joseph Gross examines two struggles for civil rights. Plus:
Photos from Wednesday night's rally in New York City.
November 16, 2008
By Michael Joseph Gross
From coast
to coast, from gay to straight, from Pink to Mormon
moms--a national movement to protest the passing of Prop. 8
in California rises up.
November 16, 2008
By Ross von Metzke
As Dr. Niles
Crane on the hit sitcom Frasier, David Hyde
Pierce had a great deadpan. That also extended to his own
life: For years he wouldn’t confirm or deny being
gay. Since then he thawed enough to thank his longtime
partner, Brian Hargrove, in his 2007 Tony Award
acceptance speech. And on Saturday, Pierce was one
baseball-capped protester among maybe 20,000 others marching
for equality in Los Angeles.
November 15, 2008
By Anne Stockwell
More than a
million people are expected to turn out for Saturday's
international rally to collectively raise their voices
against discrimination and inequality. JoinTheImpact.com's Amy Balliett says
she created the site and the rally just a week ago,
and the response has been immense.
November 15, 2008
By Michelle Garcia
Proposition 8:
Gearing Up
I've been waving
a sign on street corners since H8 passed: "Black
Queers." Responses have varied -- from honks of support
to looks of disapproval from both blacks and whites. A
black woman came up to me at a rally and asked me if I
didn't think the sign was offensive to black people. I
said, "It's who I am, and people should know."
November 14, 2008
By Faith Cheltenham
Eight years ago
Advocate associate editor Neal Broverman packed
up his car and moved from Connecticut to California to
find freedom and acceptance. Now that marriage is legal
in Connecticut, he's wondering if he ever should have
left.
November 14, 2008
By Neal Broverman
On the same day
that the state of Connecticut began allowing same-sex
marriages, thousands of New Yorkers gathered to protest the
recent ruling in California taking away those same
rights. Over 15,000 people gathered Wednesday night in
protest of Proposition 8, the California ballot
initiative that overturned a recent court ruling allowing
same-sex marriage.
November 13, 2008
By Emmet Sullivan
Forty-four California state senators and assembly
members on Monday signed a friend-of-the-court
brief to support lawsuits seeking to overturn
Proposition 8, which voters passed last week,
banning same-sex marriage. Senator-elect Mark Leno,
author of the "only marriage equality bills to reach a
governor's desk," and Sen. Carole Migden were among
the petitioners.
November 13, 2008
By Kandice Day
L.A. eatery El
Coyote, long known for attracting a heavily LGBT client
base, is facing the heat now that bloggers have revealed one
of the managers, who is a niece of the original
owners, had donated to the pro-Proposition 8
campaign. El Coyote's answer: a free
lunch/press conference giving her a forum to explain her
decision. But the 70-some people in attendance were
none too pleased with what they heard. Is a boycott
the answer?
November 12, 2008
By Christopher Lisotta
Our new
president-elect, California's African-American voters, and
unfortunate homophobia in churches have created a fuzzy rift
between blacks and gays. It's time to stop creating
scapegoats and get proactive.
November 12, 2008
The Reverend Irene Monroe
On NBC's The
Office gay accountant Oscar Martinez brings some
diversity to the motley crew run by Michael Scott
(played by Steve Carell). Martinez is brought to life
by Oscar Nuñez, a straight,
Cuban-born actor who feels strongly about the
passage of Prop. 8 and how Californians can overturn it.
November 11, 2008
By Neal Broverman
For many the
passing of Prop. 8 is the first time anything of
significance has gone so wrong for gays and
lesbians -- we've had no other choice but to
stand up and fight. This weekend 12,000 people-plus
descended on Los Angeles's Silver Lake district, proving
that when faced with discrimination, if the
gays have to choose between equal rights and a
rum and diet Coke, they may fill up a flask -- but
they’ll march.
November 10, 2008
By Ross von Metzke
Pointing fingers
at California's African-Americans over the passage of
Proposition 8 is rushing to judgment, writes The
Advocate's Teresa Morrison. Race-baiting is simply a
repeat of the terrible injustice of Prop. 8.
