California Democratic State Convention - Major candidates support gay agenda, except for marriage

California Democratic State Convention - Major candidates support gay agenda, except for marriage
Gay delegates caucus
by Rex Wockner
Copyright by Buzz magazine San Diego and Rex Wockner
11 May 2007

Gay issues stayed mostly in the background at the California Democratic
State Convention held April 27-29 at the San Diego Convention Center,
but the two leading Democratic presidential candidates did make brief
references to LGBT people in their speeches to delegates.

"When we try to have an honest debate about the crises we face, whether
it's on the Senate floor or a Sunday talk show, the conversation isn't
about finding common ground, it's about finding someone to blame," said
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

"We're divided into red states and blue states, and told to always point
the finger at somebody else -- the other party, or gay people, or
immigrants."

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in her address to delegates, promised
to treat all Americans equally, regardless of "who you love."

"Are you ready for a president again who actually respects science and
believes we ought to listen to scientists on -- oh, let's say, global
climate change and stem cell research?" Clinton asked. "Are you ready
for a government that treats all Americans with dignity and equality no
matter who you are and who you love? Are you ready to replace cronyism
with competence again?"

Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., did not refer to gays during his
address.

Clinton and Edwards held press conferences following their speeches.
Some gay reporters in attendance raised their hands to ask questions but
neither candidate called on them.

Local gay activist Doug Case, a board member of the LGBT-oriented San
Diego Democratic Club, said about 250 to 300 of the convention's 2,400
delegates came from the gay community.

SUBHEAD: Gay Dems Caucus

On the convention's first evening, about 150 people attended a meeting
of the LGBT Caucus of the California Democratic Party. They elected new
officers and heard from representatives of the presidential campaigns,
openly gay members of the California Legislature, and gay and lesbian
candidates for public office.

San Diego's Jess Durfee, a convention delegate and chair of the San
Diego County Democratic Party, was elected male co-chair of the caucus.
Laurie McBride of Sacramento was elected female co-chair.

Durfee said the caucus "advocates for inclusion of LGBT issues in the
party's platform, resolutions and policies; promotes involvement by LGBT
Democrats in the party apparatus; promotes LGBT Democratic candidates;
and advocates for party support on LGBT issues."

Delegate Jeri Dilno, who is political director of the San Diego
Democratic Club, said any differences in the positions of Clinton,
Edwards and Obama on gay issues are "fairly subtle."

SDDC's Case agreed, saying: "There's no clear distinction between any of
the major candidates with regard to their positions on our issues. ...
They support equal rights for gay and lesbian families and civil unions
but don't go so far as to support same-sex marriage."

Dilno suggested that Clinton's comments on gays tend to be "those nice,
progressive 'Everybody should have equal rights but I think domestic
partners are the way to go; I'm not ready to say marriage; gays are my
best friends' sort of things."

"What I did want to ask Hillary, or someone from her campaign -- and I
never got to -- was, Does she support Gov. [Eliot] Spitzer's same-sex
marriage bill that's been introduced in New York?" Dilno said. "She's a
New Yorker, she's a senator, and that's a legitimate question I don't
think she's answered."

Dilno agreed with many others who "felt electricity in the room" when
Obama addressed the convention. But Dilno asked: "What did he really
say? What is his plan?"

"Obama is the most motivational," agreed Case, "but there wasn't enough
substance to his proposals. Hillary and Edwards gave more specifics."

Dilno also noted that Edwards was the first one out of the gate to
clearly disagree with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace in
March when he said that "homosexual acts between two individuals are
immoral."

Clinton and Obama both initially evaded the question when reporters
asked them if homosexuality is immoral. After complaints from their gay
supporters, both later directly stated that it is not.

Local activist Bob Nelson, a frequent major donor to LGBT causes, said
"all the major candidates are focusing on mainstream issues and not
giving a lot of focus to what I'll call minority issues."

"They're all talking about big themes: Iraq, the poverty divide,
universal access to affordable health care," he said. "These are issues
that play to broad, middle-of-the-road audiences. So, my observation is
that the candidates are trying not to get off on any sidetracks that
might be really important to me as a gay man, but maybe are second- or
third-tier issues to 80 or 90 percent of America."

Nelson said Edwards and Clinton seem to have a better grasp of "the
legislative and regulatory issues that separate LGBT people from full
access to our federal rights."

"I don't get the impression that Obama has really focused on the 1,300
or so discriminations that exist in federal law and, because of that, I
think that while all three will be ultimately sympathetic to most of the
issues that I care about, I feel more comfortable with Edwards and
Clinton in getting into the nuts and bolts."

Case said most of the convention's LGBT delegates probably haven't
selected their candidate yet.

"I'm looking at who has the ability to win the White House, given that
they're all similar," he said.

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Editor's note: Reporter Rex Wockner and San Diego County Democratic
Party Chair Jess Durfee are housemates.