DENVER - On the heels of a riveting keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama's wife Michelle spoke to a luncheon of LGBT delegates Aug. 26, telling them that "discrimination has no place in a nation founded on equality." And at the end of the day - in what amounted to her final concession speech - Hillary Clinton urged Democrats to work for an America "defined by deep and meaningful equality... from women's rights to gay rights."
"America, we're here!" said Barney Frank, one of two openly gay representatives in a 535-member Congress, welcoming more than 600 people to a luncheon, sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and the National Stonewall Democrats. It was an exclamation that conveyed what many LGBT delegates and alternates are saying at this week's convention: that LGBT Americans and their issues have arrived, at least within the Democratic Party. They feel fully ensconced, heard, and accepted and they talk the talk: They want to see that U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) becomes President Barack Obama this November.
Burying the hatchet
One of the most famous LGBT delegates at the convention, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), addressed the LGBT caucus at an Aug. 25 caucus meeting, one of two meetings scheduled for the convention. Baldwin acknowledged that she, like many if not most of the caucus members, "started out backing Senator Clinton" for the Democratic nomination. But she noted that both Clinton and Obama "jointly asked me" to serve on the party's 15-member platform draft committee. She said the platform "reflects our values" and said it was a far cry from the 1980 platform that stated simply that "all groups" should be protected from discrimination based on their "sexual orientation."
Baldwin did not mention that this year's platform, unlike all those passed since 1992, did not include the word "gay," opting instead to call for an end to discrimination based on "sexual orientation." However, she did note that this year's platform, for the first time in party history, explicitly opposes discrimination based on "gender identity," an historic gesture towards transgender people.
Strength in numbers
By all accounts this was the largest LGBT caucus ever at a Democratic National Convention, but precisely how large is up for debate. There were several different numbers bandied about from the podium of the August 25 LGBT caucus meeting. Some counts hovered around 255, but apparently those included only delegates and alternates, who have the potential to vote on the nomination. That number alone, said DNC Secretary Alice Germond, represents a 41 percent increase over 2004. Other counts were much higher and included non-voting state party officials. A tally based on a roll call taken during the first caucus meeting added up to 377.
LGBT presence at DNC great in number, low in visibility
Bay Windows - Boston,MA,USA
"America, we're here!" said Barney Frank, one of two openly gay representatives in a 535-member Congress, welcoming more than 600 people to a luncheon, sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and the National Stonewall Democrats. It was an exclamation that conveyed what many LGBT delegates and alternates are saying at this week's convention: that LGBT Americans and their issues have arrived, at least within the Democratic Party. They feel fully ensconced, heard, and accepted and they talk the talk: They want to see that U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) becomes President Barack Obama this November.
Burying the hatchet
One of the most famous LGBT delegates at the convention, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), addressed the LGBT caucus at an Aug. 25 caucus meeting, one of two meetings scheduled for the convention. Baldwin acknowledged that she, like many if not most of the caucus members, "started out backing Senator Clinton" for the Democratic nomination. But she noted that both Clinton and Obama "jointly asked me" to serve on the party's 15-member platform draft committee. She said the platform "reflects our values" and said it was a far cry from the 1980 platform that stated simply that "all groups" should be protected from discrimination based on their "sexual orientation."
Baldwin did not mention that this year's platform, unlike all those passed since 1992, did not include the word "gay," opting instead to call for an end to discrimination based on "sexual orientation." However, she did note that this year's platform, for the first time in party history, explicitly opposes discrimination based on "gender identity," an historic gesture towards transgender people.
Strength in numbers
By all accounts this was the largest LGBT caucus ever at a Democratic National Convention, but precisely how large is up for debate. There were several different numbers bandied about from the podium of the August 25 LGBT caucus meeting. Some counts hovered around 255, but apparently those included only delegates and alternates, who have the potential to vote on the nomination. That number alone, said DNC Secretary Alice Germond, represents a 41 percent increase over 2004. Other counts were much higher and included non-voting state party officials. A tally based on a roll call taken during the first caucus meeting added up to 377.
LGBT presence at DNC great in number, low in visibility
Bay Windows - Boston,MA,USA
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