November 10, 2008
By Teresa Morrison
More than 200
protesters gathered in front of Los Angeles’s
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Sunday as part
of a continuing spate of demonstrations against the
narrow passage of California’s Proposition 8,
which bans same-sex marriages. Initially billed as a "quiet
vigil of peace," the event was more similar to recent
Prop. 8 demonstrations: signs, honks, and chants.
November 10, 2008
By Christopher Lisotta
When Californians
took to the polls on Tuesday, November 4, 52.5% cast a
vote against equal rights, saying same-sex marriage has no
place in the Golden State. But in the wake of
California’s LGBT population lamenting yet
another blow to their rights, something magical happened.
LGBT Californians stood up, brushed themselves
off, and prepared for the fight of a generation.
November 9, 2008
By Anne Stockwell and Ross von Metzke
As
President-elect Barack Obama transitions to power, out U.S.
representative Tammy Baldwin shares her insights on how
LGBT issues played out in the election and what our
community can expect in 2009 from Congress
and the new administration.
November 8, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight spent Election
Day volunteering for No on 8, standing 100 feet away from
poling places handing out palm cards and urging people
to vote against the same-sex marriage ban. Here he
recounts the well-wishers who brought cookies and
cheered from cars and the Prop. 8 supporters who yelled
and spat -- one even got violent. But Knight says all
he ultimately felt was sadness when Prop. 8
passed.
November 6, 2008
By T.R. Knight
As liberal
America cheered the election of Barack Obama, the country's
first African-American president, California's LGBT
community wasn't able to join in the celebration. The
passing of Prop. 8, eliminating same-sex marriage in
the state, left the community defeated. These are the words
our friends and family members need to read.
November 6, 2008
By Shahan Sanossian
As LGBT Americans
simultaneously celebrate the civil rights
advancement of electing a black president and mourn our
movement's amendment losses, perhaps we can employ the
wisdom of Middle America in charting the course
for a more perfect union.
November 6, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
In a
post-Election Day press conference in Los Angeles,
California U.S. senator Barbara Boxer said the passage
of Proposition 8 by voters was not the end of the
civil rights struggle for marriage equality. Boxer said
that despite fellow Democrat Barack Obama’s historic
presidential win and gains in both the U.S. House and
Senate for her party, the loss of Proposition 8
“put a damper effect” on her election night.
November 5, 2008
By Christopher Lisotta
In 1968, U Street
in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., was on
fire and a focal point of racial tension. Forty years later
it was a scene of a racially diverse celebration of
Barack Obama's election as president of the United
States of America. But what does this excitement mean
for our country? Will it translate into anything for the
LGBT community?
November 5, 2008
By Lane Hudson 
Triangle Square,
Hollywood's LGBT senior living center, was abuzz Tuesday
morning with all things election. Volunteers shuttled a
few groups of residents who had not already voted with
an absentee ballot down to the nearest polling place.
Today, now that the votes have been tallied, check out
what some of our community's seniors thing are the biggest
issues facing the gay community -- and how far gays and
lesbians have really come.
November 5, 2008
By Michelle Garcia
Despite the early
encouraging mood of the Log Cabin Republicans, John
McCain’s all-out final push and rousing call to
action seems to have come too late. McCain’s
voice, however hoarse it may have been after a long
and arduous day of campaigning, did not suggest
defeat.
November 5, 2008
By Duane Wells
California's vote against same-sex marriage was one
negative consequence of Obama's victory.
November 5, 2008
By Aaron Hicklin
When former Log
Cabin Republicans president Patrick Guerriero came
to San Francisco to visit the No on 8 headquarters, he
didn’t know he’d wind up staying to run
the biggest LGBT rights political campaign in history.
But with a measly million in the bank and the Mormon church
raising money hand over fist, No on 8 needed help, and
Guerriero stepped in to close the gap -- and, with any
luck, make history.
October 31, 2008
By Christopher Lisotta
A group of New
York City lesbians took to the streets of Philadelphia to
turn out the vote for Barack Obama. The Illinois U.S.
senator holds a comfortable lead there, but John
McCain has fixated on Pennsylvania as the only sizable
blue state he hopes to turn red.
