Continental promo
||  News  ||
 
August 12, 2008

LGBT Activists Call Democratic Platform Most Inclusive to Date

LGBT Activists Call Democratic Platform Most Inclusive to Date

The final version of the Democratic Platform is being hailed as the most LGBT-inclusive to date by queer activists and politicians alike despite the fact that the words gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender do not appear in the text of the platform, according to those who have read the document.

Though the official platform has yet to be released to the public, LGBT advocacy groups say the wording that was adopted explicitly discusses adopting a national HIV/AIDS strategy, repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and passing hate-crimes and comprehensive employment nondiscrimination legislation. The document reportedly also marked some historic firsts by including "same-sex couples" in the Democratic Party's definition of families, pledging to fight discrimination based on "gender identity" and opposing the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex partners who are legally married.

"This has been the most inclusive drafting process of a party platform in history," Rep. Tammy Baldwin said, noting the approximately 1,600 listening sessions that took place across the country to incorporate the ideas and concerns of average voters. Baldwin said the platform was far stronger on LGBT issues than the one adopted in 2004 because it went "from rhetoric to policy and substance and reflected the positions that have been championed by Senator Obama" throughout the campaign.

Jon Hoadley, executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, said the exclusion of the words gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender had more to do with the inclusion of equivalent terms typically used in legislation. "Sexual orientation, gender identity, same-sex couples -- this is the type of language that appears in legislation and policy across the country," Hoadley said.

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, also noted that the inclusion of transgender people in the platform never became a point of discussion. "Gender identity got put in the draft of the platform, and then there was never any serious debate about taking it out," she said, crediting all the grassroots work and education efforts taking place around trans issues.

Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Equality Council, said that after talking to both the Democratic and Republican parties about their platforms, she was particularly pleased with the outcome of the Democratic platform. "For the first time, we're not just talking about family values, we're actually valuing families in this platform," Chrisler said. (Kerry Eleveld, The Advocate)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Keith
    Date posted: 2008-08-12 4:43 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    What is LGBT anyway? A sandwich? A new recreational drug? A social disease? Imagine those poor kids trying to come out today. "Mom, Dad I'm a legbot." "Oh son, this is such a disgrace to the family. Your father and I were hoping you'd be a shirt-lifter like your uncle."


  • Name: Carol
    Date posted: 2008-08-12 11:44 AM
    Hometown: Sarasota, FL

    Comment:

    This is great to see. I'm glad that the terms gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender do not appear in the platform language. We are about integration and equal rights not definitions that can serve to separate and alienate us from the greater society as well as they have historically unified us.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max. HTML formatting and hyperlinks are NOT permitted.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
    Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.
  • Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
    When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.
  • Hungry Like the Wolf
    A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.
  • Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
    Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.
  • The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
    With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.
  • Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
    After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.
  • The Pride of Antwerp
    Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.
  • Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
    In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.
  • Top Political Blogs
    From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.
  • The Diva of French Television
    A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.