Gay Democrats endorse Kerry for president

National Stonewall Democrats announced Thursday its endorsement of Sen. John Kerry for president. The announcement comes after a unanimous vote by the organization's board of directors. With more than 90 local chapters, NSD plans to mobilize thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals in its efforts to elect Kerry. "Even before his first year in the Senate almost 20 years ago, Senator Kerry has been a friend to gay and lesbian families," said Dave Noble, NSD executive director. "There has never been a presidential nominee who has held such a strong record of support for our community." The group will now use its resources to create a campaign to elect John Kerry and the Democratic ticket to the White House. As part of its national effort, NSD recently named Chrissy Gephardt as director of its Grassroots Campaign Corps. As director, Gephardt will educate the GLBT community about Kerry's record as well as focus on registering voters, creating voter files, training activists, and building coalitions of support for the Democratic ticket in targeted states. "Senator Kerry will move us forward on issues important to our community," said Gephardt. "In Senator Kerry we have a candidate who will fight for equality in workplace protections, tax fairness, immigration policy, military service, and society at large. While George W. Bush is actively campaigning against our families, we know a Kerry administration will be a partner in our progress."