October 31, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
LGBT people in
Ohio suffered a stinging blow when the state's
constitutional ban on same-sex marriage passed in 2004, but
the episode also served as a call to action to
activists across the state.
October 31, 2008
By Lynne Bowman
Ohio has passed
both a law and a constitutional amendment banning
same-sex marriage, but that hasn't stopped the GOP from
trying to stir up antigay sentiment in order to keep
its four-seat advantage in the state house
of representatives.
October 30, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
Making his way
across Amsterdam and the U.K. to chat up Europeans and
Americans living abroad on the upcoming U.S. elections,
Christopher Lisotta finds that many people are more
fed up than we are -- and nearly all see the
potential for change in Barack Obama.
October 30, 2008
By Christopher Lisotta
Tony Marconi
supported gay rights long before his ex-wife came out as a
lesbian...and long before he ran for Ohio State
representative. But Bush's 2004 win, plus that year's
constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage in
Ohio, made Marconi and his wife, Martha Filipic, LGBT
rights advocates for life.
October 29, 2008
By Libby Post
The Advocate continues its coverage of four
swing states this week with Ohio, the state that could well
decide the 2008 election ... and the state that John
Kerry lost by a scant 119,000 votes in 2004. This
story is the first of four pieces focusing on the
state's political dynamics, LGBT concerns, and how it all
will play out on Election Day.
October 29, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
COMMENTARY:
According to polls, George W. Bush received around 25% of
the gay vote in 2000 and 2004 in spite of his
abandoning a promise to be a compassionate
conservative. Now the Log Cabin Republicans have endorsed a
McCain-Palin ticket, and while this endorsement is
essential to LCR's remaining politically relevant
within the GOP, the gay community should not
follow Log Cabin's lead -- and instead
should fervently and actively support Barack Obama.
October 28, 2008
By Lane Hudson
NCIS star Pauley Perrette writes a letter
against Prop. 8.
October 27, 2008
By Pauley Perrette
NCIS star Pauley Perrette calls herself a "Christian,
churchgoing, Bible-quoting, praying, thinking civil rights
activist" -- which might explain the actress's
passionate letter and grassroots efforts urging
Californians to vote no on Prop. 8.
October 27, 2008
By Ken Knox
Equality Virginia
takes stock of state politics since the marriage ban
passed in 2006 and finds that even conservative
Republicans are starting to think twice before
targeting LGBTs.
October 24, 2008
By Dyana Mason and Mark E. Board
The antigay
Virginia marriage amendment may have passed with
57% of the vote in 2006, but it also prodded thousands of
LGBT activists to action, laying the groundwork for
the presidential election in 2008.
October 23, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
With Barack Obama
making Virginia look like it might just go blue in
2008, things are slowly improving for the LGBT community
throughout the state. But with the state still not
recognizing civil unions or domestic partnerships --
nevermind marriage -- Equality Virginia's Molly
McClintock recognizes they still have a long way to go.
October 22, 2008
By Libby Post
The Advocate continues its coverage of four
swing states this week with Virginia, a traditionally red
state where some recent polls give Sen. Barack Obama a
dougle-digit advantage. Today’s story is
the first of four pieces focusing on the
state's political dynamics, LGBT concerns, and how it
all will play out on Election Day.
October 21, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
Writer Michael
Joseph Gross joins a crew of 50 campaign volunteers from
Boston (who traveled on a bus they dubbed "The
Not-So-Straight-Talk Express”) and about 100
Ohio volunteers to canvass for Obama throughout
Columbus and finds that not all of the locals are receptive
to Obama's promise of change.
October 21, 2008
By Michael Joseph Gross
The weekend
brought of flurry of political endorsements, with Gen. Colin
Powell breaking his silence on the presidential
race to back Sen. Barack Obama and Gov.
Sarah breaking with her running mate, Sen. John
McCain, to voice her support for a federal marriage
amendment outlawing same-sex marriage.
October 18, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld 
Sen.
Barack Obama's campaign held a conference call Thursday
intended to highlight his policy prescriptions for combating
the HIV/AIDS epidemic -- including increased
funding for research, care, and prevention as well as
developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy within the
first year of his administration.
