Ford to Address NYC Gay Group

Potential U.S. Senate candidate Harold E. Ford Jr. will address the New York City chapter of the Stonewall Democratic Club next Wednesday, in an appearance that gay activists are promising to disrupt.

Ford, a former Tennessee congressman, has come under fire in recent weeks for his two votes in support of a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He now says he supports marriage equality.

A past Stonewall president and board member told the New York Daily News that Ford will be walking into a "lion's den" at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan.

"A lot of people don't like him, and I have a feeling they're going to be a little hostile," Marty Algaze told reporter Liz Benjamin.

The appearance will provide Ford with an opportunity to take questions and clarify his positions. The club also plans to announce a date to host Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the favored candidate among gay Democrats, particularly for her push on "don't ask, don't tell" repeal.

New York gay activists led by a group called The Power have created a Facebook page to "Crash Harold Ford, Jr.'s Address to Stonewall Democrats NYC."