Sen.
Hillary
Clinton’s
presidential
campaign
this
week
released
a
new
list
of
prominent
gay
supporters.
The
list,
released
first
Wednesday
to
the
Blade,
included
21
gay
professionals
and
activists
who
recently
endorsed
Clinton’s
bid
for
the
White
House.
Names
on
the
list
include
H.
Alexander
Robinson,
executive
director
of
the
National
Black
Justice
Coalition;
Dana
Beyer,
who
is
transgender
and
a
member
of
Human
Rights
Campaign’s
board
of
governors;
and
Rep.
Patricia
Todd,
the
first
openly
gay
member
of
the
Alabama
House
of
Representatives.
“I
am
honored
to
have
the
support
of
these
leaders
in
the
LGBT
community,”
Clinton
said.
“Together,
we
can
end
the
divisive
politics
of
the
current
administration
and
renew
the
promise
of
fairness
and
equality
for
all
Americans.”
Robinson
said
he
chose
Clinton
over
her
fellow
Democratic
candidates
because
she
“is
the
best
prepared
of
all
the
candidates
to
step
into
the
very
challenging
job
of
repairing
our
standing
in
the
world.”
He
added,
“I
really
felt
after
looking
at
the
other
candidates
and
taking
all
things
into
consideration
that
she
had
the
experience
and
commitment
to
the
issues
that
are
important
to
me
and
to
really
take
us
to
the
next
level.”
Beyer,
meanwhile,
said
Clinton
won
her
endorsement
in
part
because
the
New
York
senator
wants
to
protect
transgender
Americans
in
the
Employment
Non-Discrimination
Act
(ENDA).
“I
really
feel
that
she
understands
what
gender
identity
and
expression
means,”
Beyer
said.
“She
is
supportive
of
an
inclusive
ENDA,
and
she
is
even
more
importantly
supportive
of
an
inclusive
America.”
The
endorsements
came
the
same
week
that
gay
Rep.
Barney
Frank
(D-Mass.)
announced
his
support
for
Clinton.
Frank,
a
senior
House
member
who
serves
as
chair
of
the
Financial
Services
Committee,
also
will
serve
as
the
campaign’s
economic
adviser.
In
a
prepared
statement,
Frank
said
Clinton
is
“the
candidate
best
qualified
to
serve
as
president.”
He
also
noted
that
on
issues
involving
discrimination,
“Clinton
is
the
candidate
best
equipped
to
pass
laws
that
will
treat
all
Americans
with
dignity,
fairness
and
equality
no
matter
who
they
are
or
who
they
love.”
In
other
campaign
news,
Sen.
Barack
Obama
this
week
released
an
editorial
to
gay
publications
(see
page
24)
that
explained
why
his
campaign
featured
an
anti-gay
pastor
at
a
fundraising
event,
and
asked
gays
for
their
support
toward
inclusive
efforts.
“I
will
never
compromise
on
my
commitment
to
equal
rights
for
all
LGBT
Americans,”
he
wrote.
“But
neither
will
I
close
my
ears
to
the
voices
of
those
who
still
need
to
be
convinced.”
The
piece
came
about
two
weeks
after
Rev.
Donnie
McClurkin
performed
and
spoke
during
an
event
in
South
Carolina.
McClurkin,
who
claims
to
be
“ex-gay,”
has
accused
gay
Americans
of
“trying
to
kill
our
children,”
and
called
homosexuality
a
“curse.”
Obama,
who
did
not
attend
the
event,
has
repeatedly
said
he
does
not
share
McClurkin’s
views.
But
Rick
Garcia,
an
early
Obama
supporter
and
longtime
gay
rights
activist
who
helped
start
Equality
Illinois,
said
he
remains
frustrated
with
Obama’s
campaign.
“I
know
Sen.
Obama,
I
know
his
record,
I
admire
it,”
he
said.
“But
on
this
issue,
this
campaign
doesn’t
get
it,
and
I’m
afraid
that
it
is
going
to
hurt
him
in
the
long
run.”
Cathy
Renna,
managing
partner
of
Renna
Communications,
said
Obama’s
editorial
lacked
an
essential
component.
“Until
he’s
willing
to
say
this
was
a
huge
mistake,
nothing
is
going
to
appease
anyone,”
she
said.
“Nor
should
it.”
Obama
wasn’t
the
only
presidential
candidate
working
to
recover
from
a
perceived
misstep.
Republican
candidate
Mitt
Romney
took
some
ribbing
last
week
after
the
New
York
Times
reported
his
campaign
had
advertised
for
at
least
two
days
in
August
on
Gay.com.
Citing
campaign
sources,
the
newspaper
indicated
that
the
advertisements
encouraging
viewers
to
“Join
Team
Mitt!”
were
inadvertently
placed
on
the
gay
web
portal
and
were
removed
at
the
request
of
Gay.com.
The
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jeri . on 11/20/071:04 AM:
bill c? mr. president, is that you? that remark about hillary being as good as the next one gave you away. who would know better?
Bill C. on 11/16/0712:10 PM:
Yeah... but it's the same thing with ALL of them. I watched the Dem. debates last night and they all sounded the same. In terms of GLBT equality, don't expect miracles from any of them, such as access to Federal benefits for Mass. marriages and state sanctioned civil unions. I doubt that any of them will touch that one. Yet, they all want our support and our money. I guess Hillary is as good as the next one. And in all fairness, I don't believe one of them would go out of their way to support ENDA unless it ended up on their desk. Same with DADT. The GLBT community is still being used... so what else is new?
jeri . on 11/16/0711:01 AM:
please don't forget that DADT and DOMA were created while the clintons were in the whitehouse. hillary never raised a finger, much less her voice. i didn't hear her say anything about ENDA being inclusive while the debate was going on either - before or after 3685 went to the floor. all you can expect from hillary is more of the same. lip sevice. she is the consumate politician. kudos, congressman frank, for providing your endorsement. but then, you support rights for the trans community, too. i suspect you will still do whatever is politically expedient. two peas in a pod.