October 17, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
In the midst of
an ugly battle, something beautiful is happening in
Florida. Despite a too-close-to call battle over Amendment 2
-- which would go further than California's Prop. 8 by
stripping away all legal protections for unmarried
couples, gay or straight -- LGBTs are organizing
in hanging-chad, butterfly-ballot, nail-biter,
presidential-election-decider Florida.
October 17, 2008
By Nadine Smith
Remember the Fort
Lauderdale mayor who wanted to spend $230,000 on a
“robo-toilet” to cut down the number
of men who have sex with men in public restrooms?
His name is Jim Naugle, and after 18 years in office,
come spring 2009, the homophobic mayor will bid adieu to
City Hall. Two gay men are seeking to take his place
and, in aligning themselves with Barack Obama's bid
for the White House, hoping to make Florida a blue
state in 2008.
October 16, 2008
Libby Post
Polls show
Florida's gay marriage ban is just shy of the 60% support
needed to pass, but the state's complicated demographics
make the outcome of the vote anyone's guess.
One thing is certain: Amendment 2's sweeping nature
would affect far more people than the gays and
lesbians it's targeting.
October 15, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
The Advocate continues its
coverage of four swing states this week with
Florida, which went red in 2004 and infamously decided
the 2000 election for George W. Bush. Today’s
story is the first of four pieces focusing on the Sunshine
State's political dynamics, LGBT concerns, and how it all
will play out on Election Day.
October 14, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
Howard F.
Ahmanson Jr. has put $900,000 of his own money into passing
California's gay marriage ban, but it's not the first time
the flush ascetic has injected his religious views
into politics. From stemming affirmative action to
stoking unrest within the Episcopal Church, Ahmanson
has been one of the most influential political donors in the
country.
October 13, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
A registered
Republican from the swing state of Ohio has a few questions
for Sarah Palin and John McCain on the heels of Palin's
vice-presidential debate. Specifically, Kim Peters
wants to know: Just how "tolerant" would a McCain
White House be of Peters's lesbian daughter?
October 10, 2008
By Kim Peters
Long before
Kristofer Eisenla became deputy chief of staff and
communications director for U.S. representative Diana
DeGette (D-Colo.), he campaigned for Clinton marching
around the living room of his staunchly Republican
grandparents' home with a sign he'd crafted himself.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine 16 years later
he'd be so actively involved in the planning of the
2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
October 9, 2008
By Kristofer Eisenla
This is the third
article in The Advocate's continuing coverage
of four battleground states: Colorado, Florida,
Virginia, and Ohio. Entrepreneur and philanthropist Jared
Polis is set to make history by becoming the first
openly gay non-incumbent male elected to the U.S.
Congress, but the milestone has failed to send shock
waves through his Colorado district. Some think that
could represent the greatest progress of all.
October 8, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
Wonder where the
presidential hopefuls stand on gay issues? Look no
further.
October 8, 2008
By Emmet Sullivan
After eight years
of avoidance by the Bush administration, will Obama or
McCain champion gay rights in American foreign policy?
October 8, 2008
By Ryan Richard Thoreson
Since
Colorado’s Amendment 2 changed the state constitution
to prohibit new laws to protect lesbians and gays from
discrimination in 1992, LGBT activist Pat Steadman has
been at the forefront of Colorado's equal rights
battle. Now, for the first time since that year, Colorado
looks like it could well swing Democrat in November's
election, thanks in large part to the work of Steadman
and Equal Rights Colorado.
October 7, 2008
By Libby Post
We thought we
were winning. Until a few days ago, California’s
proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment, Proposition 8,
was lagging in the polls. Now they're ahead. What
happened? Money, an effective ad campaign, and a
passionate voter base willing to stop at nothing to get
their point across: In their minds, gay marriage is simply
wrong.
October 7, 2008
By Anne Stockwell
The Advocate is profiling four battleground
states this month -- Colorado, Florida, Virginia, and Ohio
-- all of which went red in 2004. Today's story is the
first of four pieces focusing on the Rocky Mountain
State's political dynamics, LGBT concerns, and how it
will all play out on Election Day.
