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| Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (right) and his running mate John Edwards began a 14-day, cross-country trip on Friday. Kerry did not mention gays specifically in his acceptance speech on July 29, but many gay delegates did not have a problem with that. (AP photo)
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: LOU CHIBBARO JR. COMMENTS
 
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pro-Kerry. And
I ended up leaving the convention much more pro-Kerry. So he accomplished what
he set out to do."
Similar to his 1992 convention speech, Clinton mentioned gays in his 1996
convention address as part of a litany of groups that he said should be welcomed
into the fabric of the nation.
"Look around this hall tonight," Clinton said. "And to our fellow Americans
watching on television, you look around this hall tonight … Old and young,
healthy as a horse or a person with a disability that hasn’t kept you down,
man or woman, native born, immigrant, straight or gay — whatever — the test
ought to be: ‘I believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration
of Independence. I believe in religious liberty. I believe in freedom of speech,
and I believe in working hard and playing by the rules.’"
In his 2000 convention speech, then-Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore
said, "[H]ear me well. We will pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
And we will honor the memory of Matthew Shepard, Joseph Ileto, and James Byrd,
whose families have joined us this week, by passing a law against hate crimes.
It’s time."
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