When Joy Behar first started on The View (as the host who filled in for Barbara Walters when she wasn’t on the show), her job was mostly to provide the show with a bit of humor. As a stand-up comic with her own New York–based radio show, Behar was the “entertainer” of the group, which then consisted of Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, and Walters.

But as cohosts and guests have come and gone, Behar has quickly ascended the ladder as The View’s liberal voice of reason, going toe-to-toe with guests including Ann Coulter, John McCain, Bill O’Reilly, and even now-cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck on a host of topics, from the war to abortion to gay rights.

It was only a matter of time before Behar got a soapbox all her own.

In the month it has been on the air, HLN's The Joy Behar Show has devoted more airtime to gay rights issues than many news/talk shows have in entire seasons. From getting Barney Frank to back down on his claims that the National Equality March was a waste of time to taking Obama to task for stalling a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” she’s front and center in the gay rights movement.

Advocate.com sat down with Behar to talk about taking on Ann Coulter, the Republican Party’s retro thinking on gay rights, and why she isn’t the only one who thought Janet Napolitano was out of the closet.

Advocate.com:
Rachel Maddow aside, I think you might just have the gayest news/talk show on television right now.
Joy Behar: Why do you say that?

You’re covering the gamut and giving us so much good, gay stuff. It’s a total compliment.
[Laughs] Oh, I know that… I know it’s a compliment. Thank you.

You’ve long been known for speaking your mind on The View. What’s different about the way in which you speak your mind on your show?
Well, it’s a little bit more in-depth, I think. I have more time to focus on the things that I’m interested in. It’s not a committee over here, it’s me, so there’s a big difference, I think, in terms of the way the show is run and the way I am on the show.

Right out of the gate, you’ve started talking about “don’t ask, don’t tell,” about the National Equality March, about Obama’s promises to the gay community. Is it just coincidence that these are all hot-button issues right now, or did you know going in you’d be talking a lot about gay rights?
Well, I focus on things that I’m interested in. I’m sure there are other shows where they don’t mention gay rights. So it’s a ‘Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?’ situation. And, in this case, the egg came first. [Laughs]