October 4, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
As Alaska
governor Sarah Palin and Delaware senator Joe Biden sparred
over same-sex unions in their first and only debate
Thursday night, one thing was clear: They both oppose
gay marriage. But when Biden delved deeper into equal
rights and protections for gay couples, Palin didn't
take the bait.
October 3, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
Gov. Sarah Palin
talked abortion and LGBT issues with Katie Couric in the
lead-up to Thursday's debate and arguably gave one of her
stronger media appearances thus far. But her
public record on social issues and how her debate
performance will play remains less than clear.
October 1, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
ELECTION 2008:
The Right
Hook
Election 2008:
The Right
Hook
Sen. Barack
Obama's campaign is reportedly launching a "Faith,
Family, and Values Tour" next week that will include
Catholic legal scholar Douglas Kmiec as one of the
campaign's surrogates. Kmiec wrote an op-ed for the
San Francisco Chronicle this summer in
which he urged support for passing California's
marriage ban, Proposition 8.
September 20, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
The Obama
campaign is getting back to the basics this week,
talking about the economy, swing states, and shoring
up the Democratic base. The campaign also finally
sits down with Philadelphia Gay News, making
good on that blank page publisher Mark Segal
infamously ran alongside the publication's interview
with Sen. Hillary Clinton.
September 18, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld 
Surrogates for
Sen. Barack Obama briefed reporters Tuesday on the
senator's support for repealing the military's
discriminatory policy, saying it is outmoded and
serves as a hindrance to recruiting the best and
brightest for the nation's Armed Services.
September 17, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
While Alaska is a
solidly red state and one of the first in the
nation to pass a constitutional measure banning same-sex
marriage, being gay in Wasilla isn't quite what you
might think according to the natives.
September 13, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
Patrick Sammon
takes questions from The Advocate about Log
Cabin’s decision to endorse the McCain-Palin
ticket and predicts seeing more inclusive language from the
campaign before voters cast their ballots November 4.
September 12, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
The Week That Was: What’s in a song?
Apparently a lot, if the song happens to be Heart’s
1977 hit “Barracuda” and the people
playing it happen to work for Republican vice
presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Moments after the McCain
camp used the song to highlight the GOP’s brash
new political star, Heart front women Nancy and
Ann Wilson publicly issued a cease-and-desist order.
As the McCain campaign continues using the song on the
trail, the battle lines have been drawn... but who's
going to come out victorious?
September 12, 2008
By Duane Wells
When Barack Obama
tapped Delaware senator Joseph Biden to be his vice
president, he made a good move for gay rights.
September 10, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
OPINION: Last
week's rapture of love and support for Republican
vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her unwed,
pregnant daughter was a a far cry from the attention
shown to Mary Cheney, lesbian daughter of Vice
President Dick Cheney, when she hit the packed convention
four years ago with her partner, Heather Poe.
September 9, 2008
By Eric Hegedus
For anyone still
wondering, on the left or the right, where John McCain
now stands on two of the most divisive social issues of our
time -- abortion and gay rights -- the Arizona
senator made his beliefs clear as he accepted the
Republican Party's nomination for president Thursday
night in St. Paul, Minnesota.
September 5, 2008
By Sean Kennedy
Senior McCain
campaign strategist Steve Schmidt spoke to Log Cabin
Republicans, calling them "an important part" of the
Republican Party and sounding a personal note
about his lesbian sister.
September 4, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
OPINION: As Sarah
Palin stood before the average American family
Wednesday night, touting hers as one and the same -- her
five-months-pregnant, 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, dressed
in formfitting fabric appearing to almost accentuate
her baby bump while the daddy-to-be, clean-shaven
(unlike his rougher-looking MySpace photos), sat
alongside adoringly, the picture of Abercrombie perfection
-- for the first time, I saw what all this gay
marriage fuss was all about.
September 4, 2008
By Ross von Metzke
As
vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin said in her hotly
anticipated speech Wednesday night at the Republican
National Convention, the only difference between a
hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick. And the Log
Cabin Republicans who gathered together at a downtown
Minneapolis hotel to watch her dig her teeth into
Barack Obama were all too pleased by the bloody
spectacle.
