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KEVIN NAFF
Friday, August 15, 2008
THE
DEMOCRATIC
PARTY
under
Howard
Dean
and
Barack
Obama
has
taken
welcome
steps
toward
increasing
the
visibility
of
gays
at
the
upcoming
convention
and
addressing
gay
rights
issues
in
the
party
platform.
Last
week,
the
party
released
new
figures
showing
that
the
total
number
of
gay
delegates
headed
to
the
convention
in
Denver
later
this
month
is
up
by
more
than
25
percent
from
2004.
Unfortunately,
only
21
states
and
D.C.
met
their
delegate
goals,
which
remain
voluntary.
Despite
the
shortcomings,
at
least
277
openly
gay
delegates
will
participate
in
the
convention,
compared
to
215
in
2004.
This
week,
members
of
the
party’s
platform
committee
revealed
gay-inclusive
language
that
offers
some
remarkable
firsts.
The
document
includes
language
opposing
the
Defense
of
Marriage
Act
and
“Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell,”
which
bars
gays
from
serving
openly
in
the
military.
It
also
calls
for
an
end
to
discrimination
based
on
gender
identity.
The
contrast
between
the
Democratic
Party
and
the
GOP
could
not
be
more
dramatic.
The
Republicans
are
set
to
nominate
John
McCain,
who
aggressively
supported
an
amendment
in
his
home
state
of
Arizona
that
would
have
banned
not
just
same-sex
marriages
but
also
domestic
partnerships.
McCain
has
said
that
“Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell”
is
working
just
fine,
whatever
that
means.
The
fact
that
Log
Cabin
Republicans
has
not
endorsed
him
this
late
in
the
process
is
telling.
McCain
wrapped
up
the
nomination
months
ago,
yet
no
endorsement
has
come.
Given
McCain’s
opposition
to
the
Federal
Marriage
Amendment,
a
position
that
put
him
publicly
at
odds
with
President
Bush,
it
once
seemed
a
Log
Cabin
endorsement
was
inevitable.
Although
the
choice
for
gay
voters
is
a
no-brainer
this
year,
the
Democrats
still
have
a
ways
to
go
in
bridging
the
considerable
gap
between
warm,
fuzzy
words
of
support
and
actual
legislative
accomplishments.
Expectations
for
gay
rights
advances
were
raised
after
the
Democrats
took
control
of
Congress
after
the
2006
mid-term
elections.
Since
then,
a
controversial,
gay-only
version
of
the
Employment
Non-Discrimination
Act
passed
the
House,
but
no
companion
version
has
yet
surfaced
in
the
Senate.
Barack
Obama
and
Hillary
Clinton
aggressively
courted
gay
votes
during
their
hotly
contested
primary
and
both
publicly
thanked
gay
supporters
and
talked
about
gay
issues
on
the
campaign
trail.
But
neither
senator
has
stepped
up
to
introduce
ENDA
in
the
Senate.
A
new
ENDA
champion
is
desperately
needed
given
Sen.
Edward
Kennedy’s
cancer
diagnosis.
Clinton
or
Obama
(or
both)
could
make
good
on
all
those
campaign
words
of
support
by
taking
over
for
the
ailing
Kennedy
on
this
issue
that
is
so
important
to
gay
voters.
Of
course,
Democrats
argue
that
any
gay-related
legislation
is
doomed
to
be
vetoed
by
President
Bush,
a
claim
undermined
by
Bush’s
recent
signing
of
the
PEPFAR
bill,
which
repeals
a
longstanding
ban
on
immigration
and
travel
to
the
United
States
by
those
with
HIV.
And
so
gay
voters
wait
another
year.
If
Obama
wins
the
White
House
and
the
Democrats
expand
their
majorities
in
the
House
and
Senate
—
all
of
which
seem
inevitable
—
then
it
will
be
time
for
action
instead
of
just
words.
That
means
a
vote
on
ENDA,
repeal
of
“Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell”
and
real
debate
on
federal
recognition
of
rights
for
same-sex
couples,
thousands
of
whom
are
now
legally
marrying
on
both
coasts.
In
addition,
D.C.
will
be
out
of
excuses
for
putting
off
a
City
Council
vote
on
marriage
rights
for
gay
couples.
If
Obama
wins
and
Democrats
rule
Congress,
the
Council
should
move
forward
with
a
marriage
bill
as
soon
as
possible.
A
majority
of
Council
members
favor
it
and
Mayor
Adrian
Fenty
has
said
he
would
sign
it.
We’re
nearing
the
time
when
Democrats
will
be
out
of
excuses
for
delaying
or
resisting
action
on
gay
rights
issues.
The
recent
words
of
support
are
welcome,
but
the
action
we’ve
been
waiting
for
could
be
just
around
the
corner.
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