Aug 10, 2007  |  By: KEVIN NAFF  | COMMENTS     

think the gay community is going to hop on my back because I’m not going to lead the parades and be this crazy activist. I don’t want to be a poster child.”

But just one year later, that’s exactly what he aspires to become. After receiving an award from HRC, which he didn’t deserve, he’s featured on the homepage of visiblevote.com opining on same-sex marriage. To say he’s late to that party would be a gross understatement.

Bass writes, “Bill Clinton promoted tolerance and acceptance of the LGBT community. … and fought for equal rights for LGBT Americans.”

Perhaps because Bass is new to being a “crazy activist,” he’s unaware that Clinton supported and signed the Defense of Marriage Act, one of the most anti-gay pieces of legislation ever to pass Congress. And because of Clinton’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, more than 11,000 gay and lesbian service members have been kicked out of the military. That policy has quite literally destroyed thousands of careers and lives.

Bass’ essay then turns to same-sex marriage. He writes, “I understand this issue isn’t going to win an election for the Democrats and may even cost votes, but supporting gay marriage is the right thing to do.”

Of course it’s the right thing to do, but the Democratic presidential candidates (except for Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich) have made it clear where they stand on same-sex marriage — they oppose it. And anyone looking for dramatic reversals on that topic surely came away disappointed last night.

It would be better for those political insiders like Etheridge and Bass with direct access to the candidates to ask more detailed, substantive and specific questions about pending legislation (hate crimes, ENDA and Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s marriage proposal in New York, for example) and their plans to advance their ideas than to waste time talking marriage.

Then again, I’m not a washed up boy band singer or a lesbian rock star, so what do I know?