September 4, 2008
By Sean Kennedy .jpg)
As Republicans
crush out on Alaska governor Sarah Palin and
Democrats do a victory dance, the independent voters who
will decide this election have yet to choose their
suitor.
September 3, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
While Sarah Palin
and Hurricane Gustav dominated talk on the abbreviated
opening day of the 2008 Republican National Convention, a
prominent Republican pollster confirmed that the
recent change of language describing Proposition 8 was
a positive one.
September 2, 2008
By Sean Kennedy
Sen. Barack Obama
accepted his Party's history making nomination for
president Thursday night with a speech that was also
momentous for its inclusion of gays and lesbians.
August 29, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld and Sean Kennedy
Obama's highest
ranking gay staffer implored LGBT delegates
Wednesday to get involved in the election, one of
several clear pushes by the campaign this week to
tap the resolve of our community.
August 28, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
Hillary Clinton
had two objectives with her address to the Democratic
National Convention Tuesday night: prove she's committed to
electing Barack Obama president, and persuade her
primary voters to embrace the Democratic nominee too.
She certainly accomplished the former.
August 27, 2008
By Sean Kennedy
From Sen. Ted
Kennedy's reference to erasing barriers between gays and
straights to Michelle Obama's gripping primetime address to
the largest-ever LGBT caucus meeting, The
Advocate brings you Day One at the DNC.
August 26, 2008
By Sean Kennedy and Kerry Eleveld
Activist Robin
Tyler enlists the help of some notable friends and
takes the campaign against California's proposed gay
marriage ban into her own hands.
August 20, 2008
By Anne Stockwell
As Congress
grapples with solutions for a faltering economy, Barney
Frank sits at the center of power.
August 13, 2008
By John Gallagher
Judging from her
congressional testimony, Elaine Donnelly may be the most
strident civilian opponent of lifting "don’t ask,
don’t tell." Too bad her reasons for keeping
the policy in place aren’t sound.
August 13, 2008
By Conn Corrigan
Gay Republicans
are hoping the Arizona senator can be won over to
our side. Don't count on it.
August 4, 2008
By Charles Kaiser
John McCain
stated last week that he flatly opposes gay adoption,
but now his campaign says he thinks the
issue should be left up to the states.
July 15, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
Senator Obama's
pledge to spend $500 million to expand religions'
social services for people in need is a tough sell
to many LGBT activists, even as some lean toward
cautious optimism.
July 8, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld .jpg)
The Log Cabin
Republicans have confirmed that Sen. John McCain has
switched from holding a neutral position on California's
anti-gay marriage measure to supporting it.
July 2, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
The formation of
an LGBT affinity group at the SEC and an LGBT
congressional caucus presage a warmer atmosphere for gays in
Washington.
July 2, 2008
By William Henderson
Sen. Obama
reminded us this week that he believes marriage is
between a man and a woman, something LGBT people
might have easily forgotten over the course of
the primary.
June 20, 2008
By Kerry Eleveld
As many diehard
LGBT Clinton fans conclude that Hillary's bid is over,
about to be over, or should be over, they are making peace
with an Obama nomination.
May 20, 2008
By Julie Bolcer
Four years after
he pushed same-sex marriage forward in the national
debate, Gavin Newsom is waiting for his answer in the
California supreme court. So are we.
May 14, 2008
By Sue Rochman
The Victory Fund
begins vetting those interested in working for the
next president with far more applicants than when the
process first took place in the '90s.
April 19, 2008
By Andrew Noyes
What do Jennifer
Beals and Chelsea Clinton have in common? They
both have big gay followings and they're both stumping for
their candidate in Philadelphia. Check out our Election 2008 blog for all the
action.
April 17, 2008
If election 2008
sweeps a Democratic administration into office, who in
our community might be walking the halls of the White House
and weighing in on key policy decisions? The
Advocate takes a look at some potential power
players.
April 15, 2008
By Andrew Noyes
As the knock-down
drag-out race for the Democratic presidential
nomination wears on, LGBT political insiders have begun
speculating about possible administration 
