Democratic
National
Committee
Chair
Terry
McAuliffe
is
considering
inviting
gay
D.C.
Council
member
David
Catania
to
meet
with
him
to
discuss
what,
if
any,
role
Catania
might
play
at
the
Democratic
National
Convention,
according
to
gay
Democratic
activist
David
Meadows.
Meadows,
president
of
the
District’s
Gertrude
Stein
Democratic
Club,
said
he
urged
McAuliffe
to
meet
with
Catania
shortly
after
D.C.
Republican
Party
Chair
Betsy
Werronen
disqualified
Catania
from
serving
as
a
delegate
to
the
Republican
National
Convention.
Werronen
said
she
ousted
Catania
as
a
GOP
convention
delegate
after
he
announced
he
could
no
longer
support
President
Bush’s
re-election
because
of
Bush’s
support
for
a
constitutional
amendment
banning
same-sex
marriage.
“No
meeting
is
lined
up
at
this
time,”
said
Tony
Welch,
a
McAuliffe
spokesperson.
“It
makes
sense
for
us,
but
I
don’t
know
if
it
makes
sense
for
Council
member
Catania.”
Catania
said
that
as
of
June
15,
no
one
from
the
DNC
had
contacted
him
about
such
a
meeting.
He
said
he
would
not
rule
out
a
meeting
with
McAuliffe,
but
could
not
comment
further
until
he
hears
directly
from
the
DNC.
“What
David
[Catania]
did
was
honorable
and
courageous,”
said
Eric
Stern,
the
DNC’s
director
of
outreach
to
the
gay,
lesbian,
bisexual
&
transgender
communities.
“There
is
certainly
an
effort
by
the
DNC
to
talk
to
gay
Republicans
who
aren’t
supporting
President
Bush,”
Stern
said.
Catania
has
said
it
was
unlikely
that
he
would
become
a
Democrat
but
was
considering
becoming
an
independent.
Meadows
said
he
wants
the
DNC
to
invite
Catania
to
the
Democratic
National
Convention
as
a
symbolic
gesture
of
support
for
Catania’s
decision
to
put
“principle
over
party”
by
breaking
from
Bush
over
the
issue
of
an
anti-gay
marriage
amendment.
LOU
CHIBBARO
JR.
Two
lesbian
grandmothers,
who
are
currently
biking
3,800
miles
across
America,
are
the
scheduled
featured
speakers
at
PFLAG-Howard
County’s
monthly
meeting
on
July
13.
Carrie
and
Elisia
Ross-Stone
are
both
lesbian
partners
and
owner/operators
of
Rainbow
Law
(wwww.rainbowlaw.com),
a
legal
education
service
for
gay
men
and
lesbians.
The
couple
is
participating
in
their
second
bike
ride
with
Rainbow
Ride
Across
America,
a
cross-country
bicycle
ride
that
raises
awareness
about
the
need
for
equal
civil
marriage
rights
for
gay
couples.
“Recent
headlines
have
highlighted
the
many
federal
and
state
laws
that
deprive
same-sex
couples
the
right
to
enjoy
the
benefits
and
responsibilities
of
civil
marriage,”
they
said
in
a
joint
statement.
“And
now
there
is
the
threat
of
a
constitutional
amendment
that
may
even
cancel
rights
granted
in
California
and
Vermont.
Frankly,
we
chose
to
ride
our
bicycles
across
the
country
because
we
could
not
just
sit
by
and
do
nothing
while
LGBT
families
are
being
lied
about
and
degraded
in
the
media,
in
courtrooms
and
in
legislative
halls.
This
ride
is
our
way
of
protesting
the
threats
being
made
to
our
own
family
and
to
every
other
LGBT
family
in
America.”
According
to
Rainbow
Ride
Across
America,
the
ride
began
in
San
Francisco
on
May
2
and
is
scheduled
to
conclude
on
July
10
in
New
York
City.
The
PFLAG
event
will
take
place
at
the
Owen
Brown
Interfaith
Center,
7246
Cradlerock
Way,
Columbia,
Md.,
at
7:30
p.m.
JOE
CREA
In
an
effort
to
generate
support
among
younger
voters
with
modest
means,
U.S.
Rep.
Barney
Frank
(D-Mass.)
and
Human
Rights
Campaign
President
Cheryl
Jacques
were
scheduled
to
headline
a
fund-raiser
to
support
Sen.
John
Kerry’s
presidential
bid.
Ripple
of
Hope,
a
national
grassroots
effort
led
by
gay
men
and
lesbians
to
elect
John
Kerry
president,
is
spearheading
the
fund-raiser,
which
asked
for
a
minimum
contribution
of
$35.
“The
far
right
is
raising
millions
on
the
anti-gay
Federal
Marriage
Amendment.
If
gays
and
lesbians
want
equality
and
respect,
we
must
respond,”
said
Blake
Humphreys,
a
Ripple
of
Hope
organizer.
“The
best
way
to
guarantee
our
rights
is
by
contributing
our
time,
resources,
and
energy
to
ensure
that
John
Kerry
is
our
next
president.”
The
event
was
scheduled
for
Thursday,
June
17
at
MCCXXIII,
the
home
of
Lizard
Lounge
on
Sundays.
JOE
CREA
