Jul 30, 2004  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO JR.  | COMMENTS     

BOSTON — The Human Rights Campaign says it stands by a decision to drop bisexual comedian Margaret Cho from the roster of entertainers invited to perform at a July 27 “Unity 04” party in Boston for gay delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Cho had promised to put on an “incendiary” act attacking President Bush, according to HRC spokesperson Steven Fisher. Fisher said such a performance would have diverted the event’s “message” away from the organizers’ aim of helping to elect John Kerry president.

Some of Cho’s gay fans said the comedian became a victim of efforts by the Kerry campaign and some of its gay supporters, including HRC, to tone down controversial rhetoric inside and outside the convention hall.

They said HRC knew of Cho’s reputation for using bawdy language and sharp political satire in her popular nightclub act at the time they invited her to perform in the Unity 04 event.

Critics said HRC and its Democratic Party “overseers” appeared to be reacting to the Republican Party attack on the Kerry campaign for a controversial performance by Whoopi Goldberg at a recent fund-raising event for Kerry. Goldberg, who laced her performance with four-letter words and sexual references, was denounced by the Republican National Committee, which criticized Kerry for associating himself with such material.

At least one of the Unity 04 sponsors, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, withdrew its endorsement of the event and criticized HRC and the other groups for rescinding Cho’s invitation.

Transgender right activist Mara Keisling said the decision to rescind Cho’s invitation prompted some transgender rights groups to withdraw their support for the event and to stage a competing event on the same night.

Disunity at Unity 04
Gay playwright and political activist Larry Kramer issued a statement denouncing HRC for attempting to censor Cho.

“You look worse running away than you would if you had gone through with it,” Kramer wrote.

Fisher said that 10 of the 12 groups that signed on as sponsors of the Unit 04 party supported HRC’s proposal to withdraw the Cho invitation.

Fisher said HRC raised concerns after Cho informed the gay rights group through her publicist that she planned to use new material at the Unity 04 event from her “State of Emergency” national tour, which is set to begin soon. He said HRC called Cho’s representative and asked to review the material.

Cho then informed HRC she would put on an “incendiary” performance and would not in any way “tone it down,” Fisher said.

“We said we feel she’s great but this was not the right forum,” Fisher said. “This is a political convention where everyone is on message.”

Added Fisher, “The one who wanted Margaret Cho the most was probably [Bush administration political adviser] Karl Rove. The type of message of distraction she would provide is what Rove would like.”

Rove has been credited with orchestrating Bush’s shift to the right on a number of issues, including Bush’s decision to support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

Fisher said the Kerry campaign and convention organizers did not ask HRC and the other sponsors to drop Cho from the Unity 04 party.

He said the Washington Times, which led the reporting among GOP-leaning news organizations about the Whoopi Goldberg episode, sent a reporter to the Unity 04 event in anticipation of Cho’s appearance. Fisher said several cable news outlets had planned to cover the event had Cho’s participation not been cancelled.

In a past performance, Cho had this to say about Bush: “Maybe he needs a new version of the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt not steal votes. Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s country. Thou shalt not kill for oil. Thou shalt not take grammar in vein.”

At the time her appearance at the Unity event was cancelled, Cho cancelled a separate appearance she was scheduled to make at the annual convention of the National Stonewall Democrats, a gay Democratic Party group, which was held in Providence, R.I., the weekend before the Democratic National Convention.

Cho’s cancellation of her NSD appearance forced that group to scramble to find an entertainment act to replace her. NSD executive director David Noble said NSD supported HRC’s effort to withdraw Cho’s invitation for the Unity event.

In a statement released by her publicist, Cho said she was “very disappointed” in the decision to cancel her appearance at the unity event.

“Although I don’t believe it was the right decision, I am not angry with the HRC for withdrawing their invitation for me to perform,” Cho said. “I will continue to support them, for we must ...