As the crowd at
the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver begins
cheering for itself and its candidates, LGBT
delegates' applause will be heard louder than
ever. A solid 8% of the total delegate population has
self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender,
with that number expected to increase once all of the
delegates arrive.
Of the more than
4,400 delegates at the convention, more than 370 of
them are openly LGBT (up from 275 in 2004), according to the
National Stonewall Democrats. Those delegates
represent 48 states, up from 42 in 2004. The states
sending gay delegates to the convention for the first
time: Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota and
Tennessee.
The
Advocate news team will be filing news, video,
and blog reports from the convention -- and from the gay and
lesbian caucus -- throughout the week. Check Advocate.com
for the latest updates. (Cathy Markes, The
Advocate)